VSB GRAD ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

A conversation with Margaret Gossner who started nonprofit Stephen’s Rise and Grind in honor of her late brother, Stephen. Stephen’s Rise and Grind provides financial assistance to individuals who suffer from mental illness, enabling them to access the best available mental health services. 

I am thrilled to be joining this incredible community as a proud VSB alum (2000, B.S. Marketing) and former adjunct professor, returning to Villanova has been a true homecoming for me. My journey at Villanova was nothing short of transformative, and I am honored to be back on campus.

A message to alumni from the new Helen and William O'Toole Dean of the Villanova School of Business.

Graduate Business Alumni, including MBA and specialized master program alumni will be merged into a singular group called the VSB Grad Alumni Association.

A conversation with Dan McCune '18 MBA, supply chain manager for Procter & Gamble and lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserves.

The MBA Alumni Association is getting ready for what is shaping up to be a season of change and excitement. The Board is currently going through a transition to new executive leadership.

Community is a word that is synonymous with a Villanova education. Community is indeed the best word to describe my experience serving as Vice President of the MBA Alumni Association.

The Villanova MBA Alumni Association is pleased to include our Masters of Science in Finance (MSF) graduates to our Alumni Association. In welcome, we reached out to Brian McCann, a 2021 graduate of the MSF program and a New York resident.

If you are like us, recent days have filled our thoughts with optimism and a hopeful plan for a future where limitations will be fewer, and those most vulnerable in our communities are safe from harm.

Industry Career Circles (ICC), started through the Villanova Alumni Career Services office, were devised as a way to enable Villanova alumni to deepen their knowledge in their chosen careers, as well as to network and share each other’s ideas and perspectives.  

In this series, we catch up with our alumni who live farther afield and see what pursuits they're engaged in. In this addition, we are catching up with Olivia Kao, who is currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated VSB with an MBA in International Business and Strategic Management.

Katie is a 2009 graduate of Villanova’s Professional MBA program. She is also actively involved in the Villanova MBA Alumni Association and recently conducted a “Virtual Wellness Series” for all Villanova MBA Alumni. She currently works as a Registered Dietitian providing nutrition counseling in private practice.

Katrina High spent nearly 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry with over 10 years in leadership roles at Merck and GSK.

As a Dietician and Mom, Katie D'Orazio took charge and brought wellness into our lives by leading a new virtual series for three months during 2020 to help us feel balanced, nourished, and empowered to take on the challenges of life.

The fall certainly has a reputation for being both a busy time of year, as well as a time of transitions. I always find myself reflecting on the past year and looking forward to new opportunities ahead. 

Welcome Manny Nuñez, MBA '03, who will be leading our graduate business office as Associate Dean of Graduate Programs. In this role, he will oversee the graduate programs of the Part-Time MBA, Online MBA, and specialty masters programs as well as enrollment and career strategy services for graduate business.

Dan Ahern, interviewed for our first Reflections column, is pictured here in 1984 with Villanova's first MBA grads. Dan is in the upper left corner. Leading up to the 40th anniversary of Villanova's first MBA graduating class in 1984, this Reflections column will feature interviews with Villanova MBA alumni across the decades.

The Villanova MBA Alumni Network has a very actively engaged Mentoring Program. We recently had the opportunity of speaking with Mike Jones, the Chairperson of the Villanova MBA Mentoring Program.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Tyler Pearson, a 2018 graduate from Villanova's Online MBA program. He calls the Online MBA "a blessing for someone who was working in Texas!"

The Women in Business Network (WIBN) was launched in 2018 in an effort to promote career development and networking opportunities for women. The WIBN hosted its inaugural event on April 23rd entitled "The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get", based on a TED Talk of the same name.

Develop your professional skills. Expand your network. Discover new career opportunities. Support a deserving charity. Share your professional experience with the next generation.

Dennis J. Morgan – a 2017 graduate of Villanova’s Executive MBA program – is both a Senior Vice President of Children’s Services at Bancroft – a nonprofit provider of specialized services for individuals with brain injuries, autism and intellectual disabilities – as well as a Captain in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.

Ted followed in the footsteps of both his father and his grandparents when he decided to go into military service. In addition to his achievements at Villanova, Ted graduated last year from the very elite Army Ranger School, and is now teaching at the Claremont McKenna College Army ROTC program located at the University of California, Riverside.

For Lauren Boyce MBA '12, career development, especially for women, has been a passion for as long as she can remember. "When I joined the Villanova MBA Board in 2017, one of the first initiatives I wanted to implement was to create a committee for women."

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Villanova’s MBA Alumni Association (MBA AA), I am very pleased to offer you this inaugural edition of our MBA Newsletter. This newsletter will be issued quarterly with fresh content aimed at building a more connected community of alumni.

Sports are both Brian’s career and his passion, having spent most of his life involved in athletics. We chose Brian for our first “Alumni Spotlight” because he is a great representative of all that the Villanova MBA program represents: 

Following undergraduate studies at Bloomsburg University, as well as an MS at St. Joe’s, Carissa pursued a successful career in finance – first at Vanguard, then at Comcast. She is now happily pursuing her passion in the understanding of Consumer Behavior, in both her research capacity and in her studies.