Ceremony Welcomes 27 Undergrad, 18 Grad Students to International Business Honor Society
Image by Meghan Moore
05/11/2018
By Ed Brennen
Stay true to yourself, never forget where you came from and always be grateful to those who help you along the way.
That was just some of the advice that alum Jerry Colella ’78 shared with 45 Manning School of Business students as they were inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma international business honor society on May 4 at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center.
“You are entering a global environment, one that you are far better suited to deal with today than my generation,” said Colella, president and CEO of MKS Instruments and chair of the Manning School advisory board.
Manning School Dean Sandy Richtermeyer, who is president of the university’s BGS chapter, thanked co-advisors Michael Beers and Cassandra Rohland for their leadership and congratulated students on their induction into the prestigious business honor society.
Image by Meghan Moore
“The roots of Beta Gamma Sigma expand in so many ways. It brings all areas of business together,” said Richtermeyer, who noted that when inductees add their BGS affiliation to their LinkedIn profiles, “other Beta Gamma Sigma members will seek you out. It will open so many doors.”
The 27 undergraduate inductees included: seniors Richard Bedard, Kelly Bradford, Kyla Caffrey, Paul Calobrisi, David Fowler, Lorsangpheng Keomony, Benjamin Konick, James McGowan, William Russo, Chathurika Sirisena-Tetzner, Kelly Skelton, Winpichmonika Thun and Zhaojian Wu; juniors Gina Barbaro, Shaymus Dunn, Nhu Le, Brendan McInerney, Dylan O’Neil, Peter Ravanis, Brian Regan, Isla Swindles, Sarah Wesinger and Christopher Wilson; and sophomores Kevin Coluci, Brendan Mann, Laura Beth Mann and Harrison Oaks.
The 18 graduate inductees included Master of Business Administration students Xavier Babu, Timothy Burton, Jared Castiglione, Bridget DeMonaco, Steve Hall, Laura Halleck, Koji Ishizuka, Michaela Marshall, Rhea Richards, Brittany Morris, Kimberly Ryder and Hira Zahid; Master of Science in Business Analytics students Rekha Balan and Kasey Mazza; Master of Science in Entrepreneurship students Ron Bouley and Ronnie Zubi; Master of Science in Accounting student Jacob Ashley; and Master of Science in Finance student Yadi Wang.
Image by Meghan Moore
Three Manning School faculty members were also inducted: Asst. Prof. Erica Steckler, visiting instructor Elissa Magnant and Assoc. Dean Jennifer Percival. Colella, meanwhile, was named an honorary inductee.
The chapter’s student president, Evie Bradley, and vice president Janelle Crowe took part in the induction ceremony, as did vice presidents-elect Elizabeth Iacoviello and Shailey Doherty.
For the past two years, the Manning School has sent students to the BGS Global Leadership Summit, something Richtermeyer hopes the school will do again this fall. In addition, the Donahue Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility (led by Steckler and Magnant) is implementing a new BGS ethics certification for students.
“It is exciting to see the advancement of BGS initiatives in our college,” Richtermeyer said.
Founded in 1913, Beta Gamma Sigma has more than 580 collegiate chapters with members in 190 countries. BGS membership is by invitation only, extended to top students at business schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International.
The mission of BGS is to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business, cultivate and celebrate leadership and professional excellence, advance the values of the society and serve its lifelong members.