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If someone said “research,” a business school might not be the first place you’d think to look. Think again. Join us for a deep dive into four projects by Bentley professors and students that aim to answer challenging real-world questions. Are some people genetically predisposed to opioid addiction? Is federal funding necessary to create new drugs? Can ”mobile money” raise the standard of living in developing nations? Does discarded plastic end up in your seafood — and you? Learn what sets research apart at Bentley. Page 10
Contents SUMMER 2019
2 | HERE
3 | ON
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COLUMNS 4 | From the President 8 | Inside Job: Art evangelist Maria Rivero ’09 9 | Five Things: Reasons to welcome failure 22 | Take Two: Making hay in the boxing ring
FEATURES 10 | Examining Research: Faculty and student projects have real-world impact 16 | The PROfile: Insta tips from Brayan Mesa ’17 18 | Early Investment: Teaching finance to kids and teens 24 | C LASS
NOTES
HERE SAY
Magazine Editor Susan Simpson Director Communications & Strategic Content John McElhenny
TRAILBLAZERS OF THE FIRST DEGREE [cover story, page 10] SPRING 2019
Writers Michael Blanding Deblina Chakraborty Jaimie Fritz Mary K. Pratt Kristen Walsh Kevin Wong Creative Director Greg Gonyea Senior Associate Director Creative Services Claire S. Anderson Art Direction & Design Juliana Freire Kelly Milligan Multimedia Producer Kevin Maguire Associate Director Print & Production Judy Metz Executive Director Advancement Communications Terry Cronin Senior Associate Director Advancement Communications Caroline Cruise Associate Director Content Development Kristin Livingston Communications Specialist Molly McKinnon President Alison Davis-Blake Vice President University Advancement Maureen Flores Vice President Chief Marketing Officer Valerie Fox Associate Vice President Strategic Communications Christopher Joyce
Valerie Perez ’19
My father, Joseph Schwartz, graduated from Bentley School of Accounting in 1921. He, a Boston-born son of Eastern European immigrants, was the first of his family to attend college. He had a long career in accounting — in industry, government and private practice. I have continued the tradition, graduating in 1973 from Bentley and now retired after a career in government and private practice. The first generation to attend in those early days had many challenges to face. My father met those head on and became an inspiration to me and my siblings as both a father and business person. Your article hit the nail on the head. Ed Schwartz ’73 New Haven, Conn. Wonderful article! I am a graduate of Bentley as is my father and son. I am a relocation consultant specializing
in international clients. I have been on the diversity task force for Bedford (Mass.) schools. I would welcome the opportunity to learn more about your task force and if I can be of any assistance. Brenda Catanzano ’96, P ’06 Carlisle, Mass.
One of my proudest professional efforts was helping to start the First-Generation Task Force at Bentley. As a first-generation college student and Portuguese-American, I wanted to learn how we in Student Affairs could better serve as a resource for other first-gens. Sometimes, it felt like I had As the chair of the First-Generation to work harder than anyone else. Student Task Force here at Bentley, Sometimes, I thought I wasn’t going I was glad to see the coverage given to make it. Having Student Affairs to first-generation college students professionals at my undergraduate in the last Bentley Magazine. institution, Bridgewater State University, take me under their wing Factors contributing to the made all the difference in my college academic success of first-gen success. They are the reason I chose students is also the topic of my doctoral dissertation, now a research a career in higher education. I am excited to see that Bentley passion of mine. My findings is continuing this important work. support many of the observations Nina DeAgrela made about these students — that Former Associate Director, they have qualities of perseverance, Bentley Multicultural Center grit, and the determination and motivation to graduate from an SPOTLIGHT: NEHA SINGH ’15 institution of higher education [page 38] such as Bentley. Although they face challenges in navigating campus life, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the Spotlight on the Bentley students I spoke with Neha Singh! I’ve been a Girl Scout for my research were very much leader for eight years, both my involved in activities or organizadaughters sell cookies, and this year tions on campus, such as service– I worked in the cookie department learning and Habitat for Humanity. at Girl Scouts San Diego. I wonder The task force is working toward if Neha was ever a Girl Scout herself a day when the entire university or sold cookies? It was so cool to community is committed to a come across this article! concerted approach to recognizing, supporting and ensuring the success Alexis Vercollone, MBA ’00 San Diego, Calif. of these students. Jackie Masloff Lecturer, Computer Information Systems; Chair, First-Generation Student Task Force
Editor’s Note: Though Neha wasn’t a Girl Scout herself, she admires “the creativity and determination they bring everywhere they go.”
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Bentley Magazine is published by Bentley University, Waltham, Massachusetts, and distributed without charge to alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends of the university. Bentley University is one of the nation’s leading business schools, dedicated to preparing a new kind of business leader — one with the deep technical skills, broad global perspective, and high ethical standards required to make a difference in an ever-changing world. 72M7/19QD.MC.441.19
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FROM THE
PRESIDENT
How quickly 12 months can go by. My first year as the university’s eighth president has affirmed exactly what I thought when I arrived on campus last summer: Bentley is quite a special place. The 2018-2019 academic year has come to an end, but it will be remembered as a pivotal time when this community came together to
plan for what comes next. A nine-month abroad. This includes more than 12 years at strategic planning process engaged faculty, the Wisconsin School of Business at the staff, students, alumni and corporate University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she recruiters in designing Bentley’s future. spearheaded educational innovation initiaThrough workshops tives with a focus on and forums, we took undergraduate business The next decade at a hard look at the programs. Bentley will be its most In June, we were university’s strengths and discussed how excited to welcome Josh important yet. to build on its longBrand as vice president standing record of success. This important for external relations — a new position idenwork will spur exciting initiatives across camtified through strategic planning. Josh will pus in the months and years to come. lead our multifaceted corporate relations This process has already yielded some effort, ensuring that external partners realize impressive results. Just before wrapping up a true, mutually beneficial relationship with the school year, we announced the launch of our university. the Robert P. and Kalliope Badavas Center New additions to Bentley, such as Suzanne for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, and Josh, will help our university continue made possible by a generous gift from our building toward an even brighter second outgoing chair of the board, Bob Badavas, century. The next decade at Bentley will be and his wife, Kally. The center will be a key its most important yet, and I believe we are resource for faculty as they work to keep on the right path. As the stories in this issue Bentley ahead of the curve in delivering a of Bentley Magazine suggest, the energy on top-quality business education. campus is high. As I begin my second year, Leading the Badavas Center’s efforts as I can’t wait to see what comes next. executive director will be Dr. Suzanne Dove, an experienced educator with a diverse background in higher education in the U.S. and
“ ”
Giving Back Through Governance BY KEVIN WONG Trustee J. Paul Condrin III ’83, P ’19, ’22 succeeded Robert P. Badavas ’74 as chair of the Board of Trustees on July 1, 2019. Members elected Condrin in February, as Badavas announced his retirement after 14 years as a trustee. Condrin brings six years of service to the Bentley board and decades of leadership at a Fortune 100 insurance company to this new role. Upon earning his BS in Accountancy, Condrin joined the Boston office of KPMG and, over six years, advanced from auditor to senior manager. He went on to build a multifaceted career at Liberty Mutual Insurance, holding executive posts that ranged from CFO to president of several strategic business units. At his retirement, in 2018, Condrin was president of commercial insurance. The alumnus draws on his corporate experience in guiding nonprofits. Building off his long career in finance and operations, Condrin has chaired the board’s Audit Committee, as well as having served on 4 | SUMMER 2019
the Executive Committee, Student Affairs Committee, Compensation and Benefits Committee, and IT/Cybersecurity Subcommittee. Away from Bentley, Condrin is board chair of Wide Horizons For Children, whose programs aid vulnerable and orphaned children worldwide. In addition to business acumen and experience as an alumnus and trustee, Condrin has two additional strong ties to the university: His elder daughter, Amanda, just crossed the stage at Commencement in May and his younger daughter, Alexandra, is a sophomore this fall. “I’ve known for a long time that Bentley is a special place, but having Amanda and Alexandra become part of the Falcon family makes it even more so,” says Condrin. “Bentley offers a transformative business education that has benefited me, my family and 65,000 proud alumni around the world. I look forward to supporting the university’s growth and helping to lead the institution into an even stronger second century.” PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ALUMNA
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Conference Call “The Morocco conference is on!” Hannah Rauch ’19 was astounded when the email arrived from her Honors Program adviser: She would be the sole undergraduate student, among doctoral candidates and faculty members worldwide, to present at the International Conference on Academic and Business Collaboration Across Borders. “It was a surreal moment,” says Rauch, a Finance major and French minor whose adviser was Associate Professor of Modern Languages Jane Tchäicha. The two traveled to the city of Casablanca in April. The research that Rauch presented looked at women as business leaders in France and in the French-speaking countries of North Africa (the Maghreb). Her findings suggest that women’s presence in business is strongly related to culture, those of both the country itself and the companies that operate there. Rauch’s trip was funded by United Technologies Corporation, a longtime supporter of Bentley’s Honors Program. This year the company also sent eight students to the National Collegiate Honors
BY KRISTIN LIVINGSTON
Council Conference in Boston and three to the Northeast Honors Council Conference in Baltimore. The Maryland trio, all seniors, presented their original research: Adina Sklar (“Social Media Use and Spending”), Jenna Plotzky (“Educating the Auditor of the Future”) and Astrid Valentin (“The Rise of Singapore and Fall of Argentina in the 20th Century”). At the Boston conference, students attended workshops and poster presentations and networked with fellow honors students from around the world. Most impressive to them: faculty research on everything from edible landscapes to cybersecurity at the mythical Hogwarts; an inspiring talk by poet Nikki Giovanni; and ideas for boosting their home program, such as student-led classes. “All students have the ability to work above and beyond,” says Associate Professor Christian Rubio, who directs the Honors Program. As the next conference season approaches, he hopes more students can attend “to push their intellectual curiosity and get to that next level.”
I was so nervous that he would somehow find out and ditch me on the side of the road. It made me very much an advocate.
Meet the Interim Provost
Donna Maria Blancero is on a mission to show that successful people represent all types of identities, including race, gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ALUMNA (TOP) AND BY KEVIN MAGUIRE
Your commitment to inclusion has very personal roots. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a very proud Latina. It goes back to an experience in high school. I was getting a ride home from a friend’s father. She warned me not to tell him I was Puerto Rican because “he hates them.” That whole ride,
You’ve continued to be a role model for the Latina community. Why? I met my first professor of color when I was a college junior and it had an enormous impact — just seeing someone I identified with in that position. I realized, “Wow, I could actually do this.” I want to help others experience that. How can organizations embrace inclusion? As cliché as it sounds, these values have to start at the top. When I was offered the position, President Davis-Blake didn’t mention that it would be great to have a woman or Latina; it was all about the skills I brought to the table — and that was so motivating. If organizations keep these issues front and center and ensure that inclusion is built into the fabric of the community, we can show the world that successful people have all types of identities. BENTLEY MAGAZINE | 5
ON CAMPUS >>
THE FALCON
FILES
BY JAIMIE FRITZ, UNIVERSITY ARCHIVIST
Commencing Through the Years Bentley’s first Commencement, for 18 graduates, took place on June 29, 1920. The site was Whitney Hall, in the famous Pierce Building at Brookline’s Coolidge Corner. (1) As class sizes grew, ceremonies moved to the Boston Opera House on Huntington Ave. (demolished in 1958) and the Hynes Convention Center. (2) Class of 1937 graduates likely got some important advice about “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Their speaker was Dale Carnegie.
1.
The award for “Most Bentley Commencement Addresses” goes to Edward Howard Griggs. An author, educator and close friend of Harry C. Bentley, he spoke at 18 ceremonies between 1924 and 1948.
Mr. Bentley himself was the Commencement speaker in 1950. A portion of his address is available through the Bentley Archives; it is the only audio recording of the founder we have. Prior to Bentley’s official designation as a college, in 1961, students donned tuxedos and gowns for graduation. The Class of 1962 was the first to wear a traditional cap and gown. (3) The Waltham campus was a work in progress for graduating seniors in 1969. Participants navigated unpaved areas around the library quad on a network of wooden planks. (5) Juanita Kreps was the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of commerce. In 1981, she became the first female Commencement speaker at Bentley. (4) Some Bentley classes have gotten two graduation speakers for the price of one! In 2003, brothers Eliot and Barry Tatelman of Jordan’s Furniture delivered a joint address. Ten years later, brothers Bert and John Jacobs of the Life is Good apparel company did the same. (6)
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HIGH FASHION HIGH ENERGY BY KRISTEN WALSH Energy was off the charts as the Black United Body (BUB) student organization held its annual fashion show at the Bentley Arena. Student models took to the runway to showcase collections from local designers. Floral décor tied back to this year’s theme, “A Seat in the Garden,” and highlighted the idea of a garden representing a diverse, beautiful community. The show featured a mix of media on the arena jumbotron, including videos, messages about the Black United Body and shout-outs to sponsors; the latter group was a new element this year that enabled attendees to learn about career opportunities at their companies. A DJ kept the action moving between sets to give time for the models to change into the next designer’s creation. Bentley’s
PHOTOS BY KEVIN MAGUIRE
hip-hop dance group, Craze, performed, as did spoken word artist Javier Rivera ’22, to the enjoyment of approximately 500 audience members. Anjela Maravilla ’21, the show’s assistant director and a self-described fashionista, had planned fashion shows at her high school in Jersey City, N.J. The show allowed her to gain more experience in a field she’s passionate about and develop leadership and team-building skills. “The fashion show is important to me because I know it strengthens the Bentley community,” says Maravilla, who majors in Marketing and Liberal Studies (Global Perspectives concentration). “It allows every type of individual to come into a room, enjoy themselves and create a sense of unity.”
Alumni were also part of the event, attending a pre-show reception sponsored by the Office of Alumni and Family Engagement. Last year’s fashion show marked a location change to the new multipurpose Bentley Arena, which opened in 2018. Members of the Black United Body launched the event in 1991. WATCH HIGHLIGHTS | See a video of the show at bentley.edu/fashion
Do you have fond memories of the BUB Fashion Show? Let us know at magazine@bentley.edu.
BENTLEY MAGAZINE | 7
INSIDE JOB >>
VALUING ART Day to day, I manage a contemporary art collection for a Brazilian collector in New York and Miami. I deal with a database of more than 200 works of art, keep track of her travels and collecting, and arrange for shipping and installation. I am also certified to give a fair market value of each artwork. That involves researching provenance and exhibition history, to determine how that value is changing for insurance. PRIZED POSSESSION In addition to paintings, sculpture and drawings, my client collects installation and video art. Recently, she fell in love with a 20-minute film by Bárbara Wagner and Benjamin de Burca called RISE (Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere), which talks about different forms of racism. It won many prizes, including one at the Berlin International Film Festival, and luckily she was able to acquire it. That video is always on at her residence, in a very intimate room. And it is a highlight when she hosts dinners with artists and collectors. NEW MEDIA Art is powerful and intimate; it’s the way we recall the memory of how our civilization has grown throughout the past centuries. But nowadays marketing is shifting to become more creative, personal and aesthetic. I value what professionals in the field do with film and video for Instagram, for example. Artists are always engaging new technology in their practice. The question is how to take advantage of these possibilities to rise and stand out, so galleries and art fairs will show their work.
Art Evangelist Art and activism blend perfectly for Maria Rivero ’09 . The Venezuela-born alumna couples her expertise in marketing with a keen social conscience. The work is twofold: managing a private collection dedicated to contemporary art and helping emerging artists promote their work based on topics such as racism and human rights. In April, she was on campus to discuss making art in the age of technology. 8 | SUMMER 2019
OPENING UP When I see an artist whose work I like, I reach out and ask to do a studio visit. I give them advice on writing an artist’s statement, and check their portfolio and social media. Then I invite them to go to openings with me and introduce them to people. Some artists are very introverted, and I try to help them overcome that. They are the ones raising questions and reflecting on issues in society that other people are not. SUCCESS STORY Gerald Sheffield is an AfricanAmerican veteran of the U.S. Army. He draws on that experience to examine the dynamism of human existence, connecting with audiences through photography, sculpture, video and painting. I helped him revise his portfolio and tour the art scene in New York, introducing him to a Colombian artist and a Brazilian gallery director. He received a Fulbright Scholarship to work in Uzbekistan doing research and making art. I can’t help artists find a gallery because I am not a dealer, but I can help them navigate the networking, management and marketing — and I have empathy that makes them trust me. We need more empathy and openness in this world. As told to Michael Blanding
PHOTO BY ANNIE TRITT
<< FIVE THINGS
Five Reasons That Failing is Good for You
“Congratulations on your recent failure” may never be a Hallmarkworthy sentiment. But there are reasons to value — even welcome — the experience. Peter Forkner of Bentley’s Counseling Center, who moderated a panel discussion on the topic for students, faculty and staff, talks about the upside of falling short.
PETER FORKNER
Director, Counseling Center
FAILURE TEACHES RESILIENCE. Failure can be embarrassing and painful. But navigating such an experience conveys the invaluable knowledge that we are strong and capable — perhaps more so than we had imagined. It increases confidence and tolerance for engaging in difficult challenges with uncertain outcomes. IT PROVES YOU ARE TESTING THE LIMITS OF YOUR POTENTIAL. If you have never failed in pursuit of a goal, then you may not be setting your sights high enough. While we should never be seeking out failure, selecting only goals that we are certain to achieve comes at a cost: missing out on opportunities to accomplish much more. You haven’t truly tested your potential unless you have tried something that you can’t do. IT ALLOWS FOR SELF-CORRECTION. Our first impulse may be to blame failure on external circumstances. But this assigns responsibility to factors outside our control. Instead, we should look inward, reflecting on the ways that we contributed to falling short of a goal. IT POINTS TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES. Being committed to a particular course of action can blind us to other opportunities. At our campus event on the topic of failure, one panelist described being cut from her field hockey team. While devastated, she used the time otherwise spent practicing to volunteer in health service. That service became a passion and led to a career as a health promotion specialist. IT DEEPENS CONNECTION WITH OTHERS. Often, our instinct in the face of failure is to pull away from those who can best support us. That retreat is especially common now, when posts on social media suggest that everyone else is doing so well. However, being authentic with others at times when we are most vulnerable is immensely powerful and strengthens the foundation of all relationships.
Do you have a story about learning from failure? We’d love to hear it! magazine@bentley.edu ILLUSTRATION BY KELLY MILLIGAN; PHOTO BY MELODY SMITH
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AT B E N T L E Y BY MARY K. PRATT
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<< FEATURES
Projects by faculty and students have real-world impact
H
ow do you strengthen the economy in parts of the world where most people have little access to banks? In sub-Saharan Africa, a developing region of more than 40 countries and 1 billion people, the answer may be as close as the phone in your pocket. Bentley researcher Wenxiu “Vince” Nan, PhD ’19 has been delving into how “mobile money” — using a mobile phone to pay bills and transfer money — can improve the standard of living for people in sub-Saharan Africa, the fastest-growing mobile region in the world. “What I’ve learned is that mobile money transforms the way individuals live their lives and the way small businesses do business,” says Nan, who worked on the research with faculty member M. Lynne Markus. “That change has a socioeconomic impact at both the community and macro levels.”
COLLABORATING TOWARD SOLUTIONS
Nan and Markus are among many researchers at Bentley who are tackling complex questions — not by working on their own in an
ivory tower but by collaborating with fellow faculty and students in diverse departments. Corporate partners are often involved as well. In fact, the university’s close ties to the business world give research a practical, hands-on focus that sets Bentley apart from other schools. “People here do research that tackles issues related to society, the environment and the economy, in addition to real-world business questions,” says Rick Oches, dean of arts and sciences. “It’s not just about chasing citations in academic journals. It’s about, ‘How can we have an impact?’” Oches himself just returned from 11 days in Iceland, where he, Associate Professor David Szymanski and a group of students examined connections between the country’s geologic environment and the renewable-energy economy. The ambitious bottom line, he says: “Research at Bentley aims to change the world.” The work is highly collaborative. Students — both graduate and undergraduate — routinely conduct research of their own, working in
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close consultation with faculty advisers. The Jeanne and Dan Valente Center for the Arts and Sciences is a leading conduit of collaboration, as home to undergraduate research fellowship and assistantship programs as well as other research-oriented initiatives. The collaboration crosses academic boundaries, mirroring the university’s approach to business education combined with the arts and sciences. Nan’s research on mobile money, for example, draws from fields including information systems, management and business analytics. “Most business problems don’t fit neatly into disciplinary silos, and if it’s going to help solve these problems, research can’t either,” says Michael Johnson-Cramer, dean of business. “Interdisciplinary research blurs the boundaries between academic areas to approach questions from different perspectives, whether that’s finance, biology, management, philosophy — you name it. Whichever question you’re trying to answer, drawing from different perspectives is a valuable approach.” A business school might not be the first place you’d think to look for research, but at Bentley, it’s thriving. And the questions that faculty and students are collaborating to answer are anything but academic.
I think what I’ve been able to accomplish so far is amazing. — Tatiana Naclerio ’21
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Are some people genetically predisposed to opioid addiction?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared opioid addiction a public health emergency in 2017. Estimates at the time showed that 11.4 million Americans misused prescription opioids; overdoses killed 130 people every day. Those numbers have only increased in the past two years. As part of a three-year research partnership between Bentley and life sciences company Gravity Diagnostics, faculty member Chris G. Skipwith has been analyzing people’s DNA to determine whether genetics plays a role in opioid addiction. Based on the findings, he hopes to build an algorithm that can predict the probability of a patient becoming addicted, before opioids are even prescribed. He also wants to use analytics to calculate the best treatment options for those who are already addicted. An assistant professor of natural and applied sciences, Skipwith is working with Miriam Boeri, associate professor of sociology, as well as analytics experts to build the algorithm. “Collaborations across disciplines and across schools aren’t as common at other institutions, but Bentley fosters those connections,” he says, noting support by university leaders that gives faculty freedom to pursue multidisciplinary projects and helps them find funding.
POWERFUL PARTNERSHIP
The partnership with Kentucky-based Gravity Diagnostics developed through its CEO and president, Tony Remington ’92. The company aims to blunt the impact of the opioid crisis, he says, by identifying solutions that are cost-effective and achieve the best results. He believes that Bentley researchers are well-equipped to find those solutions. “What makes Bentley powerful is that it’s a business-minded school. It’s nimble and flexible; they work quickly,” says Remington.
<< FEATURES
People here do research that tackles issues related to society, the environment and the economy, in addition to real-world business questions. “The professors understand there’s a need for research that’s applicable to the issues of today. They understand where the world is heading in terms of health care innovation.” Skipwith joined Bentley five years ago after working at a startup company in biotech, an industry in which he is still active. He appreciates corporate interest in projects such as his and others underway at the university. “A lot of the work I do can affect policy,” he says. “It can impact the training that is available for health professionals and it can affect clinicians and how they interact with patients. That’s our ultimate goal: to affect policy and how patients are treated.”
— Rick Oches, Dean of Arts and Sciences
Is federal funding necessary to create new drugs?
Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a perennial topic on Capitol Hill. In 2017, proposed budget cuts prompted first-of-its-kind research at Bentley’s Center for Integration of Science and Industry. The study reviewed all 210 new medicines approved by the Food and Drug Administration between 2010 and 2016; every single one had early-stage research funded by the NIH. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was the first research effort to measure the scale of public financial support in discovering and developing new drugs. “As academics, we understand that the NIH is important and getting grants from it is difficult,” says Ekaterina Galkina Cleary, a research associate at the center and a lead author of the report. “We were afraid that the cuts would go through, so we wanted to look at the life-saving role of the NIH and demonstrate its importance.”
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Most business problems don’t fit neatly into disciplinary silos, and if it’s going to help solve these problems, research can’t either. — Michael Johnson-Cramer, Dean of Business
HARD NUMBERS, WIDELY CITED
Bentley academics weren’t the only ones asking about the role of NIH in funding new medicines. U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, had posed the question to NIH Director Francis Collins, who could only estimate a response — until Bentley researchers came through with hard numbers. Cleary has been surprised by the attention, impact and influence the findings have had since publication. The Bentley research has been cited in Congressional hearings and in a letter to pharmaceutical CEOs signed by 60 Congressional leaders, in addition to being quoted in news articles and tweeted thousands of times, with some 4 million retweets. Interest in their findings will likely remain high as budget battles continue. A report by the Congressional Research Service notes that, while the NIH budget has grown in dollar terms year over year, funding for the agency as a share of the gross national product has decreased steadily since 2003. “We were just hoping that NIH and other scientific agencies would continue to be funded and their funds allocated to research that leads to life-saving medicines,” she says. “But we recognize now that our research has provided critical context for evidence-based public policy.”
Can ‘mobile money’ raise living standards in developing nations?
When Vince Nan came to Bentley from his native China, he was drawn in part by research underway by Professor M. Lynne Markus. She was studying the ethics of data analytics and artificial intelligence, a timely topic as society grapples with who is doing what with consumers’ data.
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Starting his PhD program in 2013, Nan began looking at how digital innovation can economically transform societies. Later, he narrowed that focus to the growth of mobile money in sub-Saharan Africa and the social and economic improvements it has enabled. Most people in that region have limited or no access to banks or other traditional financial services; instead, they rely on risky and high-cost informal approaches such as storing cash at home. Nan saw that the sharp increase in the use of mobile phones had given banking opportunities to people who had been shut out of formal financial services. “Mobile money has become a must-have financial service for the poor as well as a nice-to-have for people with bank accounts,” says Nan. More important, he says: Mobile money has shown a clear ability to improve the standard of living for people in developing countries.
INFLUENCING DECISION-MAKERS
Nan’s research borrows from fields including information systems, management and business analytics. “That interdisciplinary approach widened my perspective and helped me look at the topic from different angles,” he says. “It helped me understand the issue from multiple dimensions.” Markus, the university’s John W. Poduska Sr. Professor of Information and Process Management, has continued working closely with Nan as his research adviser. “If you’re trying to come up with solutions to complex societal challenges, no one group will have the right answer,” she says. “It’s not going to be all in law; it’s not going to be all in philosophy or management or technology. All of those groups, and probably others, will have something to bring to the table.” This fall, with his PhD from Bentley in hand, Nan joins Salisbury University in Maryland as an assistant professor of information systems and operations management. He and Markus plan to continue their collaboration on a policy paper about mobile money. “Mobile money has only been around for about 15 years; it’s an emerging phenomenon,” says Nan. “I hope this research can influence policy on how to make the best use of this innovation.”
<< FEATURES
QUALITY ASSURANCE Like the initiatives it supports, the Bentley
Research Council runs on collaboration. Members of the seven-year-old council come from a cross-section of departments to provide intellectual leadership on research.
Does discarded plastic end up in your seafood — and you?
“Our group exists because research is essential to Bentley’s mission,” says council chair Rani Hoitash, the John E. Rhodes Professor of Accountancy. “We help ensure high standards
Eliza Wilczek ’19 spent much of her senior year in a campus science lab. The task at hand: breaking down dozens of dead jellyfish and then straining the remains to determine the quantity of microplastics — if any — the sea creatures had consumed while alive. Out of 122 jellyfish, 119 contained microplastics. It’s a significant and worrying finding as scientists increasingly raise alarms about plastic pollutants found in the ocean. Wilczek and Tatiana Naclerio ’21 pursued the project as student research fellows through the Jeanne and Dan Valente Center for Arts and Sciences, which provided stipends to cover their work. Betsy Stoner and Zoe Folchman-Wagner, lecturers in the Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, are leading the research. “This is brand-new stuff,” says Stoner, noting that they hope to publish their results in the upcoming year. She expects the findings to attract interest in economic markets and environmental management circles, because jellyfish is a multimillion-dollar export for the United States. “We don’t really know yet if microplastics have any negative implications for human health,” she adds. “But there is an emerging body of literature that suggests there could be a negative impact.”
of quality for research that takes place here,
TAKING INSIGHTS ON THE ROAD
can be a catalyst for conversations that
Naclerio’s experience includes a study in summer 2018 to determine whether pharmaceutical contaminants bind to microplastics in groundwater. Her findings showed that they do, and she and Wilczek presented their work at the 2019 National Conference of Undergraduate Research. Wilczek, who graduated in May with a BA in Global Studies and minors in Business Studies and Earth, Environment and Global Sustainability, is planning to attend graduate school. Both she and Naclerio continued their research this summer. “Compared to other schools, Bentley really emphasizes and allows opportunities for undergraduate research,” says Naclerio, a rising junior with majors in Management and Liberal Studies. “I think what I’ve been able accomplish so far is amazing.”
and we support faculty as they pursue their own work and advance the university’s overall research agenda.” The council’s signature event is an annual research colloquium. Since 2012, scholars from Bentley and elsewhere have gathered to share findings and expertise on topics highly relevant to business and society as a whole. Examples include the business of health care, the future of work and, most recently, social justice and inequality. “Issues like these have inspired a lot of great thinking and exploration at academic institutions,” says Hoitash. “We’re happy that Bentley generate new ideas and lead to solutions.”
Did you work on interesting research at Bentley? Tell us about it. magazine@bentley.edu
BENTLEY MAGAZINE | 15
FEATURES >>
THE PROFile Shoot for Insta Impact For as long as he can remember, Colombia-born Brayan Mesa ’17 has been “that person in my family and friend groups in charge of taking photos.” That passion is now also a career. Here, the social media manager for the Columbus Hospitality Group shares tips for shooting bird’s-eye-view “flat lays” and other craveable content for Instagram.
16 | SUMMER 2019
<< FEATURES
RESEARCH — Colette in Cambridge My first step before taking a photo is research. Is the restaurant’s food actually good? Are there windows? Is there natural light? Do the table and the color of the dishes contrast well? Researching Colette was a bit difficult because it had just opened. But I knew that the owners also own one of my favorite places in the South End and that the food and interiors would not disappoint!
FILL THE SPACE — Maman in New York City When taking a flat lay, I try to fill empty spaces as much as I can with whatever I can. In this case, the café had a shelf filled with books, and flowers or lavender at every table. We took a couple of things and added some glasses and a friend’s purse. Don’t be afraid to move stuff around until you’ve created the perfect scene. If you plan on using props from around the space, always be sure to ask an employee if it’s OK.
@brayanmesa 1,088 posts 35k followers 622 following Brayan Mesa iPhone photos Boston is home braymess@gmail.com
HANDS AND ACTION — Pagu in Cambridge There are two versions of every food photo that I take: one with just the food and drinks, and one with the food, drinks and people’s hands. Food brings people together, and it’s always nice to see it captured in a photo! I also like capturing action, in this case, picking food up with chopsticks. It can make a photo feel more realistic and less staged. EDITING — Early Bird in Toronto For me, the most fun part of the process is editing. It’s where you are able to see all of your hard work come together! My go-to apps are VSCO and Snapseed. I spent hours and hours playing around with different filters and settings until I learned my style, and suggest you do the same. HEIGHT — Bartaco in Boston My height (6 feet) helps in taking flat-lay photos. I like capturing not only what’s on the table, but also details in the chairs and the floor. Be sure to opt for a shorter table or use a chair or ladder to give yourself some additional help. While I don’t normally stand on anything, the employees of this restaurant asked if I wanted to use a ladder and I decided to go for it!
STYLE — Urban Backyard in New York City One thing I will always remember from my Bentley social media class with Alyssa Hammond is that “consistency is key.” So once I found my photography and editing style, I stuck to it. Because of that, many people are able to recognize my photos before even seeing my name.
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FEATURES >>
Early Investment Banking was the family business for Dina Shoman ’01, MBA ’06, but growing up, she was “bored to tears” by finance. Brandon Samba ’20 comes from a San Diego neighborhood where, he says, “financial literacy was scarce.” Their different experiences inspired a common mission: teach young people about money and finance.
BY KRISTEN WALSH
18 | SUMMER 2019
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THOSE FEATURED AND BY KEVIN MAGUIRE
<< FEATURES
The lack of basic financial knowledge and skills among American high school students is cause for national concern, according to a report in 2018 by the Brookings Institution. Researchers had found that levels of financial literacy are especially low among Blacks and Hispanics from low-income families and among women. Shoman and Samba argue for early intervention. “When it comes to learning important financial skills, research shows that girls receive less encouragement, are less confident and feel less smart than boys in regard to math,” says Shoman. “Women still face barriers and limitations in career advancement, long-term earning potential and salary gaps while growing and caring for their family.” Shoman took aim at the problem in 2015, founding inherQuests to introduce girls as young as 5 years old to financial concepts in a fun way. While there were a handful of siloed products on the market — toy cash registers, for example, and board games like Monopoly — she felt that a series of related games spanning age groups would be more impactful. “We used educational curriculum as a road map to develop our first six Financial Fun Boxes with learning goals,” explains Shoman. Among the lessons: needs versus wants, setting and achieving goals, how to recognize and count coins and bills, why saving matters and the importance of giving to others. “The best part is that it’s fun, with different games and activities like card games, books, creative projects and physical activities.” Her personal favorite? From the Intro to Money box: a coin game called Battle of the Coins, which mimics the card game War. CALLING ALL CAPTAINS Samba made a move toward his passion in spring 2017. He founded Captains of Capital to help kids in underserved communities learn financial literacy through business and money management education. His research, gathered over many hours in the Bentley Library, became a business plan that he recruited six fellow students to put into action. “Our captains introduce essential financial concepts such as saving, credit management and investing to students in Greater Boston,” explains Samba. The organization reaches its audience through local schools and a network of organizations such as Junior Achievement. “A key element of the organization’s mission is to attract captains with diverse experiences — overcoming financial burdens, gang violence and lack of resources, for example — who can truly resonate with the students we educate.” KNOWLEDGE IS POWER Samba’s own story starts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the family led a comfortable life until the start of the Great African War in 1998. Civil war and genocide forced him and his mother to leave the country in 2000; they (and eventually his father) settled in an urban San Diego community. Financial literacy education wasn’t
readily available, but Samba took every opportunity he could find. For example: a Junior Achievement program during elementary school and a chance meeting with an NFL player at a fundraiser for his middle school. “I had big dreams of becoming a pro football player, but he explained to me that it’s better to own a team than play on a team,” Samba recalls. “He taught me about the business behind the NFL and introduced me to the idea of investing money.” The experience got his wheels turning. He started a dog-walking company called Perfect Paws to fund his youth football fees and equipment, then took things a step further in high school. “I stopped playing sports to focus on business, especially finance,” says Samba, who eventually started an investment club to teach other students about the financial markets. For Shoman, the world of finance was hers from day one: Her great-grandfather founded the Arab Bank in 1930 and it was managed by the family throughout the years. She recalls the financial lessons her grandfather and father delivered to a disinterested 8-year-old. “My father always talked about the importance of saving, whether it was money, water or electricity. My grandfather would have us sit with bank branch managers to learn about credit and debit, and how the treasury at banks worked. I was always thinking, ‘Get me out of here,’ so I could go play detective or go roller blading.”
It was a high school economics class that changed her thinking. The concepts of supply and demand intrigued Shoman, who enrolled at Bentley and earned a BS in Finance and, later, an MBA. Now, she and Samba want to empower youth through knowledge. “Many low-income children haven’t been taught basic financial principles,” Samba says. “A lack of access to resources — including financial literacy education — is a contributing factor to the cycle of poverty. I want to change that.” BENTLEY MAGAZINE | 19
FEATURES >>
WALKING THE WALK When you’re starting a company focused on teaching girls the importance of financial literacy, it pays to be a good role model yourself. Shoman, who is from Jordan, became the youngest and only female executive vice president at Arab Bank in her 20s (and had to work hard for that title). Since then, she has sat on the boards of many banks and nongovernmental organizations such as the Jordan River Foundation and Injaz. In 2012, she was on the cover of Forbes Middle East magazine and ranked No. 3 among the 100 most powerful Arab women in publicly traded companies. Looking back, Shoman notes the “unwavering support” of her grandfather, father and mother, who endorsed her decision to attend college in the United States and pursue a career. “My mother always told me to invest in an education because it is the only thing that no one can ever take away from you,” Shoman says. “It’s that message of empowerment I want to share with girls when it comes to their financial savviness.” When it came time to develop products for inherQuests, she launched a Kickstarter campaign that reached more than 75% of its funding goal ($20,000) in the first week — a perfect example of the financial savvy the company aims to teach. “Some girls may need a little extra help to get interested in learning finance, but having a strong financial foundation can help them
Advice You Can Bank On Shoman and Samba offer these kid-friendly lessons in finance.
20 | SUMMER 2019
achieve their most precious dreams,” Shoman says. “When we are able to live up to our full potential and achieve our dreams, we can make our greatest impact on the world.” Like Shoman, Samba is a role model in his own right. He came to Bentley to study finance, thanks to parents who worked hard to rebuild their lives after losing almost everything. He joined the student-run Bentley Investment Group, which manages $1.1 million of the university’s endowment; this spring he became the group’s president. As a Junior Achievement alumnus, Samba was a guest on NECN (New England Cable News) CEO Corner, alongside the Junior Achievement CEO. He continues to volunteer for the organization. Captains of Capital has grown over its two years, with 25 captains and the number of young students taught at 600 and counting. Samba plans to develop online educational resources and a customized business empowerment curriculum for women and girls. His longer-term goal: become a catalyst for economic innovation back in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Every individual has the power to do wondrous things, regardless of their external circumstances,” he says. “I genuinely envision a future where individuals from all walks of life, uninhibited by superficial barriers, will come together to achieve great things. However, it all starts with us and it starts today.”
Keep it real: Young people should see and touch money — bills and coins. Watching coins fill a piggy bank and handling real money is more powerful than seeing numbers on a screen.
child needs shoes but another doesn’t because hers still fit.
Buy a piggy bank or set up a bank account: Keeping money designated for a particular purchase in a special place helps teach the concept of budgeting.
Teach about investment: Investments grow money. Offer to add an extra coin to a transparent piggy bank at the end of each week the youngster has contributed a coin, or help older children pretend to invest in a stock then track its progress.
Distinguish between wants and needs: Cut out pictures of items like houses, clothing and toys, and help children categorize them under “want” or “need,” explaining why. Also discuss that a want for one person can be a need for someone else. For example, when one
Think outside the (cash) box: Not everyone has extra cash to invest. Devise ways to invest in knowledge — something that never depreciates. A few examples are mentors, school clubs and free online education resources such as Khan Academy.
<< SPOTLIGHT
Three Earn Alumni Awards BY KRISTIN LIVINGSTON
The Global Alumni Board sponsors an annual awards program that, in 2019, recognized two members of the 35th reunion class and one graduating senior. Harry C. Bentley Alumni Achievement Award Honors recipients as creative, ethical and socially responsible leaders of organizations Colleagues at accounting firm LGA LLP know Janine Danielson ’84 (below, left, with fellow honoree Susan Gorman ’84) as a trusted adviser and committed mentor to young associates. She brings the same passion for partnership to Bentley, where she has worked with the Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business (CWB), recruited on campus for LGA and mentored students. As one nominator put it: “Janine has Bentley blue in her blood.” Danielson lends her expertise as a board member for several organizations. These include the Women’s Lunch Place, a Boston-based nonprofit that provides food, shelter and other resources for women who are homeless; and the North Suburban Chamber of Commerce. She was among the first members of the Bentley Executive Club (BEC) and continues to serve on its board. In addition, you can find her on the green at the annual Trustees Cup alumni golf tournament.
Susan Gorman ’84 graduated with a degree in Marketing and Management, but it was her work as a bookkeeper that helped launch her career in finance. She joined the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) as COO in 2009 and went on to become president. In 2015, she led the merger of NESA with Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science; she is executive director for academic affairs at what is now MCPHS University. Among many other volunteer efforts, the alumna has served on medical boards, worked with Girls Inc. of Lynn, and played a leading role in boosting the economy of downtown Worcester. A longtime member of BEC and former vice chair of its board, Gorman has focused on recruiting alumnae to the club. “Years ago, Sue taught me the importance of helping other women,” says Carla (Stella) McCall ’89, who received the same award in 2017. “She has helped me achieve my full leadership potential.”
Emerging Alumni Leader Award Honors a graduating senior for outstanding leadership in the campus community As a first-year student, Casey Hutnyan ’19 was reluctant to get involved in campus life. But she surprised friends and stepped out of her comfort zone in becoming an Orientation leader. The Marketing major went on to manage and mentor dozens of fellow students in that role. In addition, she volunteered for Bentley’s Equity Center, served as a fellow at the Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business and as vice president of marketing for the Student Alumni Leadership Council, played varsity softball, and spent a semester at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. “Being part of the Bentley alumni community means that I will always have a place where I belong, filled with people who will support me,” says Hutnyan, who is ready to do the same for fellow Falcons.
PHOTOS BY BRIAN SMITH (LEFT) AND COURTESY OF THE ALUMNA
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y y y y y y y y y y y y
FLOAT LIKE A FALCON
STING LIKE A
Interview by Kristin Livingston Photography by Jamison Wexler
Bentley was 2-0 at the Haymakers for Hope charity fight night in May. James Arredondo ’04, MBA ’10 and Vanessa (Razney) Baca ’10 pummeled through months of training to reach the ring at the House of Blues Boston — amazing family and friends and raising thousands of dollars to knock out cancer.
22 | SUMMER 2019
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y y y y y y y y y y y y
y Vanessa, you were pretty nervous leading up to the match. James, you seemed raring to go. What was going though your mind? VB: I couldn’t sit still. The first fight ended super quickly, then suddenly it was “Get your gloves on” and I could feel the butterflies coming. I started hitting mitts with my trainer right below the ring entrance and thought, this is real. Walking up the stairs, I knew I could not look out into the crowd. I wanted to focus on the task at hand. JA: I’ve seen a ton of concerts at the House of Blues, so part of me was just excited to be backstage! Hey, this is where the rock stars hang out. But then, hearing I made weight, hearing that first fight get going and then getting my hands wrapped … I was like, let’s do this.
What was it like once you were in the ring? JA: I got some coaching to make eye contact, but everything was on autopilot. If you asked me to describe what happened in the fight right now, I couldn’t. It was just go-time. VB: For my fight, it was honestly different than what I anticipated. I had planned for how she fought. I knew she would get better over time, but I didn’t expect she’d be on top of me the entire match. It made me change my approach a bit, going side to side instead of stepping back. Props to her, because she definitely took me out of my element.
Why
for cancer?
JA: I got hurt training for the Boston Marathon in 2016 and that’s what got me into boxing. After one class, I’m looking around and everyone’s on the same level except for this one guy. I’m like, wow: He knows what he’s doing. He said he’d just done Haymakers. It became my personal challenge. I applied three times before being matched with someone at my experience and weight levels.
VB: My journey to this is threefold. I began boxing about eight years ago for workouts. Then, five years ago, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s perfectly fine now — a rock star in remission. But that was always in the back of my mind. I wanted to help other people with cancer. One of my coworkers had done Haymakers. That’s when everything clicked. JA: Over the three years of waiting to be accepted, a close coworker got colon cancer, some family friends were diagnosed. Everybody, thankfully, is now in remission. But that was motivating. If I can go out and raise money so people can get care or ultimately end the disease, which is everybody’s goal, I’m doing it.
What do you say to someone like your mom, who’s worried about your face? JA: Do you get hurt? Totally. Sparring with the guys at my gym is no joke. Blood, bruises. When I got hit by my opponent on fight night, I saw stars a couple times, but was able to shake it off. And what’s cool is there’s so much more to it. In the beginning you have to think so much about the littlest movements. VB: From the footwork to the head moves to where you hold your hands. It’s like a dance. Slide under this punch. Slip under that hook. There’s something beautiful in the movement that I’ve gravitated toward. And unlike a team sport, it’s on you. You’ve studied. You’ve run. You’ve hit the heavy bag. JA: I was able to go on autopilot because we put in all that work. Looking ahead, I want to do more tournaments. Even though we both won, there’s still so much more to learn and do.
What surprised you most about being part of Haymakers? VB: Our orientation was at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and we got a whole tour of the
It’s like a dance. Slide under this punch. Slip under that hook. There’s something beautiful in the movement that I’ve gravitated toward. facility and met past Haymakers. I can’t say enough good things about this organization. JA: It also gave me the chance to reconnect with so many people I hadn’t talked with in a long time. VB: You share your video on LinkedIn or Facebook and the people who donated … it’s like, I haven’t heard from this person in years. They were so generous. JA: We’re super grateful for their support.
Do you have a favorite combination? JA: 3-2 [left hook, right cross]. I’m a southpaw. Anytime I can step out to the right and get them to chase me a bit, that 3-2 is really effective. VB: I go for the 1-2 [left jab, right cross] duck 2. And I also like the double jab cross.
Any advice for novice boxers? VB: Find the right coach in a gym where you feel comfortable. Be ready to work hard. JA: And know that you can do more than you think you can. VB: Yes. JA: The training is on you. If you keep going, you’ll find more. And it’s a really cool feeling.
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CLASS NOTES >>
CLASS NOTES
Véronique Daphnis ’11 and Adam Chisholm ’11 posed with a winged friend for a few engagement pictures. “Not only is the campus beautiful, but we hold Bentley close to our hearts because it’s where we met and fell in love.”
24 | SUMMER 2019
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LOVEBIRDS
<< CLASS NOTES
1977
1987
Anthony “Tony” Dibona, MBA ’82, P ’06, ’09, Acton, Mass., joined the Board of Directors at the Discovery Museum in Acton.
James Maloney married Philip Judson on October 3, 2018, at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nev. The couple resides in East Hampton, N.Y., and Washington, D.C.
1980
40th Reunion Christine JudyckiCrepeault, North Grafton, Mass., has received the prestigious Annette Rafferty Award, for her work with Abby’s House. Given annually, the honor recognizes an individual who exemplifies the values of the organization and its founder, as well as demonstrates an outstanding commitment to its mission. Abby’s House provides shelter, housing and advocacy for women and children in need.
1981 Andrew Brennan, Marston Mills, Mass., and Dennis Siggins, Yarmouth Port, Mass., met in fall 1977 as first-year roommates. Their careers took them in different directions after graduation — until 2014, when the duo cofounded Cape Cod Gutter Monkeys. The pair reports that their gutter-cleaning business is a top-rated and best-of Home Advisor award-winning company. A recognition program sponsored by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association awarded the company first place in the Commercial Campaign, Radio category for 2017; it placed second for the same award in 2018.
1985
35th Reunion Doris (Bourgeois) Kelly, MST ’92, P ’14, ’16, Sudbury, Mass., was elected to the Board of Directors for the Institute of Management Accountants – Boston chapter.
1994 Veronica Vallarino, Panama City, Panama, writes: “I am proud to announce I have launched a new entrepreneurial project on Amazon — Golden Frog Products — manufacturing high-quality binoculars for children.”
1999 JoAnn Dunlavey, Andover, Mass., writes about her new dog: “Bentley is my baby papillion. He was born in 2016 on St. Patrick’s Day.”
2000
20th Reunion Mark Milewski, MBA, West Harford, Conn., summited the 16,050-foot Vinson Massif, Antarctica’s highest peak, on January 4, 2019.
2001 Janak Joshi, MBA, Boston, Mass., was appointed the global head of strategy for Life Image. He reports: “I’ve developed one of the world’s first patient-matching algorithms with Google, using imaging and genomics data to improve our understanding of diagnostic interpretations. This will be used across the Life Image clinical network worldwide, starting with Boston-based hospitals and select pharma companies in Basel, Switzerland.”
An additional venture: Joshi and fellow alumni will build a hospital in Labé, Guinea, in collaboration with Siemens, Google and Life Image, to provide basic access and services to remote areas in Africa.
2003 Sean Roy, Wake Forest, N.C., has been promoted to senior director of North American services for the Global Health Sciences Unit at Oracle Corporation. Roy has been with the company for 11 years; he and his team are responsible for delivering clinical trial software that supports studies run by pharmaceutical customers and contract research organizations.
2004 Cesar Stewart-Morales, Framingham, Mass., shares that he is a candidate for Framingham District 2 City Council.
2005
15th Reunion Ilona (Romanenko) Davis, Portland, Maine, was promoted to principal in the Risk and Business Advisory Practice of Baker Newman Noyes. Raghav Lal, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and wife Vera welcomed Anya and Armaan to the world on November 20, 2018. They join big sister Tanya.
2006 Paola Maynard-Moll, Dedham, Mass., was promoted to managing director of the Scholars Strategy Network in May. She reports that she will oversee the organization's policy, communications and chapters and membership teams to improve public policy and strengthen democracy.
2007
2009
Nikki Innocent, Melrose, Mass., shares many life updates. She has launched Checkbox Other, a podcast for “people who don’t fit in any defined box”; episodes feature fellow Bentley alumni. Innocent goes on to report that, in the 18 months since she started the Bentley Women’s Alumnae Network group on Facebook, the community has grown to 3,000 Falcon women who provide a wonderfully supportive space. Innocent took part in this year’s Gearing Up conference, hosted by the Gloria Cordes Larson Center for Women and Business, presenting a session on millennial leadership. Finally, she moderated a panel of alumnae who spoke on campus in April, at Accepted Students Day.
Alec Biedrzycki married Holly Kaliniski on June 23, 2018, at the Charles River Museum of Modern Industry in Waltham, Mass. Fellow Falcons in attendance included Eric Amodio, MBA ’10; Benjamin Shou; Mai (Phung) Shou and Peter Hodor. The couple lives in Somerville.
2008 Katelyn (D’Eramo) and Christopher Campbell Burlington Mass., welcomed Kennedy Maureen on December 20, 2018. Katie (Casey), MSA ’09 and Salvatore “Sal,” MSA ’09 Falzone, Newton Lower Falls, Mass., welcomed their second son, Casey Leo, on May 14, 2019. He joins brother Salvy. Paul Turner, MSHFID, Matthews, N.C., reports: “This past March, I compiled, as a ghostwriter, a memoir for an 80-year-old stonemason, which was published through Barnes and Noble Press for private circulation.”
Dereck Mendoza, East Providence, R.I., writes: “I changed positions within my organization, FM Global, in January. I am now a business intelligence analyst, previously a senior research assistant. In my new role, I’ve taken on a secondary position as a research campus tour guide.” Jennifer (Wilson) and Nicholas, MSA ’10 Vigliotti, Winchester, Mass., welcomed Luca Donald on January 31, 2019.
2010 10th Reunion James Berkley, MSF ’11, and wife Heidi, Jersey City, N.J., welcomed daughter Ondreya on August 19, 2018. Andrew Coombs, MST, Newark, N.J., was selected for the 2019 “40 Under Forty” recognition program sponsored by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts. Lauren Raeburn, MBA ’11 wed Devon Manfredonia on October 13, 2018, in Newport, R.I. Many fellow Falcons joined the party, including Kyle Raeburn ’08, brother of the bride; Lauren Greenstein, maid of honor; Amanda Markert, bridesmaid; Lucas Lanzi; and Brian McHugh ’14.
Continued on page 30
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Sun and Smiles at Bentley Reunion Hundreds of Falcons celebrated class reunions this spring. In early May, alumni from the Classes of 1999 and 2004 toasted their milestone in Boston. Other reunion classes gathered on campus from May 29 to June 2, taking the opportunity to relax on the Greenspace, check out the Bentley Arena and dance the night away under the tent.
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN SMITH, LOVE DAYS PHOTOGRAPHY AND ASHLEY MCCABE
<< CLASS NOTES
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Your SPOTLIGHT: FAST TRACK YOUR CAREER BY DEBLINA CHAKRABORTY
Between “what you know” and “who you know,” Bob Leahy ’74, MBA ’90 and Barbara Lipps know which one typically needs the most work. As volunteer principals of Bentley’s Fast Track job search group, Leahy and Lipps regularly meet alumni who have spent hours perfecting a résumé, while neglecting what they consider the most critical factor in career advancement: building relationships. “In the majority of cases,” says Lipps, “job seekers secure new positions with at least some assistance from a personal contact.” Fast Track makes those contacts paramount. During weekly meetings on campus, eight to 10 job-seeking alumni — who range from recent grads to former CFOs — review individual progress using a spreadsheet called the “Daily Points Tracker.” The more informational interviews a person has, and the more referrals that result, the more points he or she accumulates. The points system creates a little peer pressure, Leahy explains. “If people can’t measure their job search, they can’t manage it, so this is a very effective tool,” he says. “To achieve the target goal of 200 to 250 points per week, they need to be out talking with people.” The pair also coaches alumni on specific topics, such as crafting a 30-second pitch about themselves. Lipps draws from her experience as a counselor and corporate employee, while Leahy, after 25 years as a COO and CFO in two public companies, approaches mentoring from the perspective of a hiring manager. They say their different but complementary backgrounds allow Fast Track to offer a customized approach unique in career coaching. And they see results. Over the last three years, 26 to 27 Fast Track members a year have landed new opportunities — an average of one success story every other week. “The model has shown if they can meet with three people per week, within three months, they will have established a pretty broad network,” Leahy explains. “From there, the individual’s level of experience will determine how long it takes to land a job.” “Each group member has gone through this learning curve with networking,” adds Lipps. “To see them go from beginner to expert in a matter of a few months — it has been very rewarding.” 28 | SUMMER 2019
PHOTO BY KEVIN MAGUIRE
BENTLEY BACKDROP Robyn Dion ’14 said “yes” to Ian Daigle ’13 on December 9, 2017 — their five-year anniversary as a couple. “We met in my junior year and Ian’s senior year,” writes Dion. “We had our engagement photos taken on campus since Bentley holds a special place in our hearts!” They live in Danvers, Mass., and were married on June 8, 2019.
ANTICIPATED ARRIVAL Ashley Dickens ’06, MSFP ’08, Brooklyn, N.Y., and her partner celebrated the imminent arrival of their future Falcon with friends from the Classes of 2004 to 2007.
<< CLASS NOTES
Bentley Pics!
FAMILY PRIDE When Conor Purvis ’19 graduated in May, he became the third generation and fifth member of his family to earn a Bentley degree. His mother, Kathy (Touhey) ’85, writes: “My father-inlaw, Cliff, actually had Harry C. Bentley as a professor. My husband, Eric; my brother-in-law, Kirk; and I are all proud alumni.” She is pictured with, from left, Cliff Purvis ’57, Kirk Purvis ’97, Conor and Eric Purvis ’85, MST ’92.
BABY BOOM Matt Ausmann ’07, MBA ’09 and wife Kat, Hopkinton, Mass., marked their daughter Matilda’s first birthday surrounded by classmates and friends. From left, Katherine (Cain) Stevens ’07 with pup Winston; Allison (Press) Mittica ’07 and daughter Annabelle; Nate Kilabuk ’07 and daughter Alice; Kalah (Williams) Arsenault ’06, MSMA ’07 and daughters Emma and Abby; Ryan McClellan ’07 and daughter Eleanor; Ausmann and birthday girl Matilda; Mike Athanasiou ’07 and wife Anastasia (Binieris) ’07, MBA ’08 with daughter Zoey; Meredith (Conant) Piotti ’07, MSA ’08 with daughters Cece (lap) and Reagan (back); and Tezzy Bergantz ’07, MSA ’08.
ON THE WING Falcons swooped in for a mini-reunion at Harpoon Brewery in Boston, Mass. From top left: Vickie Wu ’18, Carlos Gutierrez ’18, Michelle Liu ’18, Journey Chen ’18, Jenny Chan ’18, Shalini Chandrakanth ’18, Trevor Hiltz ’17 and Meghan Shipp ’18.
STRONG FINISH In April, Bentley professor Gesa Kirsch, along with five MBA alumni from the Class of 2017, completed the Florida 70.3 Half Ironman. From left: Gonzalo Jimenez Nunez, Santiago, Chile; Anne Catherine “Trina” Hernandez, Makati, Philippines; Silvia Martinez, Bogota, Colombia; Ducarmel “Duke” Rateau, originally from Haiti, now Florida; and Han Dao, MSF ’17, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, who completed the entire 70.3-mile event.
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CLASS NOTES >> Continued from page 25
2011 At press time, Veronique Daphnis, Milton, Mass., and Adam Chisholm were looking forward to their wedding day of July 5, 2019. The couple took their engagement photos on campus with four-legged friend Cuba.
2012 Jane Chen wed Nick D’Amato ’13 on March 16, 2019, in Nahant, Mass. Fellow Falcons in attendance included Bennett Blot and Mike Mahalati ’13.
Deanna Desharnais, MBA ’20 married Tyler Sleeper on October 7, 2018, in Mashpee, Mass. The celebration included many fellow Falcons. Joseph Gannon and Helen Longvall wed on November 17, 2018, in Cohasset, Mass. Many fellow Falcons were part of their big day! The couple lives in Burlington. Ali Kane, Worcester, Mass., is development manager at Tower Hill Botanic Garden. The alumna reports being selected as a Garden Scholar for 2019 by the American Public Gardens Association. She is due to speak at the organization’s national conference in June 2019, on the topics of diversity, equity and inclusion.
SPOTLIGHT: SUSAN BROWN ’88 BY MOLLY MCKINNON
Shatasia Kearse, Southborough, Mass., visited campus this spring with her newborn son, in support of the Black United Body Fashion Show [see page 7]. She welcomed Jayce Joseph Wilson to the world on February 6, 2019. Alicia Smolenski married Ken Noll on September 1, 2018, in Guilderland, N.Y. The couple lives in Schenectady.
2013 Nick D’Amato wed Jane Chen ’12 on March 16, 2019, in Nahant, Mass. Fellow Falcons in attendance included Bennett Blot ’12 and Mike Mahalati.
Andrea Leahy, Portsmouth, N.H., is now a wedding and portrait photographer. She writes: “My career began in college, second shooting and assisting a number of Boston-based photographers. Shortly after graduating, I chose to pursue creativity over analytics and launched Brass Tacks Photography.”
2015
Kristi Hemmer, MSBA, and Ashish Yadav, MSBA, were married on October 28, 2018, in Mount Airy, Md. The couple lives in Clarksburg. Aisling Kerr, Dorchester, Mass., was honored in the Irish Echo “Top 40 Under 40” for 2019.
5th Reunion Melanie Lilly-Buster, Playa Vista, Calif., was promoted to senior account manager at Berbay Marketing & Public Relations.
Send us your notes and photos! bentley.edu/class-notes
Going to the playground. Splashing around in the ocean. Walking down Main Street with an ice cream cone. For alumna Susan Brown, the moments she calls “small miracles” became scarce when her daughter began having seizures at age 3. “Kristen’s seizures could not be controlled with medication,” explains Brown. Surgery corrected the problem, but left Kristen with developmental delays and mobility issues. Knowing she wasn’t the only mom with a special-needs child, Brown wondered: How do you improve the lives of these children and their families? The answer came in 2009, when she had a hand in creating the first fully accessible playground in MetroWest Massachusetts. Brown and a friend, Lotte Diomede, went on to establish Small Miracles in Life Exist (SMILE Mass), a nonprofit that helps families of children and adults with disabilities enjoy vacation and recreation (smilemass.org). Initiatives so far include an accessible beach rental house on Cape Cod,
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2016
an equipment rental program, and an annual donation of 20 floating wheelchairs to public beaches in New England. On deck: more playgrounds, accessible vacation homes and a first-of-its-kind accessible gym. “Every accommodation for a disabled person costs an extraordinary amount of money,” says Brown, who is the organization’s vice president. In many cases, adaptive equipment does not even exist. “Kristen loves being in the water and especially loves the beach,” Brown says. “A lot of us share that feeling, especially with our New England winters. I can’t imagine how sad she‘d be if that basic joy was not possible.” Thanks to her mother — and SMILE Mass — Kristen has many more beach days on the horizon.
PHOTO BY SUSAN OGAR PHOTOGRAPHY
<< FAMILY MATTERS
A Hat Trick for Bentley If there’s a Bruins game on, the Giannettos are likely gathered in their living room, glued to the television screen. Three of the five family members now have something else in common. BY DONNA TALARICO
Michael ’85 studied accounting and, at graduation, took a corporate finance job at Data General, a pioneer in the microcomputer space. That’s where he met Terry (Mahoney), MBA ’92. She took advantage of the company’s tuition assistance program and came to Bentley for a graduate degree. This fall, their youngest, Dominic, heads to Waltham as a member of the Class of 2023. Michael gravitated toward tech companies from the start. His résumé includes CFO posts at Vistaprint and, most recently, Sonos. “I’m sure some of that direction came from my experience working with computers and software applications at Bentley,” he says. “We had an Apple II lab!” As his career evolved over three decades, so did technology. “The 13-column green sheets of paper feel like ancient history,” he says. “Our daily lives are dominated by tech now. That certainly wasn’t the case when I was starting out.” The business environment that Dominic will enter differs markedly from the one his parents joined early in their careers. Since he was a high school sophomore, Dominic has been active in DECA, a global organization that prepares students for business leadership
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FAMILY
and entrepreneurship in the 21st century — and careers that didn’t exist in the eighties and nineties. “DECA has been a major influence in deciding what I want for a career,” he says, adding that Bentley was always at the forefront of his mind — not because of his parents, but for its location: within New England, near a major city with jobs. Dominic applied to and visited several colleges, then returned to Bentley in April for Accepted Students Day. “It gave him a really cool glimpse of campus. It was like, ‘That could be you,’ ” says Terry. “The weather was beautiful, and that didn’t hurt.” His parents are happy with the decision, and glad he’s staying on campus. As a commuter, Michael regrets not getting the “full college experience,” so he always hoped that his children would choose dorm life. That said, “I’m going to miss watching the Bruins with Dominic.” The couple has a game plan, though: Bentley’s DI hockey team provides a perfect excuse to visit their son — and their old stomping grounds.
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Weddings
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4.
6.
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1. Jane Chen ’12 and Nick D’Amato ’13 2. Lauren Raeburn ’10, MBA ’11 and Devon Manfredonia 3. Deanna Desharnais ’12, MBA ’20 and Tyler Sleeper 4. Alicia Smolenski ’13 and Ken Noll 5. James Maloney ’87 and Philip Judson 6. Helen Longvall ’12 and Joseph Gannon ’12 7. Alec Biedrzycki ’09 and Holly Kaliniski 8. Kristi Hemmer, MSBA ’16 and Ashish Yadav, MSBA ’16 7.
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In Memoriam 1941
1953
1965
1982
Glenville Hayes
Daniel Driscoll Philip Nourie
Edward Rich
Andrew Decina Loreen (Carlson) Ricciuti
1954
Anthony Centofanti, P ’87 James Scanlon, MST ’80
1984
1967
1986
Joseph Dugas
Susan Holmes, MSA
1968
1989
Richard Brown Paul Leary Edmund Milot
Daniel Crimmins Jr.
1942 Joseph Campbell Richard “Dick” Fleischer Robert Shave Curtis Taylor Jr.
Francis “Ray” Davis Claude Dechaine Lloyd Milne
1943
1955
Frank C. Doda
Chris Lampropoulos Marilyn (Stern) Tabor
1946 John Sullivan
1956
1947
Carl Kale, P ’86 Michael Sarno, P ’94 George Shatford
Mary Milne (Beverley) Cail Robert Fowler Jules Student
1948 George Graw Galen Larose, P ’82 Israel Melamed
1949 Max Gan David Lessels David Marden
1950 Max Allen Walter Bartlett James Marceau Richard Schier
1951 Earle Buzzell Jr. Anthony Caruso, P ’87 Francis Frano, P ’81 Albert Landers Alfred McCoole Ralph “Nick” Nicholas
1952 Harry Milliman
1957 Donald Kimball Roland Laurin George Lesieur
1958
1969 William “Bud” Francis Jr. William Giordano
1970 James Fagan Warren Stearns Robert Weed
Donald St. Cyr
1993 Jocelyn (Jordan) Kennedy
1994 Mark Aubut Bob O’Guin Jr.
1995 Robert Calhoun Jr.
1996
Kenneth Barrett Anthony Eovine Frank Fuller Edward Gately
1973
1959
James Bogle Milton Sprague Jr. John Sproul
2001
Abraham Kaufman George Morgan
1960
1975
Lisa Rigano
Philip Fontaine Sr. Stephen Grasseschi Rea “Buddy” Kendig Jr.
Robert “Frank” Carmichael Paul Flaherty
1961
Angelo Tilas
Jane (Gorman) King Robert Morse
1974
1976
Henry Hayes Jr. Philip Prew Jr.
1977
1963
Robert O’Neil, MSA ’78, MST ’84 Stephen Reid, MSA ’80
Charles Frazer William King
1981
1964 Richard Brooks
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1966
Lawrence Hart
Maureen Murphy, MST
1999 Robert Fishman, MBA
Gina (Fantasia) Kapilian
2005 2007 Henry Gardner
2010 Aaron Knowlton
Faculty and Staff Lillian Menelly, University Advancement
<< CLASS NOTES
Welcome to the FOLD Did you graduate from Bentley within the last 10 years? Falcons of the Last Decade (FOLD) is a new group within the university’s Alumni Association designed with you in mind. This spring, Boston FOLD alumni gathered at Brighton Bowl and Flatbread Company for food, fun and networking. Look for other FOLD events coming your way soon!
SPOTLIGHT: ASHISH FERNANDO, MBA ’15 BY KRISTEN WALSH
Ashish Fernando can thank a collapsing job market for his path to entrepreneurship. In 2008, he put aside dreams of becoming a microbiologist in his home country of India to pursue an MBA in the United States, where, he says, “a lot of innovation in information technology and biotechnology was happening.” PHOTO BY KEVIN MAGUIRE
It sounded straight-forward enough. But a year later, despite having invested in educational consultants, Fernando was no closer to applying to a reputable American university. “Since the consultants were commissioned by schools in the U.K., they told me to forget enrolling in the U.S.,” he recalls. “The process was not authentic, so I had to figure everything out on my own.” These challenges, which included pursuing standardized testing, financing and a student visa, led Fernando to cofound iSchoolConnect. The venture streamlines the college search and application process for students from outside the U.S. One online application covers everything from recommending the best-fit degree program to perfecting an entrance essay in real time to navigating the visa process. He used predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to create the platform. For example, a machine monitors gestures, posture, body language and accuracy of responses to train individuals for a visa or admission interview. Applications
on a university’s website can be auto-populated for iSchoolConnect users, who now number 7,000. Fernando credits networking for his own and the company’s success. While still a graduate student, he leveraged Bentley’s alumni network and landed a job at Quantiphi, an applied AI and machine learning software and services company co-founded by Asif Hasan, MBA ’01. “Quantiphi had caught the attention of Google,” says Fernando. “So when I decided to launch iSchoolConnect, Google Cloud sponsored it as a startup.” The company, a spinoff of Quantiphi, now has 35 employees and users can connect with every college and university in the U.S. The long-term goal: Collaborate with schools across the globe to streamline the admission process. “Growing up, I faced everyone around me saying that I had talent, but I couldn’t go abroad and pursue a career because I didn’t have money for the education,” says Fernando. “I want iSchoolConnect to help people overcome those kinds of obstacles.”
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Future Falcons
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3.
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2.
4.
6.
1. Luca Donald, son of Nicholas ’09, MSA ’10 and Jennifer (Wilson) ’09 Vigliotti 2. Ondreya, daughter of James Berkley ’10, MSF ’11 and wife Heidi 3. Casey Leo and big brother Salvy, children of Katie (Casey) ’08, MSA ’09 and Salvatore “Sal” ’08, MSA ’09 Falzone 4. Anya and Armaan, with sister Tanya, children of Raghav Lal ’05 and wife Vera 5. Kennedy Maureen, daughter of Christopher ’08 and Katelyn (D’Eramo) ’08 Campbell 6. Jayce Joseph Wilson, son of Shatasia Kearse ’12
The day I got my acceptance email from Bentley, I thought: Please, somebody pinch me. The page loaded and I saw “Congratulations!” I smiled and kept scrolling. “You’ve been invited to join the Honors Program.” Wow. I scrolled again. “You have been awarded a full academic scholarship.” At this point, I was going insane. “You are a Trustee Scholar of the Jennison Family Scholarship.” Everything was covered: tuition, room and board. I felt as if I was in a dream. My parents had emigrated from Ukraine in 1998 to escape the communist regime. When it was time for me to apply for college, they didn’t really understand the financial aid process; they thought my scholarship was too good to be true. But I’m here — and I love it. Classmates who love learning. Friends who’ll be in your life for decades. Awesome clubs and my internship at Travelers. Walking up the Smith stairs every day and seeing the beautiful library makes me feel like I’m still in that dream from the day I was accepted. I thank the Jennison family with all my heart. This scholarship is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I will continue working hard to make sure my Bentley education isn’t taken for granted.
— Michael Berman ’21
This is an edited excerpt from the Scholarship Story Hour, an evening for donors and families to hear from students — about their background, their accomplishments and, thanks to scholarship support, their ambitious plans for the future.
Watch the video | bentley.edu/scholarship-story-hour
175 Forest Street Waltham, MA 02452 USA
Jillian Offermann ’20 (third from left) visited 11 “amazing and beautiful” countries through the Semester at Sea program last fall. Clockwise, the travelers dock in Shanghai, China; stand atop Le Pouce, the highest peak in Mauritius; and take in a sunset. “The views never got old,” says the Media and Culture major, who honed her skills in visual storytelling.