All News & Notes

The News & Notes is a resource for alumni and current students of the University of Connecticut School of Business to stay up-to-date with their alumni network. We hope by providing information about our accomplished alumni, students and other alumni will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding about their industry and broaden their network.


Denise M. Whitford ’17 MBA

Denise M. Whitford 17 MBA served as a panelist at the Women Empowering Women panel discussion Wednesday, March 13, 2024. The event was a collaboration by the Town of West Hartford’s Department of Economic Development, the West Hartford Office of Equity Advancement, and Explore Farmington to mark Women’s History Month.


Frank Murphy ’07

Frank Murphy ’07, assistant professor of accounting, has won the American Taxation Association’s (ATA) Outstanding Tax Manuscript Award for his significant contributions to tax literature. Prior to joining the business school faculty in 2017, Murphy worked at Deloitte in Hartford, Connecticut.


Christina Phillips ’22 MBA

Christina Phillips ’22 MBA launched a new company, Puure, that provides women with a non-toxic alternative to traditional undergarments. Phillips attended the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Summer Fellowship Program and was selected as one of six startups to compete in the Wolff New Venture Competition, hosted by the UConn School of Business.


Zoe R. Riccio ’08 (CAHNR) & Robert A. Riccio ’10, ’15 MSBAPM

Zoe R. Riccio ’08 (CAHNR) and Robert A. Riccio ’10, ’15 MSBAPM of Athletic Brewing Company have been named to Inc. Magazine’s list of the fastest-growing private companies in the Northeast region, which included eight Connecticut businesses. The rankings are based on a company’s revenue growth percentage from 2020 to 2022mmerce Award.


Benna Lehrer ‘02 JD/MBA

Benna Lehrer ‘02 JD/MBA has been named chairperson of the Board of Directors of Capital for Change, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in Connecticut. Lehrer is currently employed by Synchrony.


Carmen Effron ’72 (ED), ’81 MBA

Carmen Effron ’72 (ED), ’81 MBA, founder and president of C F Effron Company LLC based in Fairfield County, Connecticut, has been named one of eight 2024 Neag School Alumni Awards honorees. Effron was inducted into the School of Business Alumni Hall of Fame in 2011, and in 2013, she received the Connecticut Small Business Institute for Excellence in Commerce Award.




Josh Krulewitz ’92

Josh Krulewitz ’92 has been appointed ESPN’s senior vice president of communications. In this position, Krulewitz will assume the leadership of ESPN’s communications department and work closely with Disney colleagues to enhance ESPN brands and their reputations.


Jeffrey P. Uccello ’97

Jeffrey P. Uccello ’97 has been appointed senior vice president and general manager of Data Solutions for IntegriChain, a comprehensive pharma technology, data, consulting, and outsourcing platform for data-driven commercialization.