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.

Laura Walsh ’15 MBA has been appointed global CIO by Culligan International, a water systems treatment company for homes and businesses. Prior to Culligan International, Walsh held CIO positions at Smithfield Foods, Carlisle Companies, Lydall, and Unimin Corporation.

Amber Moore ’09, ’11 MSA has been named to Forbes‘ inaugural “America’s Best-In-State CPAs” list. Moore is currently a partner at Goldblatt Bokoff in Norwich, CT.

Michael Derrig ’04, ’13 MBA has been appointed vice president, chief underwriter for the Individual Life Division for Symetra Life Insurance Company. Prior to this role, Derrig served as director and chief underwriter at Equitable.

Michael O’Connor ’12 MBA has been named executive director of the Connecticut Port Authority. Prior to this role, O’Connor had recently retired as vice president of Dominion Energy’s Millstone Power Station in Waterford, CT.