Larisa Kottke ’13 MPA was named a member of the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under Forty Class of 2020. Kottke, who also holds a Graduate Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the School of Business, is the vice president of Finance and Operations at Leadership Greater Hartford (LGH), a community leadership organization that develops, connects and inspires diverse leaders to build strong and vibrant communities. Kottke manages the organization’s business operations, having presided over four clean audits and implemented new technology enabling LGH to adapt programming to virtual platforms during COVID-19.

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.

Chris Cusano ’06 was named a member of the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under Forty Class of 2020. Cusano is the executive director of the Connecticut Brain Tumor Alliance, Inc. (CTBTA), a nonprofit dedicated to providing hope and support to brain tumor patients and caregivers. A brain tumor survivor and advocate himself, Cusano came to the CTBTA after a successful career in the legal sector. Under his leadership, the CTBTA increased its grant funding to partner hospitals by approximately 18%.

Matthew Curtin ’03 was named a member of the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under Forty Class of 2020. Curtin is a partner at Murtha Cullina, where he practices labor and employment law and chairs Murtha’s data privacy and cybersecurity practice group. He is the current chair of the Connecticut Bar Association’s labor and employment law section and has achieved International Association of Privacy Professional certification. Curtin also volunteers for the St. James School Board in Manchester, CT.

Jonathan Bellamy ’12, ’19 MBA was named a member of the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under Forty Class of 2020. Bellamy is a product manager at Stanley Black & Decker for the automotive and industrial solutions team. In his role, he leads the product development process of the Stanley, Fatmax and Irwin brands. Previously, he was a supply chain professional for the hand tools storage group and was also commissioned with the United States Army National Guard as a signal officer for the 102nd Infantry Battalion.

Sara Trevisani-Allen ’12, ’16 MBA was named a member of the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under Forty Class of 2020. Trevisani-Allen is a member of Cigna’s Health Service Leadership Program and is currently the product lead responsible for bringing a new behavioral health solution to market for Cigna. Previously, she led product innovation and strategy development for Cigna’s social health strategy and also worked for McKesson as an operations supervisor.

Brenda Lewis ’81 MBA, a Principal of Transactions Marketing, Inc., received two honorable mentions at the 2020 Connecticut Entrepreneur Awards — Community Builder of the Year and Community Promoter of the Year.

M. Nesij Huvaj ’12 Ph.D. has been named Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship with tenure at Suffolk University, Boston.  His research and teaching interests are at the intersections of innovation, entrepreneurial finance, and corporate entrepreneurship.

Stacy M. Georgette ’09, ’15 MSHRM  during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Georgette was selected to manage the facility labor pool under Incident Command Operations at the largest hospital in the Kitsap/Olympic Peninsula, Harrison Medical Center. She has been working hard on the front lines to ensure the facility has functioned with the needed resources and support.