Shelly J. (Ouellette) Nicholas ’08 MBA owner of PRETTY KNOTTY, has announced the launch of FIT Ties. This patented hair accessory is the first to be created for athletes and active users. Its low-profile design, innovative manufacturing process, and proprietary material blend, combine to create a durable product that keeps hair securely in place while reducing friction on hair. Ms. Nicholas began developing her idea while studying her MBA at UConn. Her product can be purchased at www.prettyknotty.com.

Yihong Xiao ’10, ’17 PhD has successfully defended her dissertation titled, “Three Essays on Gender Diversity” receiving her PhD in Finance. Her dissertation focuses on the impact of gender diversity in the corporate boardroom, and shows that it is beneficial for firm profitability, corporate decisions and stock price to have more female directors.

Christopher T. Calio ’00 MBA, ’00 JD has been appointed as president of Pratt & Whitney’s commercial engines business. Pratt & Whitney is a division of United Technologies Corp. Mr. Calio joined UTC in 2005 and has served several positions across the company. He has been a business partner in leadership roles at Otis, UTC Aerospace Systems, and chief of staff for the UTC Chairman and CEO.

Willard I. Hill Jr. ’81 MBA joined the Board of Trustees for PCSB Bank. Mr. Hill has also been elected to serve as director of the Bank’s holding company, PCSB Financial Corporation. Mr. Hill is currenty an attorney with executive leadership experience in the financial services industry. Most previously, he served as managing director, chief marketing and communications officer, and head of government relations for MBIA Inc.

Christopher C. Atkinson ’97 has joined Investor Management Services as their new Chief Executive Officer. The company is an award winning software-as-a-service provider for commercial real estate owners and operators. Mr. Atkinson has 20-years of software experience and accelerates revenue growth, as well as operational excellence. Previously, he was CEO of Knowledge Tree and Executive Vice President of StrikeIron, both companies growing tremendously under his management.

Erik D. Choisy ’08 has joined the Atlanta office of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP. He is an associate on the Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Team. Previously, Mr. Choisy worked in the New York office DLA Piper, where he advised client on regulatory and transactional issues such as cross-border mergers and acquisitions and capital market transactions. He focuses his practice on business and finance, securities, and mergers and acquisitions

Michael J. Zacchea ’12 MBA has been elected as the new chair of the Brookfield Democratic Town Committee. Mr. Zacchea is a retired Marine and a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient. He founded the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans at the University of Connecticut, as has advocated for veterans for many years. He has been featured in several documentaries and his book, “The Ragged Edge: A U.S. Marine’s Account of Leading the Iraqi Army Fifth Battalion” is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Michael P. Jordan ’01, ’02 MSA has over 16 years of experience advising business clients and their owners on a variety of complex tax matters. He has extensive experience working with large multi-state pass-through entities and regularly advises clients on corporate structure/choice of entity, sale and pre-sale planning, business acquisitions, and succession planning. Over the years, Michael has served clients across a broad spectrum of industries, such as real estate, wholesale/distribution, private equity, retail and professional service firms.

Jeff S. Jorczak ’14 MBA has joined Renown Health as their Chief Technology Officer. Renown Health is a hospital system based in Reno, Nevada. Mr. Jorczak leads the assessment and strategy for technology adoption while also finding solutions to enterprise needs. He has worked in various areas both as a contributor and manager of information technology teams in various industries including Healthcare, Manufacturing and Gaming. He is also a self-published fiction author, and his debut novel, Spheria, is available now.