Monica Caldas ’01 of General Electric Transportation was the joint winner of the Digital Leader of the Year award at the Women in IT Awards USA.  Ms. Caldas leads a team of more than 300 professionals who provide software, analytics, process improvement and productivity solutions for GE Transportation and its customers in the railroad, mining, marine, stationary power, drilling and energy storage industries.  She also serves a co-executive sponsor of the GE GIRLS program that connects middle school girls with universities to educate them about career opportunities IN STEM.

Mikhail Wolfson ’18 Ph.D. successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Toward a Configural Theory of Team Composition: An Exploration of Dynamic Crew Configurations on Team Processes.”  Dr. Wolfson has accepted a position as Assistant Proessor at American University, Washington DC, to begin Fall 2018.

Susan Martinelli ’01 MSA has been appointed President of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA).  Currently, Ms. Martinelli is the managing partner of the New Haven office of RSM US LLP.

Kevin Trapp ’88 has been named Chief Commercial Officer of DBV Technologies, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company.  . As part of the Company’s ongoing transformation into a commercial organization, he joins DBV after 27 years of driving portfolio growth through building leading brands at Bristol-Myers Squibb.  Mr. Briggs will be responsible for all worldwide commercial functions at DBV, including the potential launch of the Company’s lead product candidate, Viaskin Peanut, in 2019.

Ace Watanasuparp ’98 is “breaking the mold” to become New York mortgage maestro.  A vice president at Citizens Bank, he has been vocal about educating the younger generation on programs for first-time home buyers and plans to educatate them on pursuing the “American Dream”.  In addition to Citizens Bank, he is also a co-owner of 39 restaurants in New York City, became president of Douglas Elliman’s DE Capital Mortgage when he was 31, and was the first Asian-American walk-on basketball player at UConn in 2000!

Eric T. Mullai ’93 MBA was promoted from Master Sergeant to Lieutenant and will now serve at Troop I in Bethany as commanding Officer.  Lt. Mullai has served for 21 years with the state police and in addition to his Bachelor’s Degree and his MBA, he holds an MA in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.  He retires in August 2018 at the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserve where he served 32 years.

Dianna Goode ’03 MBA has been appointed Executive Director of The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG).  Ms. Goode brings 25 years of leadership and passion in the non-profit section to this important work.  Previously, she held executive-level positions with Foodshare, Gifts of Love, and Operation Fuel.  Her commitment to her community is demonstrated by her service as a board member for the Community Farm of Simsbury, Gackstatter Family Foundation, Avon Land Trust, and Farmington River Watershed.

Davon Roberts ’06 credits his engagement in the Friday Night Youth Program at Bible Baptist Church of Hasbrouck Heights with steering him towards college.  He is working on developing an evening program to keep youth safe in Paterson, New Jersey.  Mr. Roberts received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from UConn, his MBA from University of Hartford and is on his third year in earning a law degree from Rutgers University.  He currently works as a risk manager for Japanese multinational Ricoh USA.

Gregory D. Smith, ’03, ’09 JD has been named Chief Operating Officer of Cutler Capital Management LLC, an investment management firm.  Mr. Smith previously served as Director for Alternative Investments at Barings LLC, an investment management firm owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., where he focused on product development and portfolio management.

Brigadier General Francis J. Evon, Jr. ’89 has been appointed to serve as Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard.  General Evon possesses more than 30 years of military service and leadership experience.