COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Business@URI •
2016 Issue 6
STUDY IN A SMALL, BEAUTIFUL PLACE WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST THINKERS IN THE WORLD.
“IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY SPECIAL TO GO BACK AND PERFORM AND HANG OUT WITH ONE OF MY BIGGEST SUPPORT SYSTEMS BACK IN LITTLE RHODY.” – Mat Franco ’10
Learn more:
uri. edu/business
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
The College of Business Administration at the University of Rhode Island is a vibrant and exciting place. This academic year got off to a great start with a record number of enrolled freshman and new faculty. Our alumni and corporate partners are as engaged as ever, coordinating many forms of experiential learning and, of course, presenting at our fall Annual Career Day event. Career Day offers students the opportunity to hear from successful alumni who join us for panel discussions, to make presentations and even conduct mock interviews. Our keynote speaker Ben Navarro, class of ’84, founder and CEO of Sherman Financial Group, shared some personal growth tips, life lessons and management philosophies he has learned since his days at URI. Heartfelt thanks to all who organized and took part in the day, and I encourage you to participate next year. I want to share my enthusiasm for a healthy spirit of entrepreneurialism that is alive and well here at the College. I am very proud of the accolades our students and faculty are receiving in the academic realm from a Chinese business case competition and student scholarships, to a Securities and Exchange Commission award, grants and publications. I encourage you to share your news and success with all of us. Please email me directly at: mebrahimpour@uri.edu. Sincerely,
Dr. Maling Ebrahimpour Dean of the College of Business Administration The Alfred J. Verrecchia-Hasbro Leadership Chair
MARKETING TO MAGIC: MAT FRANCO TO BRING THE MAGIC BACK HOME We are delighted to announce that Mat Franco, a 2010 College of Business Administration graduate, will bring a bit of award-winning magic to his alma mater as part of the University’s 125-year celebration. The winner of America’s Got Talent (AGT) in 2014, Franco will bring some Las Vegas showmanship to the Ryan Center on Feb. 11, 2017 in honor of our big 125th. Here’s a comment he made about URI and the upcoming show in a Forbes.com feature: “AGT may have propelled Franco to headliner status, but he maintains he wouldn’t be where he is today if he hadn’t paid his dues on the college circuit. … Though Franco is plenty busy performing eight shows a week
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in Vegas, the millennial magician is returning to his roots in 2017. He’ll be performing at his alma mater, University of Rhode Island, in the campus’s largest venue, the Ryan Center ... “ “When I was a student [at URI], I saw Dave Matthews Band perform there. It’s obviously a different opportunity to go from performing in their small theater to their arena,” he says. “It’s going to be really special to go back and perform and hang out with one of my biggest support systems back in little Rhody.” Tickets are available for the February 11th show via the Ryan Center Box Office. The event is part of a series of celebrations to commemorate URI’s 125th anniversary.
FEATURE STORY: B USINESS CLASS DRIVES INNOVATIVE SOCIAL CAMPAIGN FOR NATIONAL MARKETING CHALLENGE Now in her second year at the University of Rhode Island, Assistant Professor of Marketing Christy Ashley is inspiring and challenging tomorrow’s advertising and marketing executives today. She’s engaged her students in a national competition to promote not just any product — but one from a leading luxury automotive brand — Acura. With funding from Acura’s marketing agency, Mullen, and EdVenture Partners, an organization that develops industry-education partnership programs, a budget of $2,000 was provided for the students to design and implement a social media plan for Acura’s entry-level sport sedan: the 2017 Acura ILX. “This operation has lots of positive energy and speed,” said Ashley. “The students formed their agency called Vital Innovative Promotions (V.I.P.) to create and execute
Similar to an actual advertising agency, the student group did significant primary and secondary research before developing its campaign ideas. Then based on actual client feedback – which added to the authenticity of the hands-on experience – the students created their initial content calendars for their social media channels and developed creative samples that received client approval. For the campaign, the team held two big events to showcase the car. One was at the Original Wedding Expo at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., on Nov. 6, and the other was at URI, where they featured the car on the Kingston Campus
their multi-level marketing campaign in just over nine weeks.” “Dr. Ashley’s class is my favorite because it allows us to actually apply our skills to real-life situations and a real project, which makes it unique from traditional courses,” said Taylor Burns, a senior marketing major from Cranston. “We all can’t wait to see our ideas come to life at our events and to see the engagement from participants.” Students within the class took leadership roles of cross-functional teams. Samantha Valenza, a senior marketing major from Plainview, N.Y., was selected to lead V.I.P. as agency coordinator. She remarked, “The coordination of this campaign provided me and the rest of the student team with an opportunity to take the skills learned in class and apply them to promote Acura’s high performance vehicles.”
Quadrangle on Nov. 10. The entire class was there to support the full day campus event and hundreds of students and community members stopped by to experience the bright red sporty sedan. The overall goal was to increase awareness of Acura as a great brand and one that’s just right for millennials. They emphasized the Acura ILX’s performance and innovative features, with messages that appealed to young consumers who don’t want to wait to reward themselves for their hard work. Read the full story on URI Today.
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STUDENT SUCCESS 2
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INTERNSHIPS & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT ONDREJ HONKA’S OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
A Czech Republic native, Ondrej Honka, ’17 was one of 10,000 volunteers selected to watch a final rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. His good fortune didn’t end there.
Honka’s participation as an Olympics volunteer is just one of his many accomplishments.
“Then they chose 206 people out of 10,000 to represent each country at the parade on the stage,” he wrote via email. “I was lucky enough to be one of [the 206] and had the honor to carry a national flag. Now I know what it feels like to be an athlete carrying a national flag at the Olympics.” It wasn’t just any flag, but the flag of his native Czech Republic, which he called a “once in a lifetime experience.”
He is a two-time pole vault champion and one-time heptathlon champion in the Atlantic 10, as well as a two-time New England champion in the pole vault. He maintains a 3.88 grade-point average in Supply Chain Management, earned All-Academic honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for the 2015-2016 season, and was selected to the A-10 Academic All-Conference Team during the outdoor season.
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INTERNSHIPS & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: EVALUATING MOBILE STRATEGY FOR FEDEX
During his summer internship, Connecticut resident Zachary Audet went to Memphis, Tenn., to work in the Sales and Solutions Department of FedEx Services on the Global Sales Operations Team. This team provides mobile solutions for the company’s internal customers. Audet described his focus: “Although I was able to work on many projects during my internship, my main project and presentation was the reevaluation of FedEx’s current mobile strategy. I proposed a new one that could be used to make FedEx a world-class mobile organization.” Audet shared that he had a larger goal for the summer - to represent his University and pave the way for future student interns. “I wanted to
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perform well during my internship so it would highlight the quality of URI’s Supply Chain Management program and open a pipeline so more students can intern at FedEx. If it wasn’t for the quality of education I received and the professors I had during my three and a half years at the College of Business Administration, I don’t think I would have succeeded.” Audet felt gratitude for Professor Joe Estrella, who made the connections for the internship and coached him through the interview process. “I want to thank him for all of his help throughout my journey to FedEx. I truly owe part of my success there to him, because he was the one that made me truly believe in myself.”
THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND’S COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION HELPED PREPARE ME FOR THIS INTERNSHIP THROUGH CLASSROOM KNOWLEDGE AND COURSEWORK - AND BY HELPING DEVELOP MY PROFESSIONALISM AND STRONG COMMUNICATION SKILLS. I WAS ABLE TO ENTER MY INTERNSHIP WITH ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE…TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
SUMMER INTERNSHIPS AT MARSH & MCLENNAN COMPANIES, INC.
~ Nicholas Bruckner ’17 Nicholas Bruckner Finance, ‘17
Mark McGivney,’89 Chief Financial Officer, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
Bruckner shared that his work at MMC taught him invaluable skills that he’ll use throughout his career. “One of the major projects I worked on was company valuation and comparable analysis across major industries. I developed a critical analysis mindset working with complex financial statements and valuation techniques. I have a great interest in equity research, and will be pursuing my career in this field following graduation.”
Thanks to Mark McGivney ’89, the chief financial officer of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC), two URI business students had the chance to sharpen their skills during summer internships. Katie Penkala ’18, and Nick Bruckner ’17 were hired into the Strategy & Corporate Development group in the New York City office. This group is responsible for developing and executing MMC acquisitions. “Katie spent most of her summer helping on a number of initiatives I have underway that are aimed at building a global identity for our finance organization, which includes more than 2,300 people around the world,” McGivney shared. Penkala was enthusiastic about her experience. “Through various projects, I was given the opportunity to work for the CFO, Mark McGivney. One of his main goals is to increase the talent within global finance by bringing back the Finance Leadership Development Program, which recruits and hires MBA summer interns and MBA graduates to learn about MMC’s businesses.” McGivney advises other businesses to consider hiring student interns, even if folks don’t have formal programs. “For a small investment, we got a tremendous amount of value out of both students, and I know they benefited from the experience.”
Katie Penkala Marketing, ‘18
Penkala also felt the internship helped to shape the direction she wanted to take her career. Before the summer, she had considered changing majors to finance, but at MMC, the chance to learn about recruiting and website development confirmed her love of marketing. McGivney felt that both students really took advantage of the opportunity they had to get the most out of the experience. “Katie and Nick were great representatives of URI and the College of Business Administration. They demonstrated that they are smart, humble, hardworking and ambitious, and were a pleasure to have with us. They did great work and impressed everyone they came in contact with,” said McGivney.
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ALUMNI:
L EONARD REINHART, ‘77 CREATES A STUDENT BRIDGE TO MONEY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE Not only has Len Reinhart, ’77, been an active member of the College of Business Administration Dean’s Advisory Council, but he created a great opportunity for Finance students to apply what they’ve learned in a professional setting. Reinhart invited top students to attend the Money Management Institute’s (MMI) Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. At the conference, the students heard from top-notch speakers, networked with attendees and represented URI at a booth on the exhibit floor. “I wanted them to get exposed to the retail financial services industry, but I also wanted to raise the profile of URI in the industry so I decided to have a URI College of Business Administration exhibit at the conference. No other school has ever done so,” Reinhart said. This connection has allowed URI to build a strong relationship with the MMI. Over the years, students have helped conference organizers with surveys and crowd management. They’ve also assisted with MMI’s ‘Gateway to Leadership’ intern training program. Four finance majors attended the conference this year: David Aballo (’16), Matthew Courchaine (’17), Mark Luciano (’16), and Paul Centauro (’16).
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Centauro reflected on his experience: “Certainly taking part in a professional conference as a student is going to lead to some unique opportunities and experiences. At the MMI Conference, we had the opportunity to hear from sitting United States Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia to hear about her thoughts on the presidential candidates as well as the wealth management industry as a whole. She also provided a politician’s viewpoint on the Department of Labor’s Fiduciary Rule. Regarding the connection he has built with students over the years, Reinhart says: “I love it when the students keep in touch, not just during the job search but afterwards when they have started their careers, are looking for advice or just letting me what they’re up to now. It has been incredibly rewarding for me and I would recommend it to any other alum who would like to stay connected.” “We want to thank Len for his never-ending enthusiasm and dedication to the College of Business Administration and for the opportunity he provides the students each year,” said Dean Ebrahimpour. Read the full story on Business@URI website.
CLASS ACTS ’59 TOM WHITE
’02 LORI VINER
Tom White of Smyrna, DE, reports that one of his granddaughters, Madeline T. White, is attending URI in the College of Business Administration with a marketing concentration. White splits his time between his place near Rangeley, ME, and his home base of Smyrna, DE. He has ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Lori Viner, M.S. HR/LR, of Slocum, RI, was promoted to director of operations and administration at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State. She is responsible for leading daily operations of the Donation Center program, including collections, inventory/ fleet management and logistics, customer service initiatives, and business partner and vendor relations.
’74 LAMONT WELLS
’02 MICHAEL GARCIA
Lamont Wells of Haymarket, VA, was selected by SmartCEO magazine for the 2016 Executive Management award in the president category that honors “Leadership All-Stars.” As president of Technology Management Associates, Inc., Wells has developed and implemented a distributed authority model that gives employees the chance to lead and creates an entrepreneurial environment for the company.
Michael L. Garcia of Hope Valley, RI, has been promoted to the position of principal for the accounting firm of Sansiveri, Kimball & Co, L.L.P. Garcia has 12 years of audit and accounting experience. He is responsible for the review and implementation of new technology in the audit and accounting area.
’83 JAMES CURRAN James Curran, M.B.A., Ph.D. ’99, of Dunnellon, FL, has been named Dean of the College of Business Administration at USF Sarasota-Manatee. He has been the college’s interim dean since former dean Robert Anderson retired at the end of 2014. Before he became involved in education, Curran held sales and marketing positions with four large international precious-metals companies, spent time consulting and managed his own manufacturer-representative business.
’83 RAYMOND MUSCAT Raymond Muscat, M.B.A, of North Muskegon, MI, has been named industry director of University of Michigan’s Tauber Institute for Global Operations. In this role, Muscat will participate in strategic planning and lead strategic initiatives for the Institute. His 37-year corporate career includes global experiences in the automotive, defense electronics, aerospace and office furniture industries.
’05 TOM LICITRA Tim Licitra became the new executive vice president of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. The Shrewsbury, NJ, resident, is now responsible for the overall management of the oldest and largest educational and scientific society in North America devoted to lighting.
’14 ALEXANDRA MCGOWAN Alexandra McGowan of Warwick, RI, has joined the brand culture and communications firm (add)ventures as a specialist, pr/strategy, to the content team. In her role, she assists in the development, management and execution of public relations, content marketing and social media campaigns. Additionally, McGowan supports client partner events with media relations, event planning services, photography and videography.
’14 EMILY PISANO With her degree in textiles, merchandising and design, Emily Pisano handles the business end of the Pennsylvania leather goods company she co-founded, Tesoro Design, which pledges to make all products in America. Pisano also puts her wry writing skills to work as co-creator of Gleek, a style blog that riffs on an Anna Winter quote, “Sometimes geeks can be chic.”
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WE THINK BIG, WE THINK GLOBAL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
ARABIC BENGALI CANTONESE DUTCH DSCHANG FARSI FRENCH GERMAN GREEK GUJRATI HINDI HEBREW
ITALIAN JAPANESE KOREAN KYRGYZ LATIN MANDARIN NORWEGIAN
PORTUGUESE PUNJABI RUSSIAN SERBIAN SPANISH SWEDISH TWAIWANESE TAISHANESE TURKISH URDU YIDDISH ZULU
FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS Representing true diversity in the classroom, faculty at the College of Business Administration collectively speak over 30 languages! 2
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MEET OUR NEW FACULTY
NANCY FORSTER-HOLT
DONNA GAMACHE-GRIFFITHS
SHINGO GOTO
Nancy Forster-Holt, PhD, MBA, CMA, RFG, is an assistant professor. Her research interests include: entrepreneurship, innovation in existing businesses (‘intrepreneurship’), business owner retirement, firm exit, acquisition strategies, and “end”repreneurship. Prior to academia, she had a career in public accounting in NY and CA, and as CFO of the second largest credit union in Maine. She is also co-owner of the 158-year-old manufacturing company Shaw & Tenney, which was a finalist for the Maine Family Business of the year award in 2015 and has won grants for innovation.
Donna Gamache-Griffiths joined the faculty as a full-time business law and entrepreneurship lecturer after 10 years as an adjunct lecturer teaching both undergraduate and graduate students. She will focus on helping to develop the entrepreneurship curriculum as well as build a network of entrepreneurs who will collaborate with the faculty and students. A proud alumna of the URI CBA, she went on to earn her JD at Roger Williams University School of Law and is currently a practicing attorney. Gamache-Griffiths is also presently completing the dissertation phase of her PhD in Humanities at Salve Regina University.
Shingo Goto is an associate professor of finance and coordinates the Ph.D. program in Finance. His research interests include investment and portfolio management. Goto has been actively involved in the practice of portfolio management and conducted portfolio management research at Barclays Global Investors (San Francisco, CA). He currently serves as an advisor/consultant to Research Affiliates (Newport Beach, CA) and Nomura Asset Management (Tokyo, Japan). Prior to joining URI, he taught at the Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina. EDUCATION
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA
M.B.A., University of Maine, Orono, 1991
PhD, Salve Regina University, anticipated 2018
M.B.A., Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA
B.S., Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, 1984
JD, Roger Williams University School of Law, 1997
B.A., University of Tokyo
RESEARCH
BS, University of Rhode Island, 1994
• F orster-Holt, N. “The retirement of business owners.” Journal of Retirement, 2016
RESEARCH
EDUCATION Ph.D., University of Maine, Orono, 2011
• F orster-Holt, N. and Harkins, J. “Resource dependence and the exits of young firms.” Entrepreneurship Research Journal, 2014 • F orster-Holt, N. and Harkins, J. “The role of the acquirer in entrepreneurial exit”. Article accepted for presentation at 2014 BCER conference and for inclusion in Babson College Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 2014 • F orster-Holt, N. Entrepreneur as ‘end’repreneur: the intention to retire.” Small Business Institute Journal, 2013
• T echnological unemployment; corporate personhood in the political arena; government-small business partnerships and policies. Small Business Institute Journal, 2013
Read more online: Faculty Bios. uri.edu/business
RESEARCH • “ The Information Content of Corporate Pension Funding Status in Japan,” (with Noriyoshi Yanase), Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, forthcoming. • “ Improving Mean Variance Optimization through Sparse Hedging Restrictions” (with Yan Xu), Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 2015. • “ As Told by The Supplier: Trade Credit and The Cross-Section of Stock Returns,” (with Gang Xiao). Journal of Banking and Finance, 2015. • “ Financial Flexibility and Tax Incentives: Evidence from Defined Benefit Corporate Pension Plans in Japan,” (with Noriyoshi Yanase). Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance – Issues and Practice, 2013.
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Read more online: Faculty Bios.
uri.edu/business
EMILY HEAPHY
JI HYE KANG
GULVER KARAMEMIS
Emily Heaphy is an assistant professor of organizational behavior. She serves on the editorial boards of Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal and Organization Science. Her research has appeared in the Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Harvard Business Review, Hormones and Behavior as well as several edited collections.
Ji Hye Kang is an assistant professor in Textiles, Merchandising and Design. She has substantial experience in both academia and the fashion industry. Kang worked as a merchandiser and a fashion-marketing consultant for eight years in Korea. She conducted brand repositioning strategies, B2B e-commerce business, and shopping mall development in Shanghai, China. Kang’s teaching ranges from an introductory TMD course to a capstone course to foster future professionals who meet current industry demands in innovative methods.
Gulver Karamemis joins us as an assistant professor in Supply Chain Management. Gulver taught Managerial Decisions Analysis II courses in the undergraduate program at the University of Florida. Prior to entering her doctoral program she worked as a consultant in the finance industry. She is a member of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Society (MSOM), Production and Operations Management Society (POMS), and Decision Science Institute (DSI).
EDUCATION Ph.D., Management and Organizations, University of Michigan, 2008
EDUCATION
B.A., Women’s Studies, minor in Economics (magna cum laude), Wellesley College, 1997
Ph.D., Design, Housing, Merchandising, Oklahoma State University, 2007
RESEARCH
M.S., Clothing and Textiles, Yonsei University, Korea, 1995
• E mbodied Relational Competence: Attending the Body in the Boundary-Spanning Work of Patient Advocates, Information Age Publishing. 2016 • R epairing Breaches with Rules: Maintaining Institutions in the Face of Everyday Disruptions. Organization Science, 2013 • A cting professional: An exploration of culturally bounded norms against non-work role referencing. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2013 • R elationship Quality and Virtuousness: Emotional Carrying Capacity as a Source of Individual and Team Resilience. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 2013
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B.S., Clothing and Textiles, Yonsei University, Korea, 1993 RESEARCH • C hallenges in Western-Chinese business relationships: The Chinese perspective. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 2013 • A ntecedents and outcomes of global sourcing and information technology in the U.S. apparel supply chain. Journal of the Textile Institute, 2013 • P urchase intention of Chinese consumers toward a U.S. apparel brand: A test of a composite behavior intention model. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 2011
EDUCATION Ph.D., Operations Management, University of Florida, 2016 M.A., Statistics, Univ. of Florida, 2011 M.S., Industrial and Systems Engineering, Univ. of Florida, 2008 B.S., Industrial Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, 2007 RESEARCH • “ Sparse Signal Reconstruction: LASSO and Cardinality Approaches,” Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics: Dynamics of Information Systems, Computational and Mathematical Challenges 2014. • S ocial Network Enabled Channels vs Direct Channels: A Competitive Framework • O nline vs Traditional Education: A Competitive Framework
MEET OUR NEW FACULTY
GEORGES TSAFAC
FEIHONG XIA
Having studied in Africa, Europe, and North America, Assistant Professor of Finance Georges Tsafack has a global perspective of education and research. He’s been published in leading academic and practitioner journals. He previously taught at University of Montreal and Suffolk University in Boston, and spent three years as vice president at State Street Corp., validating models used for risk management.
Assistant Professor Feihong (Jerry) Xia joined the University after graduating from Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh with a Ph.D. in Marketing. His research focuses on the frontiers of marketing phenomena such as digital marketing and online commerce. Feihong conducts research at the interface of machine learning, statistics and economics. His dissertation essays are currently under revision at Marketing Science. Prior to earning his M.B.A. at Penn State, he worked for MAXIM magazine in China as senior marketing executive.
EDUCATION Ph.D. in Economics, University of Montreal, Canada, 2008 M.Sc. in Finance, Toulouse School of Economics, France, 2001 M.A. ‘Statistician-Economist Engineer’, ENSEA, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 1998 B.S. in Mathematics, University of Cocody, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 1996 RESEARCH • “ Implicit Government Guarantee and CDS Spread”, with N. Beliaeva and S. Khaksari, 2015, Journal of Fixed Income, Fall 2015
XIAOWEI XU
EDUCATION Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 2016 M.B.A., Penn State, 2011 B.A., Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, 2005 RESEARCH Dr. Xia’s research interests include Digital Marketing, Online Commerce, Social Influence, Pricing Strategy, and Big Data in Marketing Research.
Xiaowei Xu is an assistant professor of finance. She received her Ph.D. in Finance from University of Alberta, Canada, in 2014. She has a wide range of research interests focusing on corporate governance, mutual fund flows, and insider trading. Prior to joining URI, she worked as an assistant professor of finance at California State University Monterey Bay. EDUCATION Ph.D., Finance, University of Alberta B.S. of Commerce in Finance (with distinction), University of Alberta RESEARCH • “ A Fleeting Glory: Evidence of ShortTermism among Entrepreneurial MBA CEOs” with Danny Miller, Journal of Management Inquiry, 2016 • “ When is Human Capital a True Resource? The Performance Effects of an Ivy League Education among Celebrated CEOs” with Danny Miller and Vikas Mehrotra, Strategic Management Journal, 36.6, 2015
• “ What Drives International Equity Correlations? Volatility or Market Direction?” with K. Amira and A. Taamouti, Journal of International Money and Finance, 2011
Read more online: Faculty Bios. uri.edu/business
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RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
Supply Chain Management Professor Yuwen Chen’s research has made a difference in the Ocean State’s economy. His port demand joint research in shortsea shipping helped Rhode Island’s Port of Davisville to be awarded a $22.3 million grant from the Federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program.
Professor of Management Science and Finance, Jeffrey Jarrett has joined the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Economics & Management Sciences. He has published about 150 articles in academic journals and authored (and coauthored about seven book-length manuscripts including several textbooks).
Learn more about our Faculty’s research
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SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS Supply Chain Management student Briana Garrity received one of only 10 national scholarships awarded this year by APICS, the premier national supply chain association. The $3,000 L.L. Waters Scholarship was awarded in September at its annual conference in Washington, D.C. This fall, the College of Business Administration awarded $250,000 in endowed scholarships to business students, thanks to the generosity of our alumni and corporate partners. URI Accounting Professor Judy Beckman earned the respect of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during her two-year fellowship with the Office of the Chief Accountant, at the 61st Annual SEC Awards ceremony in June. German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has selected URI CBA student Claudia Krah ’17, to serve as a Young Ambassador for study in Germany for the 2016/17 academic year. The position is to encourage fellow students to take advantage of study abroad in Germany and to foster a deeper understanding of the country and its people. Congratulations to Global Business Management majors Kenny Cordoba-Llanos, ’18, Christopher Graham James, ’18, and Grant West, ’19, on taking third place in a Chinese business case competition at Brigham Young University in November. After performing a SWOT analysis for athletic footwear manufacturer, ALTRA, they recommended that ALTRA consider vertical integration by establishing a strategic partnership with its supplier for international growth. The students are shown here with professors I-Ling Hsu and Jerry Xia.
DEAN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL CHAIR • S . Kent Fannon ’74 Partner, Chartwell Partners
• M ichael V. Jordan ’02, Director, The Siegfried Group
MEMBERS
• K enneth A. Kim, ’97 (Ph.D.) Chief Financial Strategist, EQIS Capital
• R obert J. Alvine ’88, President & General Manager, Premier Auto Group
• K enneth E. Knox, ’71, (Retired) Regional Director, Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company
• J ohn J. Brough, Jr. ’78, Partner, MST, DiSanto, Priest & Company
• R ay M. Mathieu ’70/’73, Managing Director/CFO (Retired), Providence Equity
• J ean P. Bua ’87, CFO, NetScout Systems, Inc.
• P eter Miniati, ’85, Vice President, Washington Trust
• D avid J. Buckanavage ’80, President, Sovereign Pacific Equity, Inc.
• K eith Moore ’74, Managing Director, FBN Securities, Inc.
• T homas J. Chisholm ’68, CEO, Chisholm Ventures, LLC
• F rederick J. Newton, III ’78, CHRO, Apollo Group
• D eborah A. Ciolfi ’80, Principal, Providence Investors LLC
• R obert J. Petisi ’74, Advisory Director, Starboard Capital Partners, LLC
• J ill M. Cohen ’98 Director of Institutional Sales/Senior VP, Salient Partners, LLP
• L eonard A. Reinhart ’77, President, Reinhart Consulting Group, LLC
• J ohn D. Conforti ’77, CFO, Ocean State Job Lot
• R obert S. Russell ’75, Owner, Wayland Square Fine Wine and Spirits
• A lexander J. Couture, ’95, Partner Technology Lead, Publisher Ecosystems & Training, Google • C ynthia M. Deysher ’78, President, Deysher Advisory Services • W illiam H. Eigen ’90, Managing Director & CIO, J.P. Morgan Investment Management • S teven E. Elterich ’72, CFO (Retired), Fidelity Investments • D iane Fannon ’74, Principal, The Richards Group • W endy P. Field ’74, Managing Director (Retired), UBS Investment Bank • J odi Lee Fournier ’82, Administrative Officers/Manager, Korn Ferry International • James A. Hopkins ’62, (Retired)
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Frederick J. Newton (’78) Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Apollo Education Group, Inc.
Frederick Newton has worked as a human resources executive for some of the top companies in the world. He is currently the Chief Human Resources officer for Apollo Education Group, which employs more than 40,000 people worldwide. A former officer and aviator in the U.S. Navy, Newton is an executive board member and trustee of the URI Foundation and has supported the University through his two endowed scholarships in the College of Business Administration and with numerous gifts to Theta Chi fraternity, the URI Alumni Association, and the URI Annual Giving program.
• K errin Suvari ’13, Social Media Coordinator, Alex & Ani, LLC • R onald M. Thalheimer, Senior Vice President–Operations, Fidelity Brokerage Company • K evin Twomey ’92, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers • A lfred J. Verrecchia ’67, M.B.A. ’72, (Retired) Chairman, Hasbro, Inc.
The Dean’s Advisory Council serves as an advisory body to the Dean of the College of Business Administration on many aspects of the College, its mission, and its programs. We thank them for their dedication and contributions to the College.
On October 22, 2016, Newton was honored with the Dean’s Award for the College of Business Administration at the Eleventh Annual Distinguished Achievement Awards and gala event in Newport, RI. We sincerely thank him for his contributions and outstanding leadership.
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“Come up with the biggest dream you can think of, then start down that path and see where it takes you.”
“One Idea Really Can Change Your Life.”
BEN NAVARRO, ‘84 KEYNOTE: “CONFESSIONS OF AN ENTREPRENEUR” After endearing the audience by sharing some little known facts about his experience at URI (including fully considering his job waiting tables as a “summer internship”), keynote speaker Ben Navarro (’84) shared a wealth of personal growth tips and management philosophies with nearly 500 students, faculty and alumni gathered at Edwards Auditorium for the 2016 College of Business Administration Annual Career Day event. Navarro is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of South-Carolina based Sherman Financial Group, the nation’s largest privately held consumer finance company with over $2 Billion in revenue expected in 2016. Sherman and its affiliates originate, purchase and service consumer debt in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the UK.
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Sherman’s business strategy is to leverage its intellectual capital, operational depth and financial resources to meet the needs of consumers who are underserved by traditional financial institutions. On stage, Navarro told the story of how he took Sherman from a one-room office in 1997 to a global organization with over 1,500 employees that originate, purchase and service consumer debt in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the UK. The son of former college football coach Frank Navarro and one of eight children, Navarro put himself through college by starting a business - a student VIP discount card, which he sold to area businesses. Graduating with a B.S. in Finance in 1984, he started his career at Chemical Bank, issuing loans to mortgage banks and thrifts.
2016 ANNUAL CAREER DAY
2016 RECIPIENTS OF THE FRANK NAVARRO SCHOLARSHIP FUND (L to R) Frank Navarro, Margaret-Amelia Crook ’17, Kassandra Patatane ’18, Jill Trager ’18, Michael Johns ’19 and Ben Navarro, ’84.
Navarro then worked for Citicorp (19881997) with responsibility for the purchase and sales of residential mortgages to institutional clients, and was consistently one of the top salespeople on Wall Street specializing in credit-sensitive assets. He also spent three years with Goldman Sachs, serving on the Whole Loan and Agency MBS desks. This experience, he said, taught him about “excellence”. Navarro is passionate about education and the belief that all children, regardless of where they live, deserve the opportunity to attend a great school. His primary philanthropic venture is Meeting Street Schools, a network of independent and public schools bringing educational opportunity to over 900 under-resourced students in South Carolina. Navarro and his wife Kelly have four children and reside in Charleston, SC.
The scholarship, named in honor of his father, funds half of the tuition for two incoming freshman from Chariho and Westerly, where he grew up. Students must demonstrate financial need and may receive the scholarship all four years, by maintaining a 3.0 grade point average. Ben and his family had the opportunity while on campus to meet with four of the current Frank Navarro Scholarship recipients. This reception provided the students with the opportunity to share how his generosity has impacted their experience at URI. Navarro said, “Having an opportunity to meet the scholarship recipients and hear their stories, reminded me the critical role URI plays in developing young people from around the state. The recipients were humble, grateful, and I felt completely inspired (and a bit emotional) by their stories.”
Here at URI, Navarro generously set up a scholarship fund to help students.
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The URI College of Business Administration was the first AACSB accredited business school in Rhode Island, and is recognized for its leadership in business education, research, and outreach. It is the only institution in Rhode Island with accredited programs at the undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD levels.
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