Alumni

May 20, 2012 - Alumni Brunch in Washington, DC: Pitt Business and Pitt Law will be hosting a joint alumni brunch in Washington, DC on Sunday, May 20th, to give you a quick update on the schools and network with your fellow Pitt alumni in a relaxed and informal environment.

June 14, 2012 - Alumni Gathering in London: Join us for a gathering in London, hosted by John T. Delaney, Dean of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration.

It's Not Cell Spying: From Concept to Start-up: Cell phone users are getting younger every year, with elementary school kids increasingly going mobile. Julie Dobson (MBA '79) is the creator of a smartphone application that makes monitoring the phone an opportunity for good parenting.

Meeting Buyers at the Decision Point: Shopper marketing answers the holy grail of consumer goods questions: who is buying a product, where, and why? Megan Hennigan (MBA '11) explores what triggers people's paths to purchase for the global food company H.J. Heinz Co.

Redefining the Limits of Medical Education: Business Skills Required: Doctors in training are equipped to treat human health issues, but very few are educated in business skills during med school. Should that change as the medical landscape places new pressures on doctors? Carl H. Snyderman, professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, says doctors better serve their patients and manage their teams when they borrow business skills from MBA's.

Education Reformer Targets Youth in Indonesia: Inspiration comes in many forms. Antarina S.F. Amir drew upon her business background to grow a school system in her native Indonesia. Her schools don't follow rigid curriculums and favor active learning over memorization.

Carrington Carter (MBA '08) promoted at Bristol-Myers Squibb: Carrington Carter (MBA '08) has been named product manager on the oncology franchise marketing team at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), a global pharmaceuticals and biotech company that had $19.5 billion in sales in 2010.

Pitt Honors Eat'n Park Chair with Legacy Laureate Award: James Broadhurst (MBA '66) is the chairman of Eat'n Park Hospitality Group, a diversified food service company that handles everything from Smiley cookies to upscale catering at the Carnegie museums of Pittsburgh. Broadhurst is a 2011 University of Pittsburgh Legacy Laureate.

Giving Homeless Veterans a Window of Opportunity: Jared Souder (MBA '10) draws upon his experiences as an Iraq war veteran to serve as executive director of Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that provides temporary housing to homeless veterans. His job is far from easy, but Souder wouldn't have it any other way.

Riding to the Top Full Throttle: Toby O'Brien Jr. (MBA '91) is the owner of Hot Metal Harley-Davidson in West Mifflin, the largest dealership in the Pittsburgh market. He didn't get there just because he loves bikes - it took a solid business foundation, too.

Engineer Becomes Senior Vice President and Director of Gannett Fleming’s Midwest Region: John W. Kovacs (ENGR '96G, MBA '99) has been named senior vice president and director of the Midwest region of Gannett Fleming, an international planning, design, and construction management firm based out of Harrisburg, Pa.

Bioengineer Awarded Fulbright Scholarship to Research Alternative Fuels in India: Bioengineer John Round (MBA, MS-ENGR '11) is working in India during the next nine months under a Fulbright scholarship. He is analyzing the developing nation's biofuels industry.

Katz Marketing Mind Not Your Average Success: Tom Higgins (MBA '09) started his career in finance, but the defining moment for him came in a remote village in Tanzania. He says developing nations need help from MBAs.

Scholar Gets Passport Stamped While Studying World's Developing Markets: Marjorie Lyles (PhD '77) thought her move as an undergraduate from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh meant she was "east." Her academic research quickly took her further east - to the Far East and to Eastern Europe.

Max H. Mitchell (MBA '89) Appointment: Pitt Business Board of Vistors member Max H. Mitchell (MBA '89) was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of Crane Co., a diversified manufacturer of highly engineered industrial products.

Barbara Mistick (MBA '92) To Be Next President of Wilson College: Barbara Mistick, whose leadership turned around the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, was named president of Wilson College, a private liberal arts school in Chambersburg, Pa.

Disaster in Japan: We are deeply saddened to hear of the terrible tragedy that has struck Japan. The devastation resulting from the earthquake and tsunami has shocked the world. On behalf of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration, we sincerely hope all of our Japanese alumni are safe. We are thinking of you.

Bates Named Department of Finance Chair at Arizona State University: Thomas Bates (PhD '00) was named Department of Finance chair at Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business.

Steve Rennekamp (MBA '86) Named Business Person of the Year: Steve Rennekamp (MBA '86), president and founder of Energy Swing Windows, was honored October 14 by the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce as their 2010 Business Person of the Year.

Katz Alumnus Named President and CEO of Cowden Associates, Inc.: Cowden Associates, Inc. (Cowden), a Pittsburgh-based actuarial and employee benefits consulting firm, named Elliot N. Dinkin (MBA '82) president and chief executive officer, effective November 1.