Spring 2021
BUSINESS
Charting a Path Forward The VSB community charts new pathways with resilience and perseverance
MISSION / P14
Linda Coleman ’78 VSB Discovering a Passion to Serve
DONOR / P18
Michael Mahoney ’72 VSB Makes a Lasting Contribution
ALUMNI / P22
Mike Januszeski, PhD, ’08 MBA Bringing a Different Perspective
The Helen and William O’Toole Dean Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD
Assistant Dean, Talent & Staff Development, Community & External Outreach Cathy J. Toner, JD, MJ
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Associate Director of Communication and Editor Shannon M. Wilson
Contributors Ashley Haines ’23 CLAS Kate Lowe Stephanie McMinn Amy Swift Meghan Winch ’15 MA Kelsea Wong ’21 VSB
Design and Production Matthew Schmidt Design
Principal Photography
FEATURES 2 FEATURE STORY Charting a Path Forward
4 FACULTY SPOTLIGHT VSB Faculty Rise to the Challenge
6 FACULTY FOCUS 8 RANKINGS 9 STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS 10 INSIDE VSB 14 MISSION SPOTLIGHT Linda Coleman ’78 VSB
18 DONOR SPOTLIGHT Michael Mahoney ’72 VSB
20 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Alexa Mocklis ’22 VSB
22 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Michael Januszeski, PhD, ’08 MBA Chris Duderich ’09 VSB
All photos were taken in compliance with local COVID-19 guidelines. Cover Illustration: Mike Austin
Walter Smith
Villanova Business is available online at business.villanova.edu. To update your mailing address, email alumni@villanova.edu. Send comments and questions to: VSBCommunicationsandMarketing @villanova.edu. Villanova Business 800 Lancaster Avenue Villanova, PA 19085-1678 610-519-5424 business.villanova.edu Follow us: @VU_Business @VillanovaBusiness Villanova School of Business Villanova School of Business
Dean’s Update On behalf of VSB, I hope this issue of Villanova Business finds you well. While we are still facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is hope on the horizon. I have been reflecting on the past year and find that we can now look for the good—or at least the positive outcomes—in 2020 that may not have occurred otherwise. As VSB pivoted along with the rest of the world, our community overcame hurdles with the sense of unity that makes Villanova so special. Completing my fifth year as The Helen and William O’Toole Dean, I am more impressed than ever by VSB’s remarkable students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends. Our extraordinary students, award-winning faculty and staff members, and inspiring alumni, all used their VSB experience to make their positive impact in the business world during these unprecedented times. I invite you to take some time to read about our community members and feel as inspired as I do, and that you take time to reflect on your own accomplishments of the past year to find the good.
Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD The Helen and William O’Toole Dean Professor of Management Villanova School of Business @VSB_Dean
COVER STORY
Charting a Path Forward Our world is forever changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we mourn the loss of loved ones or deal with financial challenges and uncertainty, we find hope in the promise of vaccines and treatment breakthroughs. We also find hope in the resilience and perseverance of the VSB community. Our students continue to impress us with their grace and determination during challenging times. Our faculty and staff have come together to provide leadership, innovate and find ways to use the pandemic for a greater good. One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic has been the leadership shown in thought and action by both our staff and faculty. Faculty innovated in the classroom with new teaching methods and content to address current realities. (See Faculty Spotlight p.4). Faculty also became highly sought-after media experts in their respective fields. In numerous television and radio interviews and digital and print communications, our faculty offered insights, guidance and expertise for a rapidly changing business environment. Early in the shutdown, VSB leadership formed multiple task forces to address short- and long-term needs related to the pandemic. One group focused on the immediate impact to internships, study abroad programs and summer jobs for students. To address these lost or changed opportunities, the task force created the VSB Summer Practicum: Leading Through Disruption, coordinated by Jonathan Doh, PhD, associate dean of Research and Global Engagement, and Stephen Kelly, JD, professor of practice in the Management & Operations Department. The curriculum for the six-week, three-credit course combined academic instruction with skill-building and real-world experiential learning. The course addressed topics such as how periods of disruption and uncertainty can impact a business, and students participated in professional development workshops to learn skills for navigating a challenging environment. Another positive outcome of the pandemic was increased enrollment in many of our summer and online programs. The Summer Business Institute (SBI) welcomed a record number of 157 students who earned a business minor or certificate in business through SBI online, and the program was expanded to include non-business students who were facing lost career opportunities.
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Villanova Business Spring 2021
The Center for Church Management (CCM) more than tripled the enrollment in its fall Certificate in Church Management program (160 students, up from 52 the prior year) and added a spring cohort for the first time due to increased demand (an additional 72 students). According to CCM Director Chesley Turner, many Catholic dioceses are investing in their students by encouraging enrollment and assisting with tuition, even in the midst of the pandemic and reduced parish collections in many cases. CCM Enrollment Increases
in Church 307% Certificate Management (Fall Semester) Our MBA and master’s programs have experienced similar growth. With more people working from home and traveling less, they have time to devote to a graduate program. They also want to increase their marketable skills and gain a competitive edge during an unstable job market. VSB graduate programs are well-positioned for the current environment with flexible options (online and in-person) and with most programs taking less than two years to complete. Graduate Program Enrollment Increases
20% Fast-Track MBA 20% Online MBA 159% Master of Science in Finance of Accounting 27% Master with Data Analytics 38% Master of Science in Analytics
COVER STORY
Many areas of VSB have responded to the pandemic by offering webinars with timely and relevant content. The Finance & Real Estate Department pioneered a first-of-its-kind virtual seminar series dedicated to research in banking and financial intermediation. Known as WiFI (Webinars in Financial Intermediation), research papers are presented by the authors, who are top researchers in the field. Opportunities to present are also given to up-and-coming researchers to allow them the chance to present their work to a larger audience. The seminars include a Q&A with the audience, which generally includes faculty from other universities, researchers who work for regulatory bodies and PhD students. The seminars have averaged 40–50 attendees and have included the likes of Allen Berge, Ross Levine and Itay Goldstein. The Center for Church Management introduced a series of webinars on timely topics such as how church leaders should respond to the COVID-19 crisis, human resource considerations during the pandemic, planning for church reopenings after a shutdown, and the pandemic’s impact on parish giving and ongoing financial implications. The Center published several articles after the webinars to leverage the expertise that was shared and reach an even broader audience in local and national Catholic and church leadership publications.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Leadership The past year has taught us many lessons about what works in times of crisis and what does not. We know that strong leaders must show humility, be empathetic, provide transparent communication, act decisively and plan for the future. They also must demonstrate adaptability and be willing to take personal responsibility for themselves and their teams. According to Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD, The Helen and William O’Toole Dean,
In today’s world with all the challenges that we are facing, leaders need to demonstrate the right mix of characteristics and behaviors to not just survive, but more importantly, to thrive during a crisis. We are proud of the many ways our faculty, students and staff continue to thrive in the face of challenge and uncertainty. No one could have accurately predicted everything that would come our way this past year, nor can we predict the future. However, as we continue to develop business leaders for a better world, we know that our students are more prepared than ever to face a changing world with optimism, resilience and the tools to thrive and succeed.
Registration for the CCM webinars ranged from 200–300 participants and included current and former students and those involved in church leadership.
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
VSB Faculty Rise to the Challenge
Our faculty continue to demonstrate leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic with innovation, adaptability and forward thinking. Delivering Real-World Experience in a Pandemic Classroom
Unique Digital Solutions
Competitive Effectiveness is a required course in which students gain realworld experience through their work on a live case challenge presented by a client. The course averages five sections of 50 students each semester and requires extensive group work, creating a major challenge during the pandemic. VSB faculty came together to adjust the course and to deliver it in multiple ways: in person, remotely via Zoom and hybrid.
When Assistant Professor of the Practice Jeannette-Marie Kelley ’00 MBA first began teaching part-time at VSB nearly 20 years ago, she worked in Silicon Valley during the day and taught MBA courses remotely in the evenings. Kelley credits these early experiences teaching courses online—in addition to constantly growing alongside technology through the years—with helping to ease the abrupt transition to remote learning last year.
The course is co-coordinated by Ward Utter, associate chair and professor of practice in the Management & Operations department, and Beth Vallen, PhD, associate professor of Marketing & Business Law. Each section is centered around a case involving a major national brand. Students apply the management skills and frameworks learned in class to manage their work teams; across the semester, each team develops a plan to execute on a marketing prompt given by the client. This normally involves meeting with the client for the case kickoff, multiple coaching sessions, final presentations and a feedback session. During the fall semester, all of the client meetings and many class sessions took place remotely. The biggest goal for the faculty was maintaining the level of student engagement. Some faculty delivered much of the lecture material through asynchronous methods, allowing the in-person sessions to be focused on applying the concepts to real-world scenarios; others ran a more traditional platform, with some students attending class socially distanced and in person, and the other half remotely. Students were encouraged to schedule informal “hangouts” and opportunities to socialize virtually with their teams outside the classroom. This fostered team camaraderie and resulted in increased student engagement.
Since the pandemic began, Kelley has spent hundreds of hours focusing on the optimal utilization of platforms such as Zoom, Blackboard and MediaSite. She has implemented several digital enhancements in her courses to increase student engagement and participation. As Kelley studied and learned how to use each new platform and enhancement, she created reference documents and conducted online trainings for fellow faculty members.
It was important to offer flexibility to the students enrolled as well as the faculty teaching this class. The core content is consistent, but the method of delivery now varies across sections to accommodate our students and faculty.” –Beth Vallen, PhD
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Villanova Business Spring 2021
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
PANDEMIC LESSONS
Beth Vallen, PhD
Ward Utter
Jeannette-Marie Kelley ’00 MBA
Kathleen Iacocca, PhD
Associate professor, Marketing & Business Law
Associate chair and professor of practice, Management & Operations
Assistant professor of practice, Economics and Statistics
Assistant professor, Management & Operations
We had to find creative ways to deliver an experience that would result in equivalent learning outcomes for in-person learners and those joining remotely.”
The business world had to quickly reassess the way it normally interacts. Whenever the pandemic is over, I think it's certain there won’t be a 100% return to normal. There will always be a remote component to work, with far less business travel and more video conferencing.”
In many cases these digital solutions don’t just replace but often improve upon the physical classroom experience, and while things won’t always go as planned, we must remain committed to continued innovation and improvement.”
Although text mining analysis is not a traditional way of thinking about contributing to the pandemic, I wanted to get the point across that everyone has a skill that can be used to improve the human condition.”
Using Data Analytics to Make a Difference The pandemic has created an unprecedented amount of data for researchers in the form of articles, social media posts, expert interviews and medical reports. Kathleen Iacocca, PhD, assistant professor of Management & Operations, saw this as an opportunity for her Advanced Analytics students to discover how analytics could be used to provide real-time insights into a crisis. Dr. Iaccoca challenged students to identify ways companies could use text mining analysis to gain actionable insights. Student responses included health care providers mining medical transcripts to identify pre-existing conditions associated with more severe cases of COVID-19 or to predict patients at greater risk of hospitalization. News agencies could mine social media for insights on the economy, or health insurance companies could mine social media posts to understand the effects of social distancing on mental health and then recommend appropriate support. \v/
Text analysis is a type of data mining which uses software to extract insights, correlations and patterns from large data sets.
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FACULTY FOCUS
Faculty Achievements VSB boasts world-class faculty members that are nationally recognized experts in their fields, with 90% holding a PhD or the highest degree in their discipline. They excel across the board—in research, instruction and innovation. Our renowned faculty are media savvy professionals and can provide insightful commentary on a multitude of business-related topics both nationally and locally. Among their many qualifications are degrees from prestigious institutions, articles in premier academic journals and experience working with the world’s top organizations.
Sue Metzger Receives the OER Adoption Grant The Falvey Memorial Library’s Affordable Materials Project launched the Open Educational Resources (OER) Faculty Adoption grant, generously funded by The Office of Teaching and Learning. Sue Metzger, professor of the practice, Information Systems, was a recipient of the OER faculty grant for her Programming for Adaptive Problem Solving class. “The grant afforded me the opportunity to adapt my course structure to readily available content and resources that fostered both theoretical concepts and applied skills. I found materials that were available freely online, in multiple languages, and material that could be printed or purchased for those wanting a more tangible resource,” Professor Metzger said.
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Villanova Business Spring 2021
FACULTY FOCUS
Four VSB Faculty Members Rank in Stanford’s Database of Top Scientists In response to a great interest in standardized citation metrics across all scientists and scientific disciplines, Stanford created a database of more than 159,000 top scientists in the world. Only those who ranked in the top 2% in their respective fields are listed.
Among the top
Among the top
in Business and Management
in Business and Management
Ranking 325 out of 36,319
Ranking 705 out of 36,319
1%
2%
Jonathan Doh, PhD
Pankaj Patel, PhD
Associate dean of Research and Global Engagement; Herbert G. Rammrath Endowed Chair in International Business; co-faculty director, The Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership
Frank J. and Jane E. Ryan Endowed Chair and professor, Strategy and Innovation
Among the top
Among the top
1.4%
1.2%
Ranking 506 out of 36,319
Ranking 126 out of 10,464
in Business and Management
in Marketing
John A. Pearce II, PhD
Charles R. (Ray) Taylor, PhD
Retired, VSB Endowed Chair and professor, Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship
John A. Murphy Professor of Marketing
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RANKINGS
VSB Earns High Rankings For Undergraduate and Graduate Business Programs Poets&Quants for Undergrads VSB’s undergraduate program has placed No. 13 in the annual Poets&Quants for Undergrads ranking. VSB performed exceptionally well on the results of the academic experience category, achieving the No. 12 spot in that portion of the ranking. This metric is based on a survey to recent graduates, measuring their overall satisfaction with their degree program including whether they had opportunities to advance their professional development or a meaningful global immersion and whether their first job after graduation was in their desired industry.
VSB also earned high ranks in the annual U.S. News & World Report Best Online Graduate Business Programs and the Best Online MBA ranking, earning the No. 5 and No. 17 spots respectively. VSB has earned top ranks consistently in the Best Graduate Online Business Programs since the ranking’s inception in 2014 for its Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) and Master of Science in Church Management (MSCM) programs. The Villanova Online MBA also ranked highly, further demonstrating the School’s ability to deliver a high-quality learning experience for students regardless of the modality. The program ranked highly for several specialty areas, including No. 17 in Best Online General Management MBA Programs, No. 19 in Best Online Finance MBA Programs, and #25 in Best Online Business Analytics MBA Programs.
Our undergraduate and graduate programs maintain a high standard of educational quality and we are very pleased to be ranked among other outstanding business schools. Our strong performance in both of these rankings showcases the exceptional VSB experience for our students made possible by the exceptional strength of our faculty, curriculum, staff support services and the students themselves.
Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD The Helen and William O’Toole Dean of VSB
Villanova Business Spring 2021
13 12 U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
U.S. News & World Report
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POETS&QUANTS
5 17 17 19 25
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Fall Bartley briefCASE Challenge The bi-annual Bartley briefCASE challenge tasks teams of VSB juniors with creating and presenting a solution to real-life business problems, which are judged and evaluated by a panel of VSB faculty and business executives. With just three days to analyze the task and formulate a solution, the case challenge allows students to showcase their communication, presentation and leadership skills. Students studied Café Kenya, an African fast food company branded as a healthy fast food option. The teams had to choose between accepting an offer from a private equity firm, a full buyout deal or maintaining ownership of the company.
The BriefCASE challenge is part of the Backpack to Briefcase professional development program for VSB students. As with many engagements this past year, the case competition was presented virtually, which allowed students to improve their virtual communication and presentation skills.
The winning team conducted a market analysis and qualitative analysis, which ultimately led to them choosing the private investment offer. Through their analyses, they found that it would make the most sense quantitatively, but also would allow the company to expand into new markets.
VSB '22 Winners (from left to right) Kirk Bell Gabriella Egidio Olivia Moyer Julia Rasweiler Rachel Witherite
Father Farrell Undergraduate Research Award Olivia Pfieffer '22 CLAS conducted a research project titled “An Empirical Analysis of the Glass Cliff,” which analyzed the phenomenon of placing women into leadership positions during a period of crisis where the chance of failure is higher. Using Stata software to perform quantitative analysis, Olivia’s project utilizes financial and executive data from Compustat for over 24,000 companies between the years of 1992 and 2018 to examine whether the glass cliff is present in the United States. Named in honor of the late Fr. John Farrell, who taught economics at Villanova for two decades, and initiated by a donation from Scott Steel ’01 VSB and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, the Farrell Undergraduate Research Fund is a program dedicated to supporting undergraduate research projects in economics.
Olivia Pfieffer ’22 CLAS is the recipient of the fall 2020 Fr. Farrell Undergraduate Research Award.
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INSIDE VSB
Charting New Paths VSB is well known for graduates pursuing careers in more traditional business fields such as finance, accounting and marketing, among others with great success. However, two industries that are gaining significant momentum are management consulting and fashion. Although the career paths are quite distinct, they share similar keys to success: peer-to-peer engagement through student societies, alumni networking and mentoring, and the cultivation of employer partnerships.
Careers in Management Consulting The consulting industry represents one of the largest sectors of the business world, yet as recently as five or six years ago, there were few Villanova graduates entering the field at the internship or entry levels. Now, consulting is the third most popular career path upon graduation for VSB students. Among the 76 class of 2019 Villanova graduates whose first post-graduation role was consulting, 41 were from VSB. Students are landing highly coveted internships and full-time opportunities with firms such as Accenture, Ankura, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte Consulting, EY, FTI, McKinsey & Company, Mercer, Oliver Wyman, Protiviti, and Strategy&. Much of the momentum toward consulting has been driven by students, who formed the Villanova Consulting Group (VCG) a few years ago as a means to increase awareness and help students prepare for the unique case interview method used by consulting firms. VCG offers numerous educational and training opportunities through professional-development workshops and organizes events that feature VU alumni who work in consulting. VCG's Faculty Advisor, Steve Kelly, professor of practice, Management & Operations—who was a senior partner at McKinsey & Company—advises students with an interest in consulting, and helps them pursue opportunities with leading firms. In 2018, under the guidance of Stephen Andriole, PhD, the Thomas G. Labrecque Professor of Business Technology, VSB created the Management Consulting concentration. The concentration builds creative problem-solving skills and helps students apply their theoretical knowledge of business against real-world challenges. The VSB O’Donnell Center for Professional Development and the University Career Center have been instrumental in building the momentum toward consulting by supporting the efforts of VCG, expanding and nurturing alumni relationships, and developing key industry recruiting partnerships.
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According to VCG President Ha Dinh ’21 VSB, the group—which now boasts nearly 500 members—aims to engage students from a wide range of backgrounds, majors and areas of interest.
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Success in management consulting is not dependent on your course of study, but rather demonstrating the ability to solve problems and having a willingness to work with people.”
INSIDE VSB
Careers in Fashion Another career path gaining considerable momentum is fashion. Career opportunities in fashion include those related to traditional business functions and industry-specific roles such as buying, merchandising and e-commerce. Through the Business of Fashion Society (BOF), which focuses on the beauty industry as well, students are able to share information on careers in the industry, network with alumni and build relationships with prospective employers. According to Brenda Stover, assistant dean of the O’Donnell Center and adviser to BOF, the unique landscape and highly competitive nature of the fashion industry requires a more non-traditional approach from a career development perspective. Networking plays a significant role in gaining entry to the industry and is why connections with alumni in the industry are so critical. The O’Donnell Center and BOF work together to connect with alumni and create relationships with prospective employers through an annual BOF Symposium, internship panels and alumni receptions. To gain first-hand knowledge that’s hard to attain without specific coursework, they have sponsored TREKs to companies such as Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Michael Kors, URBN, Lilly Pulitzer and Estée Lauder. This year, they launched targeted programming for students to learn about specific sectors of the industry, with themes focused on beauty, menswear and sustainability. Speakers from MAC Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Grafton Apparel, ER Men, Patagonia and thredUP participated. Stover credits much of the success for career placement in management consulting and fashion to the deep partnerships with alumni. “The unique focus on community that is so important to Villanova benefits us over and over again. The University naturally attracts those who want to help others so they are more than willing to contribute to fellow Villanovans’ success.”
Similar to how VCG began, BOF was formed in 2018 by a small group of students with shared interests in fashion.
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Fashion is more than clothing, it’s a business,” explains Keeley Scott ’21 VSB, one of the founders and current president of BOF.
The Nova Network is Villanova’s official social and professional networking platform for students and alumni. Visit business.villanova.edu to learn more.
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INSIDE VSB
Connections help international students cope with COVID-19 lockdown Gloria Angel has spent her life fearlessly trying new things. Her experiences living and working in different countries and cultures, as well as recruiting and retaining international students at another local university, instilled in her empathy for those far from home— particularly for students.
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Our international students are a vital part of our Villanova community. As Villanova faculty and students travel the globe, they connect with our international alums whenever possible. While they are at school, we are helping to build the foundation of what we hope to be a long and mutually beneficial relationship. And it does not stop there. The Moran Center for Global Leadership is launching a new initiative for international alumni engagement to help deepen those ties.” –Gloria Angel
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Villanova Business Spring 2021
INSIDE VSB
When she came to Villanova in 2018 as the inaugural program administrator for the Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership (MCGL), her first thought was, “How can I continue to work with international students?” With the support and active encouragement of her boss, MCGL Director Kim Cahill, Angel found a way. After joining the International Student Professional Development (ISPD) committee, a group of dedicated Villanova staff and faculty committed to international students, Angel reached out to the students to understand what challenges they faced at Villanova. They told Angel about their difficulties finding meals when the campus is closed. On-campus food service and meal plans are suspended during break. For many international students, this is an unforeseen expense. Although classes are on hiatus during breaks, the administrative offices are still open. With funding from MCGL, Angel organized the first International Student Community Luncheon during the fall 2019 break, which attracted international students from VSB, CLAS and COE. VSB faculty and staff working during the break were invited to join the luncheon and engage with the international students. In spring 2020, Angel organized an ISPD subcommittee—which included Melanie Menkevich, global programs specialist, and Fatima Rezaei ’19 MPA, assistant director, Graduate Studies, both from CLAS—to expand the opportunity across campus. Together they secured sponsorships from the VSB and CLAS Offices of the Dean, Undergraduate and Graduate Admission offices of CLAS, the Office of Education Abroad, the Center for Research and Fellowships, Campus Ministry, and Catholic Relief Services, enabling them to hold not one but four luncheons at different locations across campus, attracting three times the number of students attending the first event. Students were able to network and form relationships across campus while learning about post-grad fellowships, graduate programs and professional development resources. Just after the spring 2020 luncheons took place, the campus was shut down due to COVID-19, stranding 40 international students in the dorms. The connections formed during those communal meals served as a valuable resource and helped the students to organize community trips for groceries. In addition, the ISPD committee held twice-weekly virtual Tea and Talk sessions over Zoom so these students could maintain a connection with each other and the rest of the campus community. Angel looks forward to the day when it is possible to gather in person, but is not waiting until then, noting that the ISPD committee held Zoom networking panel discussions in the fall. \v/
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MISSION SPOTLIGHT
Linda Coleman ’78 VSB: Discovering a Passion to Serve at Villanova Linda Coleman credits her experience as director of Villanova’s Center for Access, Success and Achievement (CASA) with transforming her life: “I can fulfill my passion, supporting CASA staff and helping them serve our students.”
It wasn’t as if Coleman was sitting idle, waiting for passion to strike. Her mother had always made it clear to Coleman that she would go to college. “My mother had to leave school to care for her mother, so this was very important to her,” said Coleman. She’d discovered an interest in accounting in high school and asked her teacher which local college had the best program. The answer? Villanova. Coleman had always done well academically—she skipped eighth grade and served as an accounting tutor while at Villanova University—but life away from her close-knit family and community did present some challenges. “Sometimes you just need a place where you can relax and not feel different or an outsider,” Coleman said. She found that place in the Office for Social Action—a precursor of today’s CASA, run by Dr. Ed Collymore ’59 VSB. In addition to her mother, Coleman credits Dr. Collymore as a major influence: “He was supportive of me as a student and provided many academic and professional development opportunities.” Coleman’s accounting degree took her to a number of companies before a chance opportunity led her back to her alma mater. After success at Deloitte, where she earned her CPA, she moved on, taking jobs at several firms, including DuPont and finally Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. “I expected to wind up as a controller or CFO one day,” Coleman said. Instead, she was approached at Air Products to become its Equal Employment/Affirmative Action officer. “They needed someone with an analytical mind to help ensure their new software [tracking staffing and hiring equity] was used effectively. I thought, ‘Why not?’”
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Villanova Business Spring 2021
Throughout her career, she stayed close to family, and continues to live in Philadelphia today. Eventually, the commute to Air Products in Allentown became onerous, and she looked for work closer to home. In 1996, she returned to Villanova as its Affirmative Action officer, working once again with Dr. Collymore—who served Villanova for 35 years and retired in 2004 as the executive director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, which has evolved into today’s CASA. “I learned a lot from Dr. Collymore—he was a great mentor. He provided guidance about navigating Villanova and shared his wisdom about working with staff, managing the office and making connections to key administrators,” Coleman said. Coleman oversaw the transition to CASA in 2016 and is now its director, after having served as associate director of Multicultural Affairs since 2008. CASA’s mission is to help recruit, retain and graduate underrepresented, first generation and Pell-eligible students through holistic support in a culturally diverse and academically excellent environment. CASA provides students with a sense of belonging in a nurturing environment, offers opportunities for self-realization and personal development, and holds them accountable for working to the best of their abilities. Coleman said “We assign each student a CASA coach, who meets with them regularly. We provide tutoring and operate a lending library of textbooks as well as loaner laptops. The challenge is to find enough resources to support our 400-student caseload and our 50 or so walk ins. But we find a way—CASA staff are awesome. My job is to make it easy for staff to serve our students. Quite frankly, any student will at one time or another experience some challenge during their college years and need help. CASA sees these challenges first and is already positioned to help.”
MISSION SPOTLIGHT
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For students to get the most out of their college years, it’s important that they not only succeed academically, but that they make friends and participate fully in the Villanova community. We are preparing them to be change agents and leaders.” –Linda Coleman ’78 VSB
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INSIDE VSB
Timeless Values Embedded into VSB’s MBA Capstone “In the business world, you could spend all day thinking of ways to increase profit. Having the opportunity to work with an organization dedicated to making a difference, working with people dedicated to a cause is inspiring,” Nick Pontarelli ’21 MBA said, describing what made his experience so memorable in the MBA program’s capstone Social Enterprise Consulting Practicum. In this practicum, students in small groups get to work with organizations to solve a business problem. Pontarelli is a current VSB MBA student as well as an admissions coordinator for the Villanova Business Graduate Program, and he was part of the fall 2020 group that worked with the not-for-profit Joy of Sox. The practicum launched in 2010 and has been a required component of the MBA curriculum ever since. Since 2010, about 275 Philadelphia-area organizations have benefited from practicum consulting services. “We instituted the program as part of an overhaul of the MBA program,” said Ann O’Connor, associate director, Graduate Business Programs. The Practicum anticipated what has become a growing trend in business, one that Deloitte Consulting first highlighted in its 2018 Human Capital Trends Report. Deloitte described it as “the rise of social enterprise” —a fundamental shift in the way businesses were being judged and evaluated. It was no longer enough to make a profit for shareholders. Instead, businesses were being evaluated on their impact on society at large. Deloitte’s subsequent annual trend reports have continued to focus on businesses as social enterprises, emphasizing the importance of this shift.
The Joy of Sox provides joy to those experiencing homelessness by giving them new socks. They have already provided over 475,600 pairs of new socks in the Philadelphia/NJ region, as well as 33 states and five countries.
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Villanova Business Spring 2021
“At one time, the various components of social responsibility were treated as separate buckets tacked on as extras. Now, rather than an afterthought, it’s become much more fundamental to the business—social value creation is now an integral part of economic value creation,” said Manuel “Manny” Nuñez ’03 MBA, associate dean of Graduate Programs.
Manuel Nuñez ’03 MBA Associate Dean of Graduate Programs
Many students come to the class having extensive service experience. “They are very focused,” said O’Connor, “and want to bring all of their knowledge to bear helping these organizations.” Moreover, the practicum empowers all its participants with a sense of purpose and an understanding that they have skills that can make a difference to these organizations. “This is something I now know I can do,” was a common sentiment from many students about the experience. “We are preparing students to be global citizens and servant leaders, so every class seeks to enrich their learning and further develop them on those fronts,” said Nuñez, who also teaches the practicum. “Our next opportunity lies in expanding our reach and becoming even more efficient. The pandemic taught us that we don’t have to limit ourselves geographically, and while students choose the organizations they want to work with—and that has worked well—we’ve also learned that there is a lot of unmet demand. So, we’re working on formalizing the outreach, application and selection process to help VSB and social enterprise clients connect.”
INSIDE VSB
Making it work: First-hand Practicum experiences during the pandemic Despite the raging pandemic that limited or eliminated in-person contact, Social Enterprise Practicum students, faculty, staff and clients didn’t miss a beat. Over the course of seven classes held in the spring, summer and fall 2020 semesters, more than
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James Searer ’21 MBA
Worked with CARIE, the Center for Advocacy for the Rights & Interests of the Elderly
“You’d think we’d need to meet in person to develop a relationship and really understand the issues. But that wasn’t the case. We met weekly via Zoom and really felt like we were part of the company.”
ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVED SUPPORT.
Sample organizations: Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation B+ Foundation Beau Biden Foundation Blazing Hope Ranch
Christian Lolk ’16 MBA
As a compliance officer and project manager at CARIE, he has experience as both a student and a client.
Brighter Horizons Bringing Hope Home CARIE
“VSB's emphasis on service and community trains us to use our business skills in a socially responsible way—I found this to be the most meaningful part of my MBA training.”
CFF: Caring for Friends Codebug Coded By Kids CVIM: Community Volunteers in Medicine Eluna Fiorenza's Food for Friends Healing Hats and Toys Joy of Sox Kiva Mighty Boots Natural Lands No Limit Generation Noelle's Light Paws and Affection Sanctuary Farms
Jeana D'Alonzo ’21 MBA
Worked with CARIE and credits her advisor, Therese Narzikul ’04 EMBA
“Therese's connections as a leader in the health care space allowed us to understand the nuances and gaps in elder care as a real human issue. She was an excellent connector between what we were doing and the intersection of business, health care and social impact.”
Shift Capital YoungMoms
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DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Michael Mahoney ’72 VSB Makes a Lasting Contribution to Education Mike Mahoney ’72 VSB isn’t particularly interested in talking about himself or his accomplishments. He’d much rather discuss the importance of education, especially the value of a Catholic education, and how his recent donation will help VSB attract and maintain talented faculty. Mahoney’s seven-figure gift is being used to fund the Mahoney Family Endowed Professorship in Business.
“I’d been making annual contributions since about 1980. As I had success in my career, I funded scholarships, and did that for several years,” Mahoney said. “Then, Villanova approached me during the recent fundraising campaign and made me aware of how important it is to recruit and retain faculty, and I was glad to be able to support this effort. “My college experience has influenced me all of my life,” he said. “I was what they called a ‘day hop’ student— I commuted from home. I grew up in West Philadelphia and graduated from St. Thomas More High in 1968 and was shocked when I was accepted to Villanova. My generation was the first in our family to attend college. My goal was to get an education, get a job and make a living.” Mahoney spoke affectionately of the late Villanova professor Gerald Dougherty, CPA, VSB ’58, who mentored him in addition to teaching him accounting: “I was one of thousands of students Gerry taught and helped. He got me my internship.” And the rest, as they say, is history. Mahoney spent the first five years after graduation as a public accountant, and then went to work for a telecommunications firm. He spent the remainder of his career in the telecommunications industry, working for several cable, television and telephone companies, eventually serving as president and CEO of Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises in northeast Pennsylvania.
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Villanova Business Spring 2021
“In the early years, I was focused on providing for my family. As time progressed, and I was successful in business, I was able to respond to requests for my involvement in civic life,” Mahoney said. While in northeast Pennsylvania, Mahoney served on the board of Wilkes University for 10 years. His service included a number of committees, as well as co-chairing the capital campaign that funded a new science building. During all that time, he continued to contribute to Villanova. He wasn’t as actively involved as he is now, although he kept his hand in: his two brothers, John and Andrew; his son, Michael Jr.; and his son-in-law Garrett Nordmann are all Villanova alumni. After his return to the Philadelphia area in the mid-2000s, he joined Villanova’s President’s Advisory Council, a position he continues to hold today. The Council is a group of alumni and parents who help raise the University’s national profile, helping to increase alumni pride and involvement in their school. A fellow Council member encouraged his involvement in Faith in the Future (FIF), a group of leaders in business, education, philanthropy and civic life committed to supporting Catholic education. FIF provides independent management of 17 high schools and four special education schools in the Philadelphia area.
Mahoney noted that the quality of a Villanova education was good when he attended, but “look at it today! It’s grown so much.” The Mahoney Family Endowed Professorship in Business will help ensure Villanova continues to support outstanding scholarship and an excellent education for years to come; its first recipient is Narda Quigley, PhD, Mahoney Family Endowed Professorship in Business and professor of Management.
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A Catholic school education provides not only strong academics but important training in morality and ethics. Take Villanova business grads: not only will they have a great business perspective, but I can trust the ethics are there too.”
STUDENT SPECTACLE
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Alexa Mocklis ’22 VSB has a unique vision Just as children remember their favorite childhood toy fondly, junior Alexa Mocklis ’22 VSB remembers her first business with the same affection—a Greek catering business in which she sold appetizers for parties when she was just 10 years old. It wasn’t long before she was organizing bake sales to raise funds for class trips and charities. By high school, this budding entrepreneur opened her first retail store, Sōl Sunwear, which she co-owns with her brother Kosta, a high school senior, in downtown Portsmouth, NH. “I wanted to bring designer, high-end sunglasses, like Tom Ford and Prada, to our area,” Alexa said. Sōl Sunwear, which opened in 2017, operates seasonally from May through October but sells merchandise like hats and sweatshirts year-round online. It differentiates itself by offering a wide variety of sunglasses to fit the many lifestyles of its customers, like Costa del Mar and Maui Jim, which are popular with local fisherman. The shop also prides itself on offering great service with experienced opticians. Both her parents are optometrists, and Alexa received optical training from their office. While her parents initially helped connect her to sunglass reps, Alexa said she really wanted to do this on her own and has. “I’ve been learning how to run a business on the job,” she said. “But it has been the best learning experience I have ever received.”
Because she already runs a business, she puts her Villanova education to use immediately. She is thankful her Business Analytics professors, Alicia Strandberg, PhD, associate professor of Management & Operations, and Kathleen Iacocca, PhD, assistant professor of Management & Operations, introduced her to applications like Tableau and showed her the more complex uses of Excel with spreadsheets. Even her non-business classes have shaped who she wants to be as a leader. Her criminology course last semester got her thinking about the criminal justice system. She would like to expand her family’s charity, Eye 2 Eye, which gives eye exams and necessary eyewear to low-income school children, to provide eyecare at local prisons.
“I really like that Villanova doesn’t just teach you how to lead, but they teach you how to do it ethically,” Mocklis said. “I don’t think a lot of schools touch the ethical portion.” The pandemic posed a new challenge. She was able to weather the past summer with support from her community, a PPP loan, adjusting hours and shortening the season. She increased safety by adding eyeglass sanitizing machines and securing disinfectant products. After graduation, Alexa wants to attend law school to learn about business law. “I’m not sure that sunglasses are my future,” she said. “But I do want to lead a company.” Whatever her path, her future looks bright.
For more information about her store, visit www.solsunwear.com.
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Bringing a different perspective Mike Januszeski, PhD, ’08 MBA brings his science and business experience to the Moran Center for Global Leadership's Advisory Council. Mike Januszeski, PhD, ’08 MBA has dedicated his life to improving health care. “I saw a lot of sick people who had few options to recover from their illnesses,” he said of his first job as a critical care nurse at Hahnemann University Hospital. Although the majority of patients improved, for many diseases, effective treatments did not exist. “It was clear that new therapies were needed, so I was inspired to go back to school. I wanted to cure the world of everything,” he said. Dr. Januszeski’s career has been guided by that mission. While working as a nurse (he holds a nursing degree from St. Luke’s Nursing School in Bethlehem, Pa.) he worked his way through school, earning his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. He went on to receive his PhD in biochemistry at Temple University School of Medicine and to conduct postdoctoral research in gene therapy at the University of Southern California. He eventually joined Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, and a superior suggested he obtain an MBA to bridge the research and development side of the business with the commercial. Now Dr. Januszeski, global director of Commercial Assessment in External Innovation, contributes his leadership to the team studying treatments for COVID-19. While Janssen recently received approval for their vaccine, he believes the world needs options for those who may choose not to get vaccinated, for populations in whom vaccines may not be highly effective, and for those who may become infected due to delays in accessibility of vaccines.
Thinking globally is a skill Dr. Januszeski initially acquired while in a Global Marketing Strategy class that included a two-week abroad program to Brazil as part of his Villanova MBA experience. “It’s important to get out of US conventional thinking,” he said. “I learned the importance of understanding customers and your business from a local perspective.” This experience led to his working and living in Paris and traveling extensively in a global strategy role for several years after completing his MBA degree at Villanova. It’s also the reason he recently joined the Moran Center for Global Leadership's Advisory Council—to help promote the importance of health care globally. The Center is guided and counseled by dedicated alumni with extensive global business acumen serving as members of our Advisory Council. Collectively, their talent, global network and international business expertise span the globe. Dr. Januszeski believes Villanova has the right components to become a global leader in this area with its world-class nursing and business schools and a community dedicated to the service of others. He may not have cured the world of all its illnesses, but Dr. Januszeski remains an eternal optimist. He’s excited to work with the council because it’s given him another opportunity to help fulfill his mission of helping people live longer and giving more people access to health care.
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Villanova has the recipe for a great academic institution to tackle some of these global problems.”
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Helping to conquer COVID Chris Duderich ’09 VSB
Normally, having a baby and getting a job promotion would be cause for celebration with family and friends. But early 2020 was not a normal time. In March 2020, Chris Duderich ’09 VSB welcomed his second child and stepped into his new role as brand manager for Lysol Disinfecting Wipes at Reckitt Benckiser (RB)—the same week most of the country shut down due to the pandemic. With national sales of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes spiking overnight, Duderich’s focus shifted to maximizing output and replenishing store shelves. “We worked across the whole supply chain— from our suppliers to our customers—to find innovative solutions to increase product availability,” he said. Throughout this time, Duderich and his team faced logistical challenges due to COVID, a stretched supply chain and uncertainty about the future of the virus. He credits his Villanova education for helping him adapt quickly to a fast-changing environment. While the world changed, he remained focused on what was important—Lysol’s mission of helping protect consumers from the spread of illness-causing germs. Duderich became interested in brand management during his first job as a consultant at PwC in its Deals practice. When working on strategic mergers and acquisitions, he noticed the strategic and cross-functional impact of brand management, which in turn leads to the financial success of these businesses. He’s worked at RB for over four years, holding several roles of increasing responsibility in brand management before joining the Lysol Disinfecting Wipes team last March. Although he’s in a marketing role, Duderich makes many financial decisions using skills he learned in his finance and accounting classes while at Villanova. “My current role is very financially driven,” he said. “Accounting and finance are a blended skill set, they’re not in silos. They impact marketing and vice versa.” With hope on the horizon with the vaccine rollout, he expects the pandemic has created a lasting change in consumer behavior. “Consumers are more accustomed to cleaning and more cognizant of germs,” he said. But regardless of what the future may hold, Duderich and his team remain committed to helping consumers.
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Villanova Business Spring 2021
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Villanova gave me a strong sense of purpose and values.”
DEAN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL
VSB Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) The DAC provides advice and guidance to the dean of VSB on important strategic initiatives under consideration. Michele Etzel ’87 VSB; Chair CFO and Executive Vice President National Graphics, Inc.
George Eberle ’87, P ’23 Partner PJT Park Hill
Christine Dorfler ’97 VSB; Vice Chair CFO NBC Sports Group, NBCUniversal
Kevin Felix P ’20 Corporate Board Member and Advisor Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., Scotiabank
Greg Wilson ’95 VSB; Vice Chair Managing Director Goldman Sachs
Madeleine Barber Esq. ’85 VSB, ’88 CWSL, ’92 CWSL Senior Vice President and Chief Tax Officer CBRE Jennifer Barbetta ’95 VSB Chief Operating Officer and Senior Managing Director Starwood Capital Group Eileen Barker ’93 VSB Former General Manager IT Cosmetics Kenneth “Ken” Bodmer ’87 VSB CFO and Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration Wellpartner Susan Ciccarone ’95 Partner Further Global Capital Management L.P. Peter Cieszko ’82 VSB, P ’20 Head of Strategic Development American Century Investments Brian Collie ’95 CLAS Partner and Managing Director Boston Consulting Group Justin DiGaetano ’02 VSB Founding Partner and Principal Fidato Partners Charles P. Dougherty ’93 MBA President and Chief Executive Officer Hardinge Inc.
Richard “Rich” Furtek ’91 VSB, P ’18, ’20, ’23 Principal Furtek & Associates Peter J. Hofbauer ’84 VSB Chief Operating Officer Concord International Investments Group Martin “Marty” Hughes ’79 VSB Retired CEO and Director Redwood Trust Debbie Kolman P ’23 John D. Leahy ’75 VSB Retired President KIND Healthy Snacks Greg Mancini ’95 VSB Head of European Research and Portfolio Manager Nuveen Investments Bill R. McDermott Chief Executive Officer SAP SE Clare McGrory ’97 VSB, ’08 EMBA Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer Atairos Robert J. “Rob” McNeill Jr. ’88 VSB Managing Partner, Greater Philadelphia Deloitte LLP Christopher E. Morris ’84 VSB Vice Chairman, Investment Banking Wells Fargo Michael “Mike” Petrane ’93 VSB Partner, Assurance Services EY
Karin A. Risi ’94 VSB, ’99 MBA Managing Director, Head Retail Investor Group The Vanguard Group, Inc. Michael Russomano ’79 VSB Retired President and Chief Executive Officer, Global Business Head Nestlé John Samuel Shamsey ’91 VSB President Evoke Navience Celestine “Tina” Simmons ’89 VSB Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Central Division Comcast Corporation Stephen “Steve” Spaeder ’88 VSB, ’92 MBA SVP, Acquisitions and Development Equus Capital Partners, Ltd. Scott M. Steel ’01 VSB Chief Operating Officer, Investment Solutions Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Terence “Terry” Sullivan ’95 VSB Global Head of Financial Institutions Group UBS Marc Tilker ’82 VSB, P ’24 President and CEO Marathon Group LLC/BEI Hawaii Lorraine “Lori” Waldron Esq. ’90 VSB, ’93 CWSL, ’93 MBA Partner Sills Cummis & Gross P.C. Valerie Wieman ’92 VSB Assurance Partner PwC Timothy “Tim” Zuber ’96 VSB, P ’19, ’20 Partner, Tax KPMG
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