Shawn Cioto ’17 MBA has been appointed vice president of operations for Dovetail + Co. Prior to this role, Cioto was the regional vice president of operations – Northeast, for Maverick Hotels.

Jennifer Chiarella ’15 JD, ’17 MBA has been named to Corporate Counsel Business Journal’s 2025 class of 50 Women to Watch. This list recognizes senior leaders whose decisions carried measurable consequences for their organizations. Chiarella serves as deputy general counsel for Valitana LLC, and is a an adjunct lecturer at the UConn School of Business.

Dan Cheever ’11 MBA has been appointed president & chief executive officer of UMF Medical in Johnstown, PA. Prior to this appointment, Cheever served as the vice president of global sales for UMF Medical.

Kevin McMillan ’09, ’10 MSA has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau and will serve as board treasurer. McMillan is director of accounting services at Fiondella Milone & LaSaracina LLP in Glastonbury.

Rob Sladen ’15 MBA has been highlighted by Q104.5 in the “CEOs You Should Know Charleston SC” series. Sladen is the CEO and co-founder of Zulu Pods, an aerospace and defense startup company.

Rodrick Shiver ’11 MBA has been elected as vice chair of Columbia College’s Board of Trustees for the 2025-2026 term. Shiver is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Shiver Certified Public Accountants and has prior experience as a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Vivian Pereda ’12 has been named to the Harford Business Journal’s 2025 40 Under Forty list. Pereda currently works as the director of CampusCare Operations at Hartford HealthCare and oversees student health, counseling and sports medicine services for seven college campuses in Connecticut.

Alyssa Gorecki ’14 has been appointed chief financial officer of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA). In her role, she is responsible for financial planning, compliance, and reporting for the organization and its affiliates, as well as human resources, office administration, and information technology. Prior to this role, Gorecki worked in the biotech industry as the director of accounting for Relay Therapeutics.

John Briggs ’11 MS has been appointed head of U.S. Rates Strategy by Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking. Briggs will lead the development and publication of actionable strategies for U.S. rates and swaps, in addition to bringing insights to client engagement and investment decisions.

Paul Kavanaugh ’13 MBA has been named to the Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40 Class of 2025. Paul is currently the executive vice president of ticketing for BSE Global.