Rowena Ortiz-Walters ‘96, ‘05 Ph.D  has been named Dean of St. Mary’s University Greehey School of Business, becoming the first Latina to lead the business school. Ortiz-Walters was previously the Dean and Professor of Management in the School of Business and Economics at SUNY Plattsburgh, a public liberal arts college that is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) System.

Alex Schaefer ‘08  has been named Vice President, Acquisitions at AXA IM – Real Assets, the investment management arm of French-based multinational insurance firm Axa S.A. Schaefer was most recently a vice president at TKF Real Estate Investment, LLC, where he focused on sourcing and execution of value-add and core-plus investments in office and mixed-use assets. Schaefer has also held the roles of vice president, head of acquisitions for ALTO Real Estate Funds, as well as director within the Acquisitions Department of VEREIT.

Katherine A. Donovan ’09 has been named member-at-large of The Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.  Donovan, an assurance manager with Whittlesey in Hartford, CT, has served the CTCPA as chair of the New and Young Professionals Cabinet and a member of the Advisory Council.

Amber Moore ’09, ’11 MSA has been named the advisory council chair of The Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.Moore, a manager at Goldblatt Bokoff, LLC in Norwich, CT, has served the CTCPA as a member of the Advisory Council, State Taxation Committee, Federal Taxation Committee, New and Young Professionals Group, Southeastern Connecticut Chapter, and Technology Committee.

Michael Jen Maksymiw MSA ’05 has been named secretary of The Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.  Maksymiw,  a partner with Marcum LLP in West Hartford, CT, has served the CTCPA as chair of the Advisory Council, a member-at-large of the Board of Directors, a member of the New and Young Professionals Cabinet, and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.

Robert P. Amenta ’07 was recently promoted to lead portfolio manager, US High Yield and co-lead portfolio manager, Global High Yield at NN Investment Partners in New York, NY. In this role, Amenta is responsible for all portfolio and investment decisions regarding the firm’s US and global-focused high yield bond investment strategies. He has worked at NNIP (formerly ING Investment Management) since 2012.

Robert Statchen ’01 MBA is running for the 18th District Senate seat against incumbent Heather Somers ’88.

Kevin M. Gokey ’02, ’04 MSA has been named Chief Financial Officer at The Siemon Company, Watertown, CT effective January 1, 2021.

Karen Sills ’06 JD was named a member of the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under Forty Class of 2020. Sills, who also earned a Tax Studies Certificate from UConn, is the vice president & corporate counsel at Prudential Financial’s Retirement Division and is responsible for providing a wide range of proactive legal advice. She leads a team of attorneys, which supports Retirement’s investment products businesses, including both market value investments and industry-leading stable value platform.

Rachel Fain ’07 was named a member of the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under Forty Class of 2020. Fain is a partner at Halloran Sage where she is a co-chair of the firm’s insurance coverage litigation practice group and handles coverage disputes and personal injury litigation. She previously served as co-chair of the firm’s pro bono committee and organized pro bono representation to veterans throughout Connecticut through Connecticut Veterans Legal Center.