Susan Heffernan-Gaieski ’01, ’02 MSA, a managing director at Deloitte in the Hartford Office, has been named a Hartford Business Journal 2024 Women in Business Honoree. At Deloitte, Heffernan-Gaieski is also the resources and industrials industry leader for New England, where she specifically supports the growth of climate-focused companies.
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.
Jennifer Mathieu ’09, ’23 MBA
Jennifer Mathieu ’09, ’23 MBA, executive director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the UConn School of Business, has been named a Hartford Business Journal 2024 Women in Business Honoree. Mathieu has helped to launch UConn Brewing Innovation, an initiative that connects the craft beer industry with UConn’s premier researchers across many disciplines. Mathieu has raised over $4 million in grant and donor funding over the past two years, directly enabling entrepreneurship activities throughout Connecticut.
Susan Martinelli ’01 MSA
Susan Martinelli ’01 MSA, a partner at RSM US LLP’s Hartford Office, has been named a 2024 Women in Business Honoree by the Hartford Business Journal for her excellence in leadership. At RSM, Martinelli is also the lead for the National Assurance Inclusion Committee and a member of RSM US Foundation’s Junior Achievement Committee.
Katherine Lane ’11
Katherine Lane ’11 has been named a 2024 Women in Business Honoree by the Hartford Business Journal. Lane currently leads the financial controls program at Webster Bank. Lane graduated from UConn with a degree in accounting and has since specialized in overseeing Webster’s Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and reconciliation governance programs.
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.
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.
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.
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.