FROM THE DEAN
I’m so pleased to share our newest Dean’s Report with you—it includes just a taste of the programs, people, and events that have defined 2024 here at Isenberg. Read about our new behavioral research lab, wonderful events such as Leaders of Impact, lots of successful students and faculty, and our rapid growth—we’ve gained more than 40 new employees this year, including both faculty and staff. Through our programs and our people, we are living up to our new brand campaign—we launched Inspire Impact on billboards, digital and social media advertising, connected TV and online video, and select print ads in the spring. The ad campaign features our remarkable Isenberg students, and its rollout followed comprehensive audience research, brand positioning, and the development of brand assets. We’re excited to share this message, which reflects who we are, what we value, and what we aspire to be.
If you’re interested in learning more about some of the initiatives presented in this report, you can follow the QR code below to see an expanded version of these stories. Thank you for staying engaged with the Isenberg School of Management—your involvement is so important to our continued success!
ANNE P. MASSEY, PHD Dean and Thomas
O’Brien
Endowed Chair Isenberg School of Management
University of Massachusetts Amherst
WOMEN OF ISENBERG CONFERENCE INSPIRED, INFLUENCED, INNOVATED
The annual Women of Isenberg (WOI) Conference was held in February. Over 400 individuals attended the annual event, which helps students kickstart their careers and begin to make meaningful connections that will support them throughout their future careers. This year’s theme was “Inspire, Influence, and Innovate,” and the keynote speaker was alumna Shachar Scott ’02, who has helped to build and scale global brands including Meta Reality Labs, Bumble, Snapchat, and Apple.
WOI Student Planning Team
President Alex Richards expressed pride in the successful 2024 conference. “I admire all our attendees, who took time out of their day to seize new opportunities, gain fresh advice and uplift one another,” she said.
Scan for more details about the stories in this Dean’s Report.
“Our speakers, sponsors, alumnae, students, and faculty are the reason our WOI community is so strong, and I am beyond grateful to be a part of the community.”
Isenberg Insurance Academy Bridges Industry, Academia
The Isenberg Insurance Academy (IIA) is a partnership between Isenberg faculty and industry professionals—such as Arbella, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, and Hanover. The initiative fosters educational and professional alliances within the insurance sector, promoting innovation and excellence in training and practice.
Last academic year, the IIA formed a student club that recruited 45 new members. Students managed member activities, social events, a speaker series, and publicity. Students also participated in the Institute for Quantitative Analytics, focusing on predictive modeling with Python in projects like insurance claims prediction, fraud detection, and customer retention analysis.
Two Isenberg Hospitality & Tourism Management students won first place at the Club Management Association of America’s national Shark Tank competition by pitching a high-tech pickleball court with an automated scoring system. Jack Sorensen ’24 and Grace Canzano ’25 traveled to Las Vegas in March to compete with their idea against two other finalists as part of the annual competition of ideas to revolutionize the club space. They each received a $500 award for pitching XPickle.
HTM Career Day Celebrates Half-Century Mark
The Hospitality & Tourism Management (HTM) Department held its 50th annual HTM Career Day in February. The slogan for this year’s event, “Proud Past, Golden Future,” represented the opportunities that HTM hopes to provide both the students and the companies that attended the Career Day, while reminiscing on the last 50 years of the department. The 2024 event— attended by 301 students— included 55 companies that represented a variety of HTM industry segments.
Marketing Students Compete at National Championship
Five Isenberg marketing majors, led by Lecturer Thomas Woodside, traveled to Baylor University in April to compete in the National Collegiate Digital Marketing Championship, where the team placed 11th.
“XPickle is a high-end pickleball court manufacturer, with the target audience being country clubs with a pickleballenjoying member base,” said Sorensen. “The most distinctive feature is the doppler radar technology that scans the court, tracking the ball while the game is being played. This technology informs the players if the ball is in or out and when a point is awarded.”
The event serves as an opportunity for students to compete against other top performers across the country to set the foundation for a profession in digital marketing with ethics, integrity, and skill. Each challenge tested students’ knowledge and further developed their presentation skills, competencies in digital marketing, and ability to network with students and industry professionals.
HTM Students Win National Shark Tank Competition
STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS
Ahnaf
Shahriar Hoque ’25 Accounting
“My favorite Isenberg experiences would involve meeting new, like-minded people—either through my classes or extracurricular activities.”
Twuyen
Tran ’24
Marketing and Journalism
“I’m grateful for being part of the early brainstorming sessions for Isenberg’s brand campaign.”
Jibrael Harrell ’25
Sport Management
“My mom always told me, ‘Go where you’re loved,’ and I felt Isenberg was the best fit for that descriptor.”
Ian McCarron ’24
Management
“The Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship is a hub of incredible talent and driven individuals who are all inspiring to connect with.”
FINANCE PROFESSOR BECOMES NEW ASSOCIATE DEAN OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Nikunj Kapadia joined the Isenberg faculty as a professor in 1996, and served as Finance Department chair for several years before stepping into the role of associate dean of graduate programs at the end of 2023. Leading the school’s master’s degree programs, which range from online and on-campus MBA degrees to specialized programs focused on accounting, business analytics, and finance, his goal is to foster continued growth in both quality and reputation.
“Isenberg has been a business school for a long time, and we’ve built this reputation step by step,” Kapadia says. “Much of the hard work has already been done. My role is to help continue moving it forward.”
Graduate Enrollment Hits Record High
In fall 2024, Isenberg welcomed its largest-ever class of new graduate students:
≥ Approximately 100 new students joined the MS in Accounting program this fall, up from 70 new students last year.
≥ More than 200 students were admitted to the MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) program.
≥ Thirty-seven students a third of whom are international entered the Master of Finance program.
In total, Isenberg received more than 1,800 applications representing 21 countries. Isenberg graduate students now make up half of all graduate students enrolled at UMass Amherst.
The school also welcomed 12 new doctoral students across all academic departments.
Sport Management Graduate Program Ranks #1
The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management, housed in the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been named the world’s #1 postgraduate sport management program by SportBusiness for the third consecutive year.
Master of Finance Students Put Theory Into Practice
Students from the real estate track in Isenberg’s Master of Finance program have been providing property development consulting services to a citizen’s group in Amherst who are looking to expand the town’s tax base, vibrancy, sustainability, and economic health.
“Amherst generates revenue through property taxes and is also preservation-minded in terms of property development,” explains Jeffrey Clark , the program’s academic director.
“The central question the group wanted the students to address was whether there are areas within the town to target for development, aligned to Amherst’s Master Plan, which preserve the character of the town and increase the town’s tax base.”
The students investigated vacancy rates in Amherst and the demand for different types of properties, and created a financial model to demonstrate the potential impact on town revenue that might be generated for each type of property.
Rankings Recognize Online Graduate Degrees
In new rankings published by U.S. News & World Report in February, Isenberg’s Online MS in Accounting and Online MS in Business Analytics programs were ranked number 6 in the Best Online Master’s in Business programs, an improvement of three places from 2023. In the Best Online MBA ranking, Isenberg’s program maintained its rank of number 12 overall from 2023, and its position within the top 10 public universities.
“These latest rankings really show the quality and relevance of our online graduate business programs,” says Anne Massey, dean of the Isenberg School of Management. “And it’s wonderful that our groundbreaking Online MBA program continues to be a leader in this fast-growing space.”
New Project Management Certificate and Online MBA Focus Areas
Isenberg’s graduate offerings have expanded to ensure that an innovative suite of programs support a variety of outcomes. For example, the new Graduate Certificate in Project Management, which started in the spring, is a fully online program designed to meet the growing demand for skilled project managers in today’s competitive business environment.
Plus, students in the Online and Hybrid MBA programs can now add expertise to their degree with one of six focus areas: business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, healthcare administration, marketing, and sport management. Each focus area includes an additional nine credits of elective courses.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS
Varvara Plotnichenko ’25
Master of Science in Business Analytics
“Understanding how to analyze and work with data to make informed decisions is becoming more and more crucial across every industry, so I knew that what I learned in the program would prove to be valuable.”
Donny Williams ’23, ’24 Master of Science in Accounting
“I chose Isenberg and UMass because I loved my time here as an undergraduate student and this is one of the top business programs in the country. I knew the professors would help me achieve my goals, and they’d be there to support me in my endeavors.”
Dr. Kim Darey ’24 Online Master of Business Administration
“I transitioned in my career from private practice to chief medical officer at Endeavor Health Elmhurst Hospital, where I serve as president.
I researched many MBA programs and decided that an online MBA would give me the flexibility to work full-time, provide a maximum amount of time to my family, and not burn out.”
BUSINESS OF B-SCHOOL
GIVING BACK
Our mission to provide access to quality higher education regardless of wealth or social status is supported by gifts from donors, corporate partners, and many others. In recent years, we have been able to dramatically increase Isenberg’s scholarship fund so that hundreds of students received support.
FUNDING THE FUTURE
Support from thousands of donors has allowed Isenberg to make significant progress on the school’s priorities to maintain excellence and improve access for students seeking a quality business education. These generous contributions, along with the revenue generated from our innovative graduate professional programs, provide Isenberg with a solid financial foundation.
WHO
Students, 1,113
Alumni, 1,095
Parents, 481
Friends, 380
Faculty & Staff, 119 Organizations, 85
POINTS OF PRIDE
By the Numbers
Tenure track/tenured faculty
Full-time non-tenure track faculty
includes teaching assistants, career peers, ambassadors, program and departmental interns
Average incoming GPA
Undergraduate Career Development 96%
Job-seeking students found employment within 6 months of graduating $68K
Median starting salary 86%
Graduate Student Body 1,781
Graduates complete at least one internship during their time at Isenberg
BERTHIAUME BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH LAB
Countries in the world represented with 47 U.S. states represented
Top 10% of AACSB-accredited undergraduate business programs in the U.S. (U.S. News & World Report, 2025) #12
Online MBA Program Overall (U.S. News & World Report, 2024)
Online MBA Program Overall (Poets&Quants, 2024)
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Sept. 18 to celebrate the grand opening of the Berthiaume Behavioral Research Lab. The largest of its kind in an academic setting in the Northeast, the lab features eye tracking, facial expression analysis, and galvanic skin response technology. The lab sets Isenberg apart from other research universities by enabling faculty and students to produce new types of research and answer new questions with greater credibility than before. George Milne, associate dean of research and PhD programs and Edward D. Shirley ’78 Endowed Professor of Marketing, spearheaded the lab’s creation.
Isenberg Hosts Audit Research Symposium
Isenberg’s Accounting Department hosted the 28th annual International Symposium on Audit Research (ISAR) in June at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza. The symposium was a convergence of the brightest minds in audit research. Forty-eight research papers from 12 countries were presented at ISAR 2024. Ten Isenberg faculty members and seven doctoral students attended the symposium; three faculty members presented their cutting-edge research. Presenters from other institutions included five alumni from Isenberg’s PhD program.
Since its inception in 1995, ISAR has been a significant event for audit experts and scholars, co-sponsored alongside Isenberg by prestigious institutions such as Maastricht University (Europe), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and UNSW Sydney (Australia). The symposium rotates among the consortium universities, with occasional hosts from other esteemed institutions.
Tarafdar Named Editor-in-Chief of Top Journal
Nagurney Appointed to 5-year Term as DHS Supply Chain Expert
Masteralexis Named to Sports Business Journal Honor Roll
Monideepa Tarafdar, Isenberg’s Charles J. Dockendorff Endowed Professor in Information Systems, has been named editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, one of the most respected and established journals in the field. Tarafdar is a world leader in her field and has published many influential papers concerning the positive and negative impacts of modern technology use and artificial intelligence.
Anna Nagurney, the Eugene M. Isenberg Chair in Integrative Studies at Isenberg, was appointed this fall to serve a five-year term as an expert on supply chains in the Science Advice and Guidance for Emergencies (SAGE) program. SAGE is an Office of Enterprise Services, Administration and Support Division program with a direct link to the Chief Scientist Office in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Lisa Pike Masteralexis , senior associate dean and sport management professor, has been recognized by Sports Business Journal as a member of its prestigious Honor Roll for her transformative impact on the field of sport management and her students. Masteralexis was honored for her 35 years of work with the McCormack Department of Sport Management, where she started as an instructor and served as department chair for 17 years before her promotion to the dean’s office. She has fostered a legacy of mentorship and connection that has shaped the careers of many industry leaders.
Isenberg Welcomes 17 New Faculty
Seventeen new faculty joined Isenberg for the 2024-2025 academic year. These innovative scholars are already making an impact at Isenberg, inspiring and educating tomorrow’s business leaders and entrepreneurs. The new faculty represent the following disciplines: business communication, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, marketing, operations and information management, and sport management.
ISENBERG DEDICATES THE DOUGLAS AND DIANA BERTHIAUME BUSINESS INNOVATION HUB
Alumni, faculty, staff, university administrators, and friends of Isenberg gathered in the Learning Commons of the school’s Business Innovation Hub in April to formally rename the building the Douglas and Diana Berthiaume Business Innovation Hub. The ceremony celebrated the family’s 2023 record-breaking gift of $20 million which, on top of previous transformative gifts, made them the most generous cash donors in UMass Amherst history.
“Like this space, the Berthiaumes’ generosity has had a transformative impact on Isenberg and this campus that cannot be overstated,” said Dean Anne Massey during the program. The building, which was completed in 2019, added multiple high-tech classrooms to Isenberg’s existing space, along with office suites, areas for company interviews, breakout study rooms, a café, and the large Learning Commons where the dedication event took place.
McCormack Scholars Program
The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management established the McCormack Scholars program this year to honor and engage accomplished sports industry leaders.
The inaugural McCormack Scholars— Kim Davis , senior executive vice president of the National Hockey League, and Jennifer Todd, senior vice president of the Boston Celtics— shared their professional stories, discussed relevant research with faculty, and gave lectures to students.
David Firestein ’75 MBA Creates Real Estate Scholarship
David Firestein , a successful retail broker in New York with clients like Whole Foods and Starbucks, credits Isenberg with helping him embark on a career that felt like playing Monopoly—one of his favorite childhood pastimes. Eager to pay it forward, he hopes that creating the David Firestein Real Estate Scholarship will empower UMass undergraduate and graduate students specializing in real estate and give them support and guidance so that they can succeed in the industry.
“It’s so helpful having somebody who’s been there and has learned and been successful to guide you,” says Firestein.
Alex Ambroz ’05 Shares Allocator Jobs
Though initially drawn to finance, Alex Ambroz sought a career that offered more work-life balance, leading him to explore “allocator jobs” positions focused on managing institutional investments for healthcare organizations, university endowments, and foundations. To spread the word about these career opportunities, Ambroz established the Allocator Jobs platform in 2023. It offers a job board that pulls in listings from this niche sector as well as educational support to help all college and university students. For most users, Allocator Jobs can be accessed with a fee, but Ambroz has offered it to students at his own alma mater at no cost opening doors to otherwise hard-to-find opportunities.
Fatoumata Ouattara ’23 MS Helps Communities Through Sport
Though many people pursue a master’s degree in sport management with a goal of working with professional athletes, Fatoumata Ouattara had a different plan—to work in community relations, youth development, and social responsibility in sports. Within a few months of finishing her McCormack degree, she joined the Special Olympics New York team as associate director of program, school, and community. She devotes most of her time to the organization’s school-based programs, which provide access to sports and opportunities for physical activity for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Leaders of Impact 2024
Held in October at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, this year’s Leaders of Impact event featured National Collegiate Athletic Association President Charlie Baker as keynote speaker. Baker explained how rewarding he has found leading the NCAA after two terms as governor of Massachusetts. “Having met with thousands of people who play college sports over the past couple of years, I am absolutely convinced it teaches all the right lessons,” he said.
Davis Clarke ’19 Goes Viral
Posting on social media about his day-to-day life—commuting in Boston on the T, working out, chatting with friends—2019 Isenberg finance alumnus Davis Clarke made a name for himself in 2024 with short viral videos promoting positivity and looking to the future. Clarke, who works as a capital management manager at Citizens, gives credit to Isenberg Professor Bruce Weinberg, who helped him start an Instagram account as part of a marketing class project.
Dean Anne Massey presented a Leader of Impact award to Sarah Bergs, founder and CEO of the Nourish Foundation, which works to connect conservation and community well-being in South Africa. Isenberg students have had enriching experiences working with Nourish during the “Service Learning in South Africa” study abroad trip, and the school has supported the foundation by donating a computer lab in one of the organization’s eco -villages.