All News & Notes

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.


Susan Martinelli ’01 MSA

Susan Martinelli01 MSA, a partner at RSM US LLP’s Hartford Office, has been named a 2024 Women in Business Honoree by the Hartford Business Journal for her excellence in leadership. At RSM, Martinelli is also the lead for the National Assurance Inclusion Committee and a member of RSM US Foundation’s Junior Achievement Committee.


Katherine Lane ’11

Katherine Lane11 has been named a 2024 Women in Business Honoree by the Hartford Business Journal. Lane currently leads the financial controls program at Webster Bank. Lane graduated from UConn with a degree in accounting and has since specialized in overseeing Webster’s Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and reconciliation governance programs.


Christina Phillips ’22 MBA

Christina Phillips ’22 MBA launched a new company, Puure, that provides women with a non-toxic alternative to traditional undergarments. Phillips attended the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Summer Fellowship Program and was selected as one of six startups to compete in the Wolff New Venture Competition, hosted by the UConn School of Business.


Denise M. Whitford ’17 MBA

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.


Frank Murphy ’07

Frank Murphy ’07, assistant professor of accounting, has won the American Taxation Association’s (ATA) Outstanding Tax Manuscript Award for his significant contributions to tax literature. Prior to joining the business school faculty in 2017, Murphy worked at Deloitte in Hartford, Connecticut.



Benna Lehrer ‘02 JD/MBA

Benna Lehrer ‘02 JD/MBA has been named chairperson of the Board of Directors of Capital for Change, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in Connecticut. Lehrer is currently employed by Synchrony.


Carmen Effron ’72 (ED), ’81 MBA

Carmen Effron ’72 (ED), ’81 MBA, founder and president of C F Effron Company LLC based in Fairfield County, Connecticut, has been named one of eight 2024 Neag School Alumni Awards honorees. Effron was inducted into the School of Business Alumni Hall of Fame in 2011, and in 2013, she received the Connecticut Small Business Institute for Excellence in Commerce Award.



Kyle J. Eagleson ’01

Kyle J. Eagleson ’01  has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of Guilford Savings Bank. Eagleson formerly served as the bank’s chief operating officer.