Class Notes
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Individuals are listed according to the year of their most recent School of Management degree.
1980s
Jeff Jacobson, BS ’81, was named CEO of Electronics for Imaging Inc.
Daniel Wolfe, MBA ’83, was named business development executive at Employer Services Corp.
Lisa Kirisits, BS ’85, MBA ’87, CPA, managing director at Kirisits & Associates CPAs, was appointed to the board of trustees for Trocaire College.
Suzanne Elliott, BS ’89, was promoted to vice president of human resources at Power Drives Inc.
Maura Mottolese, BS ’89, was named CEO of Cholula Hot Sauce. (Read her Alumni Close-Up.)
1990s
Daniel Stapleton, MBA ’90, was appointed president on the board of directors of the New York State Association of County Health Officials.
Cheryl Crist, BS ’91, was promoted to senior vice president of human resources and education at Valu Home Centers.
Cheryl Ann Jankowski, BS ’91, CPA, was named partner at Lumsden McCormick.
Gary Smith, MBA ’91, was named vice president of innovation and workforce development at Trocaire College.
Michael Tengeres, BS ’91, was named chief financial officer at Elderwood.
Mark Walz, BS ’89, MBA ’94, was promoted to senior vice president at S&T Bank.
Kathleen Grieco, MBA ’95, CPA, was promoted to senior manager in the tax department at Tronconi Segarra & Associates LLP.
Jennifer Kopf, BS ’96, was named director, shared services at BlueCross BlueShield of WNY.
David Murray, BS/MBA ’97, clinical professor of management science and systems, received the 2019 Faculty Award for Alumni Engagement from the UB School of Management Alumni Association.
John Adamo, BS ’98, was promoted to group vice president at M&T Bank, where he is a loan administration manager.
Jonathan Manly, MBA ’98, was appointed director, revenue management at Life Storage.
Joel Salamone, BS ’98, founded baddpizza, a Buffalo-style pizzeria with multiple locations in Virginia.
Daniel Suttell, BS ’98, CPA, was promoted to manager at Brock, Schechter & Polakoff CPAs and Consultants.
Jennifer Beckage, BS ’99, founder of Beckage PLLC, was named to the Upstate New York Super Lawyers list for 2019.
Carrie Duggan, MBA ’99, was appointed a senior marketing manager at Lactalis American Group.
Lisa LaTrovato, BS ’99, director of development at Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, founded the Fifty Fabulous Women Giving Circle, a community of philanthropic women who combine their financial strength to improve the lives of women and girls in Erie and Niagara counties.
2000s
Stephanie Argentine, MBA ’00, founder and principal of solve& consulting LLC, a management consulting firm, has earned her National Association of Corporate Directors Board Governance Fellowship, demonstrating her commitment to the highest standards of corporate governance and excellence in the boardroom.
Michael Barone, MBA ’00, founder/owner of Str84ward Communications, was named director at large on the Public Relations Society of America Buffalo Niagara Chapter’s board of directors.
Maria Knoebel, MBA ’02, was promoted to vice president, TCCS category business unit at Rich Products.
Jason Barocas, BS ’03, was promoted to partner at KPMG.
Nicholas Snyder, BS/MBA ’03, executive vice president - retail distribution and corporate operations at Evans Bank, was named to the Buffalo Business First 40 Under Forty class of 2019.
Kevin Kirk, PMBA ’04, was promoted to senior project architect at Uniland Development Co.
Jonathan Nyitrai, MBA ’04, was promoted to director of logistics warehouse operations at Ivoclar Vivadent North America.
Alumni Spotlight: Richard M. Ferranti, EMBA ’97, named CEO of Rich Products
Since joining Rich Products in 1986 as part of a management training program, Richard M. Ferranti, EMBA ’97, has climbed the ranks. He began in a series of sales and marketing roles, eventually earning promotions to president of the company’s international division, then North American division, chief operating officer in 2012, and company president in 2018.
This year, he became the newest CEO of the $4 billion global food business.
With the company’s executive team, Ferranti has led the growth of Rich’s footprint, which spans six continents, operating in more than 100 countries and 40 manufacturing facilities.
As he stepped into his new position, Ferranti shared his perspective on what sets Rich’s apart.
“One of Rich’s greatest differentiators is our customer-focused, Act Local, Be Global strategy,” he says. “That means leveraging our global footprint to provide our customers with expert insight and guidance in the places we work every day.
“With great momentum, we will continue to focus on those who fuel our business: our customers and our people. I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to be named the next CEO of this extraordinary family-owned business.”
Rich Products has more than 11,000 associates worldwide, including more than 1,350 in Western New York. Ferranti is a member and immediate past chair of the UB School of Management Dean’s Advisory Council.
Alumni Spotlight: Power 125 Women
Congratulations to the following School of Management alumni named to the 2019 Power 125 Women list by Buffalo Business First:
Holly Anderson, CEL ’17, Anderson’s Inc.
Melissa Baumgart, MBA ’90, RP Oak Hill Building Co. Inc.
Judy Baumgartner, MBA ’96, Visiting Nursing Association of WNY Inc.
Patricia Clabeaux, BS ’84, Independent Health
Donna DeCarolis, BS ’81, MBA ’83, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp.
Rachel Foley, MBA ’92, Lake Shore Savings Bank
Mary Ellen Frandina, BS ’00, Evans Bank
Dottie Gallagher, EMBA ’07, Buffalo Niagara Partnership
Susan Grelick, MBA ’82, New York State Senate
Joyce Markiewicz, EMBA ’03, Catholic Health Home and Community-Based Care
Sharon Randaccio, BS ’76, MBA ’81, Performance Management Partners Inc.
Jill Spisiak Jedlicka, MBA ’00, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
Sujata Yalamanchili, BS ’88, MBA ’89, Hodgson Russ LLP
Jonathan Somer, BS ’05, was named partner at Mazars USA.
Adam Dunning, BS ’06, was promoted to vice president, analytics at BlueCross BlueShield of WNY.
Gail Ettaro, BS ’06, was named vice president of business operations at Arc Building Partners.
Jeffrey Green, MS ’06, was promoted to partner at KPMG.
Carolin Soldo, BS ’04, MBA ’06, owner and CEO of Carolin Soldo Coaching and Events LLC, was named to the Buffalo Business First 40 Under Forty class of 2019.
Chester Spivey, EMBA ’06, was promoted to senior vice president of clinical sales at Ivoclar Vivadent Inc.
Scott Allen Jr., MBA ’07, senior associate at Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP, was appointed to the board of directors for Friends of Night People.
Theodore Johnson, CEL ’07, president of Hadley Exhibits, was named a trustee with the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library System board.
Keith Wright, BS ’01, PMBA ’07, was named senior vice president, chief accounting officer at EverWest Real Estate Investors.
Marc Adler, MBA ’82, CEL ’08, president of Why Not Marketing, was named chief marketing officer at Chip Down LLC.
Kathleen Hurley, BS ’08, was promoted to vice president of digital strategy and innovation at BlueCross BlueShield of WNY.
Eric Wright, BS ’99, PMBA ’08, was appointed account director at The Martin Group.
Adam Ohar, BS ’09, CPA, was promoted to senior manager in the tax department of Tronconi Segarra & Associates.
Peter Ruocco, BS/MBA ’09, CPA, was promoted to partner at Brock, Schechter & Polakoff CPAs and Consultants.
Tyler Smith, BS ’09, was promoted to regional residential mortgage sales manager at Five Star Bank.
2010s
Andrea Sherry, BS/MBA ’10, was named director, corporate controller at BlueCross BlueShield of WNY.
Krista Heffernan, BS ’11, was named customer marketing manager, distribution at Rich Products.
Nicholas Krajacic, BS ’13, was promoted to strategic category leader, procurement at Rich Products.
Adam Medwetsky, BS ’11, MBA ’13, was promoted to sales enablement manager, digital marketing at Rich Products.
Rowan Ketchum, BS ’14, MS ’15, CPA, was promoted to tax supervising senior at Lougen, Valenti, Bookbinder & Weintraub LLP.
Michelle Philbin, MBA ’15, was promoted to product manager at Rich Products.
Halton Bagley, BS ’16, co-founded Equilli, an app that connects students to do chores and tasks for each other.
Lisa Wheeler, EMBA ’17, chief operating officer at Family Choice of New York, was appointed to the board of trustees for Trocaire College.
Katie Badura, PhD ’19, was appointed assistant professor of organizational behavior in the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.
Ka’Ron Barnes, PMBA ’19, was named director of urban affairs for the City of Buffalo.
Marcene Robinson, PMBA ’19, was named treasurer on the Public Relations Society of America Buffalo Niagara Chapter’s board of directors.