The College of New Jersey Logo

Apply     Visit     Give     |     Alumni     Parents     Offices     TCNJ Today     Three Bar Menu

School of Business Alumni Highlights

2008-2009 Alumni Highlights

 

In 2008, Kerry Callahan ’07, a District Manager at Automated Data Processing, returned to Dr. Pelham’s Professional Selling class with colleagues Keith Gilman, Sales Executive, David Greenberg, a Regional Vice President, and Dennis Vitale, Corporate Recruiting Manager to discuss careers in selling and their firmKerry commented on the value of the class role play exercises: “Whereas fellow trainees were learning for the first time about the different facets of selling, I was reinforcing what I already acquired in class. I would undoubtedly recommend this class to anyone either confident in their desire for a career in sales, or simply interested in learning more. It definitely changed my perspective on the industry, and has ultimately impacted my career path.”

Guy Chiarello ’81, graduated with a degree in Administrative Office Management and is now the Chief Information Officer for JPMorgan Chase with worldwide responsibility for the firm’s information technology functions. In 2004, Chiarello received the Alumni Citation, the College’s highest honor, which recognizes individuals for outstanding community service and continued support to TCNJ.

Brad Downs ’05, was a four year varsity athlete with the Lions Baseball Program. Shortly after graduating with a B.A. in Communications, he co-founded Front Rush, a web-based application that enables athletic recruiters to manage recruits, roster, alumni, and contacts. Brad returned to campus in March 2008 to share his story of entrepreneurship with current students at the Young Entrepreneurial Success Stories (YESS) Panel.

In September 2007, Rebecca Machinga ’92, a partner with WithumSmith+Brown, in Princeton, NJ, was featured in CPA Magazine (see: Driving Forces in Accounting.) At WS+B, Machinga is involved in special projects for her clients, including mergers, acquisitions, asset and stock sales, and special tax projects. She also races stock cars and serves as Treasurer to the Dean’s Advisory Board.

Sean O’Grady ’04 (Business Administration and Communication Studies) is the host and executive producer of CareerTV on the Fox Business Network, a new half-hour news program designed to educate college students and young professionals about the job market. See the TCNJ press release here.

Prat Vyas ’07, was the recipient of the Bambach Endowment as a Finance major at TCNJ. He had the opportunity to meet Ed Bambach ’50, his benefactor, at the 2007 TCNJ President’s Scholarship Reception.  Vyas is currently employed as an investment analyst for J. P. Morgan in New York City.


From the School of Business Review, Fall 2007

 

One of the inaugural honorees of the 2006 Chairman’s Circle at Mellon Financial Corporation was Darren Baer ’91.  Baer, First Vice President at Mellon Financial, has had a record of continued success and excellence in sales and was also the recipient of the Sales Executive of the Year Award.  He is also a member of TCNJ’s School of Business Advisory Board.

Steven Benvenisti, Esq. ’90 was the recipient of the Humanitarian Award at TCNJ’s Leadership Convocation in February, 2007. Benvenisti, a trial attorney, was recognized for more than 10 years of volunteer work as an advocate for brain-injured individuals, as well as his efforts to reduce the incidence of drunk driving among young people.

Susan (Van Emden) Nappi ’83, a marketing major, was recently promoted to Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans for the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command (C-E LCMC).  She serves on the Executive Board for Women in Defense (Monmouth Chapter), and recently wrote a chapter for a book published on knowledge management in the federal government.

The Department of Athletics presented Business Administration major, Scott Puzia ’77, with the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2007.  After 10 years as Vice President of Data Type International, he started Pharmaceutical Direct, Inc., a direct marketing company in the pharmaceutical industry.  He was inducted into TCNJ’s Athletic Hall of Fame in June 2006.


From the School of Business Year in Review, 2006-2007

 

On February 9, 2006, an alumnus of the School of Business received special honors in recognition of Founder’s Day. The Alumni Leadership Convocation presented the Humanitarian Award to U.S. Representative Chris Smith ’75. Congressman Smith represents the 4th District of New Jersey, and was honored for his continued work in the areas of veterans affairs, human rights, international relations, and healthcare issues.

Having worked in the healthcare field for over 26 years, Lewis Bivona ’78 was recently named senior manager of healthcare services and insurance industry groups at Amper, Politziner, and Mattia, an accounting firm in Flemington, NJ.

The guest speaker for the 2006 Commencement was Mark Iorio ’79. Mark owns and operates The Mega Group, a marketing communications company in Robbinsville, NJ. In 1998, his company was selected by NJ Business News as one of the Top 40 fastest growing private companies in New Jersey. In addition to serving as Chair of the Dean’s Board of Advisors for the School of Business, Mark is past President of the Trenton Rotary Club, past Deputy Governor for Rotary District 7510, a member of the New Jersey Communications Advertising and Marketing Association, and the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce. Mark was Deputy Mayor of Hopewell Township in 2005. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra, and is currently serving on the Hopewell Township Committee.

The Department of Athletics presented marketing major Tyrone Brewer ’91, with the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2005. As the senior global marketing Director for Ketek at Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Tyrone led US Professional Marketing for Allegra. This effort resulted in the first billion dollar product for Aventis and identified him as an “Early Future Leader.” Tyrone currently heads up Marketing and Business Development for The Franklin Group, an inVentiv Company.

One of the newest Board of Advisors for the School of Business, Rebecca Machinga ’92, was promoted to shareholder at WithumSmith+Brown, a regional CPA and consulting firm in Princeton, NJ in July 2005. She has been with the firm for 13 years in the Accounting and Audit department. She recently completed 13 years on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Management Accountants, where she served four terms as president of the Princeton chapter. She currently serves as a committee chair for the largest annual fundraiser for the University Medical Center at Princeton and is very active at WS+B running the Women’s Leadership Development Group, administering the firm’s mentoring program and participating in recruiting for the firm. Rebecca is also a member of the AICPA and the NJSCPA.


Return to Alumni Profiles Archive

Contact

School of Business

Business Building, Room 114
The College of New Jersey
P.O. Box 7718
2000 Pennington Rd.
Ewing, NJ 08628

609.771.3064
business@tcnj.edu