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.
Richard L. McCarthy ’90 returns to the University of Connecticut to lead the UConn Health Information Technology Department. McCarthy has held IT leadership positions in both civilian and military medical institutions and spent the last four years as CIO of White Plains Hospital, where he reconfigured the IT infrastructure and oversaw the transition to the Epic electronic health record system, which UConn Health adopted in 2018.
George Barrios ’87, ’89 MBA, co-founder and co-CEO of Isos Capital Management, was named an officer of Progress Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: PGRW, the “Company”), a special purpose acquisition company delivering value for the businesses at the forefront of the digital revolution in the media space.
Monica A Caldas Benton ’01, currently deputy chief information officer at Liberty Mutual, has been named executive vice president and chief information officer of Liberty Mutual effective January 2023. Prior to joining Liberty Mutual, Caldas Benton spent 17 years at GE before leaving to become executive vice president and global CIO for GRM.
Brian Gragnolati ’79 has joined Concord Health Partners, a healthcare focused investment firm, as executive partner. Gragnolati currently serves as president and CEO of Atlantic Health System, and has also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association (the “AHA”).
Christopher Newell ’14, director of the Akomawt Educational Initiative and former director of the Abbe Museum, has joined the Board of Directors of the New England Foundation for the Arts. Newell is a citizen of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township.
Michael Colonnese ’09 has joined H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC’s Equity Research Department as a senior equity analyst focusing on Cryptocurrency & Fintech. Colonnese joins HCW with over 13 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Arda Zuber ’14 MS, ’22 Ph.D., Operation and Information Management doctoral student, has successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Applications of Inferential and Prescriptive Analytics in Information and Operations Management”. Zuber has accepted a position as an applied science manager with Uber.
Asif Mahammad Syed ’11 MBA, vice president, Data Strategy at HSB, a Munich Re Company, has joined CDO Magazine’s Global Editorial Board. The editorial board shares expert opinions and innovations in data and analytics, through editorials, content development, as well as speaking engagements, interviews, and research.
Vikram Nafde ’05 MBA has been named executive vice president and chief information officer in charge of Information Technology for Webster Financial Corporation, the holding company for Webster Bank, N.A. As a member of Webster Bank’s Executive Management Committee (EMC), Nafde is responsible for the strategy and execution of all Webster technology, including cybersecurity, data strategy and tech innovation.
Hendrik Deurloo ’98 MBA, senior vice president and chief commercial officer at Pratt & Whitney, was appointed President of P&W’s Commercial Engines.
