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.

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.

Kimberly Green Reynolds ’16 MBA has been appointed chief procurement officer for Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services, responsible for driving efficiency, reducing operational costs, and improving procurement processes.

Julia Winer ‘16 MBA has been selected to serve as the  Chief Financial and Operations Officer for the Watkinson School, a co-ed independent school for grades 6-12.  Ms. Winer will work closely with Head of School Teri Schrader, who taught Winer when she attended the Francis W. Parker Charter School.

Oriana D. Freidenberg ’16 MBA has been named by Transamerica to a new position as Head of Customer Experience and Marketing for the company’s Individual Solutions division, which provides life insurance and annuities to customers throughout the U.S.  Ms. Freidenberg will direct Transamerica’s vision for the customer journey and an enhanced customer-centric experience.

Khaled Al-Labadi ’17 MBA has been appointed vice president of product line management at Sundyne, one of the few companies that design & manufacture both pumps and compressors. Previously, Al-Labadi served as director of product marketing for Cognex Corporation.

Jack Gordon ’17 MBA has been appointed chief financial officer of Harri, a recruitment and workforce management platform for the hospitality industry. Gordon joined Harri in 2022 as Senior Vice President of Finance.

Mike Zacchea ’12 MBA, founder of UConn’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV), was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2022 posthumously. Zacchea, a decorated veteran of the U.S.Marine Corps, founded the EBV program in 2009. EBV offers cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities resulting from their service to our country.

Josephine Baah ’01, ’11 MBA, founder of Blissful Royal Creations, was featured as one of the best wedding planners in Connecticut by Best Things Connecticut.

Morgan Tuck ’16, former UConn Women’s Basketball stand-out and professional basketball player, was named assistant general manager for the Connecticut Sun.