New “Leader Generation” film explores Bryant’s extraordinary women in finance
If someone else can do it, you can do it too,” says Ritvi Singh ’25, remembering the advice her father once gave her. That powerful sentiment fuels a new film, presented by AACSB and produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions, on Singh’s and Bryant University’s inspiring women in finance.
leaders with the skills and mindset to rethink, reimagine, and reshape the business world.
“This is the gold standard, when it comes to storytelling, and BBC StoryWorks has a global reach,” notes Bryant Multimedia Producer Kerri Rubino ’25MBA, who helped curate the documentary. “It was a
The mini documentary-style film, part of BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions’ Leader Generation series, chronicles Singh’s transformation from a shy incoming college student — “I used to sit in the back of the class,” admits the Managerial Accounting and Finance major — to a confident leader who helps manage Bryant’s $3.3 million Archway Investment Fund.
pleasure to work with them to share Bryant’s story.”
DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS, DIFFERENT OUTCOMES
From its beginning, Bryant has positioned itself as a leader in preparing women to excel in business, states
Todd Alessandri, Ph.D., dean of Bryant’s College of Business — a move that not only promotes a culture of belonging on campus but better outcomes as well.
“ That’s our goal, to build a better and more inclusive future.”
“Having a wide range of viewpoints brings a different perspective, a different viewpoint, and a different way of thinking,” Alessandri suggests. “Having these new lenses leads you to ask new questions and come up with better solutions.
“That’s our goal,” he notes. “To build a better and more inclusive future.”
And that goal, says Professor of Finance Asli Ascioglu, Ph.D., has never been more important. “Underrepresentation is a big issue in the finance world,” she points out in the film. “You see very few females in the C-suite and leadership roles, and we need to change that.”
With the direction decided, the film needed a subject. First suggested for the project by Kevin Maloney, Ph.D., professor and chair of Bryant’s Finance department, because of her success as a portfolio manager with the student-managed Archway Investment Fund, Singh embodies the best of Bryant: determination, heart, tenacity, and character.
Bryant was one of 18 participating universities within AACSB International, a global nonprofit association that connects educators, students, and business, in the Leader Generation project, which highlights business schools that are empowering future continues on page 10
TODD ALESSANDRI, PH.D., DEAN OF BRYANT’S COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
It was an honor and a shock to be chosen, she admits. It was also an opportunity. “I’ve had such an amazing undergraduate experience,” she says. “I couldn’t wait to share it with others.”
Ritvi Singh ’25 is the subject of “Changing the Narrative for Women in Finance,” part of the Leader Generation documentary series presented by AACSB and produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions. Photo by Jeff Ottum.
PHILANTHROPY UPDATE
A Season of Celebration
David C. Wegrzyn ’86, P’23 Vice President for University Advancement
Happy Spring, Bulldogs! As the weather warms and days grow longer, it’s a time to reflect on the growth and the success we’ve seen throughout the academic year. Bryant is making its mark — both across our campus and around the world — and we have so much to celebrate.
From academics to athletics, Bryant is making headlines. The university continues to climb in the rankings: Poets&Quants ranked Bryant among the best undergraduate business schools and sixth for academic experience. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce ranked Bryant among the top 1 percent of national leaders in return on investment. Bryant’s Online MBA program has risen to the top 10 percent in the U.S. News & World Report
In March, we watched the Men’s Basketball team make history and capture their first America East Championship and then saw the Bryant community rally around the country to cheer on the Bulldogs at their second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance (see pages 3 and 12).
In Smithfield, Bryant’s footprint is changing rapidly as the campus master plan comes into focus. By the time students are back on campus for the fall 2025 semester, Bryant will open the Puishys Residence Complex, the Fieldhouse, and complete the second phase of the Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center renovations. Salmanson Dining Hall will also reopen with upgraded facilities and expanded offerings. These changes will add a new dimension to the student experience — and all are made possible by the philanthropic leaders of our community.
Our alumni community is thriving under the new Alumni Leadership Council officers and new Bulldogs of the Last Decade (BOLD) Committee Co-Chairs (see page 4). We welcomed back two esteemed graduates, Vimbai Masiyiwa ’17 and Monika Sattler ’08, as Executives in Residence to connect and pass on their wisdom to current students.
This April, we also uplifted our outstanding alumni for their professional accomplishments and personal contributions to their communities at the annual Alumni Achievement Awards. We are proud to honor six incredible individuals that truly embody the Bryant spirit (see pages 6-8).
Finally, as we approach Bryant’s 162nd commencement, we wish our graduates the best as they enter the next phase of their lives. The final class to enter Bryant under the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, this class faced unprecedented challenges. Through their resilience and tenacity, they join an alumni network of more than 50,000 members worldwide as they step through the Archway on May 17. Congratulations, Class of 2025, and welcome to the Bryant alumni community!
Bryant again recognized for top 1% ROI nationally by Georgetown study
Bryant University is once again being recognized as a top national leader in higher education for return on investment (ROI), according to the newly released Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) scorecard. Bryant ranks in the top 1 percent nationally of the 4,600 schools included in the report.
The ranking is based on the CEW’s updated College Scorecard, which measures the potential long-term economic gains for graduates in terms of net present value (NPV), a metric that projects future earnings, costs, and investments. The NPV for Bryant graduates after 20 years is $1.1 million, climbing to $3 million 40 years out. That represents a 9 percent annual growth rate from year 20 to year 40, the third highest rate of growth among the top 100 ROI schools in the nation.
“The Georgetown rankings affirm our exceptional outcomes and the transformational power of a Bryant education,” says Bryant President Ross Gittell, Ph.D. “Out of 4,600 institutions, Bryant stands out as one of only five
schools in the nation that made it to Georgetown’s Top 1 percent for a 40-year ROI and is competing in this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament. We are honored to share this prestigious recognition alongside Yale, Duke, Vanderbilt, and the University of California, San Diego.”
For Bryant University’s Class of 2024, the median starting salary was $76,000, a 6 percent increase compared to the Class of 2023. In addition, 99 percent of the students were employed or in graduate school within six months. Bryant graduates are in high demand by top employers including Fidelity, PwC, EY, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Adidas, Google, among others.
Online MBA program continues rankings ascent
Ayearafter emerging among the top 15 percent of online Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs in the country, Bryant University’s Online MBA has vaulted into the top 10 percent of those programs in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, claiming the 33rd position nationally. In addition to the overall ranking, Bryant’s Online MBA jumped 15 spots from last year to earn a No. 13 ranking for student excellence.
Established in 2019 as a flexible alternative to the in-seat MBA, Bryant’s Online MBA is the No. 1 program of its kind in Rhode Island, according to U.S. News & World Report’s latest analysis. Released on Tuesday, January 21, the 2025 report evaluated engagement, reputation, faculty credentials, student excellence, services and technologies, and assessments by leaders of peer institutions.
“I’m incredibly proud of the Online MBA program’s steady ascent in prominence and this significant recognition, which reflects the drive and commitment of our College of
“ Our students benefit from personalized guidance within a dedicated community of faculty and staff, fostering collaboration, resilience, and the confidence to define and achieve their goals.”
RUPENDRA PALIWAL, P h .D. BRYANT UNIVERSITY PROVOST AND CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER
Business faculty in shaping the leaders of tomorrow,” says President Ross Gittell, Ph.D. “The ranking recognizes Bryant University’s focus on delivering transformational learning experiences and exceptional student outcomes.”
The U.S. News & World Report rankings come on the heels of the 2025 assessment of the country’s best online MBAs by Poets&Quants, in which Bryant rose to No. 16 on that prestigious list, a survey relying on admissions standards, student feedback on academic experience, and career outcomes.
“The consistent rise of Bryant University’s Online MBA in these rankings reflects the innovative approach of our faculty and their success in creating a program that delivers real-world outcomes for our students, fully preparing them to thrive in a dynamic and ever-changing business environment,” says Bryant
Bryant Online MBA #1 ranked program in RI #33 ranked program nationally U.S. News & World Report continues on page
Presidential Executive in Residence Vimbai Masiyiwa ’17 shares a blueprint for socially
responsible business
Professor Mike Roberto chose to hold his Leadership Seminar’s discussion with Vimbai Masiyiwa ’17 in the Ellen Wilson Leadership Center because it was a nice change of place in a comfortable, informal space. But it was soon apparent that the location would have a special relevance.
As Masiyiwa — the CEO and chief creative officer of Batoka Hospitality Group and a visiting Presidential Executive in Residence — spoke about the role business can play in improving the lives of others, she was framed by a giant mural of the university’s igNight celebration, an annual candle-lit ceremony that initiates new students into the Bryant community.
The symbolism was clear: We are stronger together.
Over the course of the class, Masiyiwa discussed her own journey as a young leader, from growing up as the daughter of Strive Masiyiwa, founder and executive chairman of Econet Group, to her time at Bryant, where she learned the tools that enabled her to strike out on her own, to her current role with Batoka, the first Black female-owned safari lodge group in Africa.
The conversation was dotted with personal stories about her successes and challenges, including making deals across international borders and diverse cultures, facing down elephants on safari, and winning over skeptical executives.
“You will meet people who want you to prove that you deserve to be in the room,” she advised. “The best thing you can be is well-informed and well-read. We can argue about opinions, but no one can argue you about facts.”
Masiyiwa also entreated the students to look beyond their own personal success and consider the role they can play in uplifting and empowering others.
“If you are a member of a community, you should invest in that community — and invest in its growth,” she suggested. “That is a conscious decision we all need to make.”
Cassandra Hierl ’25, the president of Bryant’s award-winning chapter of the nonprofit Best Buddies organization and a member of Project Playhouse — which builds dream playhouses for children with serious illnesses — has decided that wherever her career takes her she wants to make a difference in the lives of others. But now she had new options to consider.
Masiyiwa’s discussion of social entrepreneurship, which mixes both business and service, was especially exciting to her. She left the class eager to learn more, which, Heirl reasoned, was the key point of the Executive in Residence program in the first place.
“It not only opens you up to new possibilities; it shows you that the ceiling for those possibilities is so much higher than you ever expected, especially
“
If you are a member of a community, you should invest in that community — and invest in its growth.”
VIMBAI MASIYIWA ’17 CEO AND CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER OF BATOKA HOSPITALITY GROUP
when you’re getting the perspective of someone who has done so much at such a young age,” she points out.
Masiyiwa concluded her trip by helping to judge a pitch contest organized by the Rhode Island Business Competition. Students from five colleges and universities shared their ideas for game-changing companies and received feedback on their presentations, business plans, and ways to make their products truly stand out.
Allison Carra ’26 pitched Makeup Express, a makeup-focused salon start-up. When her presentation concluded, Masiyiwa offered praise. “You’re storytelling was very impressive,” she told Carra with a broad grin. “You nailed it.”
Even after the competition, Carra was still beaming. “I’ve worked so hard on this and to have that validation from someone who’s done so much — that feels amazing.”
Read more about Masiyiwa’s visit at news.bryant.edu.
Bryant’s Presidential Executive in Residence program is a platform for global industry executives and leaders from Bryant’s alumni community to share their expertise through mentoring and enhanced experiential learning opportunities.
BRYANT MEN’S BASKETBALL WINS AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP, APPEARS IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Bryant Men’s Basketball team made history in March, capturing the program’s first-ever America East Conference Championship! The Bulldogs prevailed 79-59 over the University of Maine at the Elizabeth and Malcolm Chace Wellness and Athletic Center on March 15, powered by big games from America East Conference Player of the Year Earl Timberlake, and Barry Evans.
The victory secured an automatic NCAA Tournament bid for Bryant, who earned a No. 15 seed and a first-round matchup against No. 2 Michigan State in Cleveland. While the first-round result wasn’t what we wanted, the Bulldogs received plenty of support from the Bryant community in Cleveland and around the country.
Hundreds of Bryant alumni, parents, and friends gathered at pre-game celebrations and watch parties to cheer on the Bulldogs. See page 12 for photos from events across the country.
Congratulations to the Bulldogs on a memorable and historic season!
EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE
Monika Sattler ’08
Bryant welcomed Monika Sattler ’08, a German-born alumna now living in Switzerland, back to campus March 17 and 18 as an Executive in Residence. A world-renowned keynote speaker, author, and cycling record holder, Monika met with students across the university throughout her two-day visit to discuss leadership and strategies for success.
During her time in Smithfield, she addressed the members of the Ellen Wilson Leadership Fellows and the Women’s Leadership Living and Learning Community in an afternoon forum. Her topic, emphasized having the right mindset in order to achieve seemingly impossible goals, starts with her career shift from corporate consulting to the world of cycling. Monika recently completed her second world cycling record — climbing all 124 Swiss mountain passes in less than a month. Her feat was captured in a documentary film, of which she shared a portion of with the students.
Monika, a former Bryant volleyball player, talked with the Volleyball team and coach Theresa Garlacy, held open lunchtime discussions in the Gertrude Meth Hochberg Women’s Center, and visited with honors students in Alex Perullo’s research methods class. Throughout the visit, Monika encouraged students to step out of their comfort zones and dare to realize their full potential.
Monika Sattler ’08 shared her “six Ps” success mindset with students: finding purpose, developing potential, power, perspective, people, and finding your path.
Meet the New Alumni Leadership Council Officers
The Alumni Leadership Council, the governing body of the Bryant University Alumni Association, welcomes three new officers to lead the organization for the 2025-2027 term. Comprised of Bulldogs from across the globe, the Council meets three times annually to give Bryant graduates a voice — foster networking, support university initiatives, and enhance alumni programs and services.
SAM BROOMER ’93, P’25 | PRESIDENT
I lead the Alumni Leadership Council, seeking to strengthen connections, support university initiatives, and engage you! Partnering with our first and second vice presidents, I collaborate with Bryant’s leaders, students, and fellow alumni to drive mentorship, philanthropy, programming, and networking opportunities. My role is to inspire you to stay connected and contribute to our university’s success.
I give back to Bryant because a strong network creates a lasting impact for graduates and current students alike. Our shared experiences build a community that fosters professional growth, lifelong learning, and institutional excellence. Volunteering my time and supporting Bryant honors the education that shaped me and helps ensure future generations, like my son, thrive.
Our future is bright, and holding opportunities to deepen our connections, increase involvement, and strengthen our university’s influence are actions that we can all do together. Go Bulldogs, today, tomorrow, and forever more!
SEAN KENNY ’98, ’20MBA | 1ST VICE PRESIDENT
My journey with the Alumni Leadership Council began with a deep-seated passion for fostering connections and giving back to the institution that has played a pivotal role in shaping my career and character. From the start of my freshman year through graduation, the camaraderie and shared vision of the Bryant alumni network drew me in, solidifying my commitment to growing and supporting this vibrant community.
While at Bryant, I observed strong and consistent leadership from our then-Student Senate President, Rob Fontanella ’95. I later experienced fellowship from my friend, Tom Gardner ’97, who was responsible for providing me with a consulting opportunity to start my career. These experiences underscore my commitment to fostering this community, and I’ve seen how our collective efforts make a profound difference.
The most exciting aspects of Bryant’s future are the university’s innovative strides toward enhancing academic excellence and providing the best outcomes for students. As First Vice President of the Alumni Leadership Council, I want to ensure that Bryant remains a symbol of opportunity for generations to come — and I hope you’ll join me on this journey!
SARA CANNATA ’13 | 2ND VICE PRESIDENT
I am truly honored to serve as the Second Vice President of the Alumni Leadership Council. Our Council represents a dynamic and diverse community of more than 50,000 alumni worldwide. As ambassadors within our networks, we are dedicated to strengthening and expanding engagement with the University.
At Bryant, I was fortunate to have meaningful interactions with alumni, allowing for job shadowing, interviews, and even employment opportunities. These experiences ignited my passion for ensuring that current students have similar opportunities to connect, learn, and grow. It is deeply fulfilling to help students envision a successful future after graduation and to provide our community with pathways to reconnect with Bryant.
I am excited to be a part of Bryant’s next chapter as we evolve while staying true to our foundational values. I look forward to engaging with you and hope you find inspiration and connection that motivates you to stay involved with the campus and our vibrant alumni community.
READY TO GET INVOLVED?
The Alumni Leadership Council is accepting new members! Interested Bryant alumni from any graduation year can contact alumni@bryant.edu or scan the QR code for more information.
ALUMNI NOTES
Stephanie Bolstridge ’02 received the 2024 Women to Watch award from Business Insurance magazine. Given to only 30 women each year from across the Insurance industry, the award highlights and celebrates women leaders who represent some of the best executives in the insurance risk management sector.
Michael Tedone ’81, CPA/PFS, was honored with Hartford Business Journal’s 2024 C-Suite Award. The award recognizes performing C-Suite-level executives in the Greater Hartford area who display a commitment to good ethics, reporting, and community involvement while contributing to their organization’s overall growth.
Nico Santini ’93 was appointed by Coverys as the organization’s first Chief Investment Officer in 2024. A seasoned insurance asset manager, Nico will lead Coverys’ investment policy, asset allocation, portfolio and risk management, and investment accounting functions.
Meet the New Bulldogs of the Last Decade (BOLD) Committee Co-Chairs
Bulldogs of the Last Decade (BOLD) are undergraduate alumni who graduated from Bryant University in the last 10 years. The BOLD Committee, an active group of volunteers, is committed to fostering connections, engagement, and philanthropy by offering special social events, educational and professional programs, and networking opportunities. Meet the new co-chairs of our vibrant committee!
AMANDA WHITHAM ’21
BOLD Committee Co-Chair
Email: Amanda.whitham@gmail.com
“There is a quote I regularly hear in my family about ’roots and wings.’ In my eyes, our Bryant undergrad/ graduate ’roots’ helped us learn our identities and passions. As alumni, our ’wings’ now lead us to grow. In an eye-opening network of 50,000 alumni worldwide, we can lean on one another to balance where we have come from and where we are going.”
ERIC ZHANG ’21
BOLD Committee Co-Chair
Email: ezhang124@gmail.com
“Bryant’s mission statement is to educate and inspire students to discover their passion and become innovative leaders. To me, being a Bryant alum means carrying forward the Bulldog spirit. By staying involved in the BOLD Committee, I can inspire others to do the same, as we all come from diverse experiences.” Interested in getting involved with
IN MEMORIAM
Margaret (Giroux) Janikies ’57, P’84, GP’18 passed away on February 25, 2025. Longtime supporters and friends of Bryant, Margaret and her husband William’s philanthropic leadership helped establish the Janikies Innovation Forum in the Quinlan/Brown Academic Innovation Center.
On February 22, 2025, The Honorable Bruce M. Selya ’96H passed away of natural causes. In 1982, Judge Selya was appointed to the Rhode Island Supreme Court and served as Chair of the Bryant Board of Trustees, where he served until 1992.
We regret that we don’t have space in Engage to celebrate the lives of all alumni who have passed away. Please visit alumni.bryant.edu/inmemoriam for complete lists by class year.
Advance the Mission: Join a Council
Usher in Bryant’s next great era with us! Council members are the philanthropic leaders of our community, and play a key role in enhancing student life, engaging university leadership, and supporting initiatives that help shape our university’s future.
You can help advance Bryant’s mission by joining a council that aligns with your interest area and affiliation.
Academic councils — the College of Business Dean’s Council, College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Council, and School of Health and Behavioral Sciences Council — meet twice annually. Council members philanthropically support the colleges, act as advisors to the deans, and serve as thought leaders in their respective industries. They also support Bryant students by providing internships and employment opportunities for our students and graduates, where applicable.
Eligibility to join Bryant’s nonacademic councils — the Parents Leadership Council, Alumni Leadership Council, and Wall Street Council — depends on an individual’s affiliation to Bryant.
Comprised of Bryant alumni from any year, the Alumni Leadership Council represents alumni opinions and provides recommendations to university administration. In addition, they promote alumni engagement and provide an alumni perspective to the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement and meet three times a year.
Parents of current students can join the Parents Leadership Council. This group of dedicated Bryant parents support various university-wide initiatives and share their unique perspectives three times a year. These meetings often culminate in a reception or networking opportunity with university leaders, faculty, and staff.
The Wall Street Council is an influential network of alumni, parents, and friends who work in financial services fields. These volunteers contribute their expertise and philanthropic support to help provide a top-tier academic experience for Business and Finance students, including funding Bloomberg terminals and providing internship opportunities. The council does not have formal meetings but hosts two events in New York City each year.
Council members on both academic and non-academic councils provide financial support and valuable expertise and counsel to university leaders. In addition, they serve as ambassadors for Bryant in their communities and professions, leveraging their own networks to provide professional networking opportunities for students and expanding Bryant’s reach.
For more information, email Missy Walker, Associate Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement, at mwalker14@bryant.edu.
PARTNERSHIPS Notices received through March 2025
SEPTEMBER 21, 2024 | CINCINNATI, OH
DECEMBER 28, 2024 | CAPE COD, MA
OCTOBER 10, 2024
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Send wedding photos of Bryant alumni to alumni@bryant.edu . Contact us in advance to receive a complimentary Bryant banner.
We receive more photos than we can print for each issue of Engage. To view all wedding photos received since the last issue, as well as the names of alumni in attendance, please visit facebook.com/ bryantalumni or follow us on Instagram @bryant_alumni.
PLANNED GIVING Bill Drohan ’76
Bill Drohan ’76, a proud member of Bryant’s 1863 Society, supports the university through a charitable gift annuity (CGA). This type of gift can provide you with regular payments for life and allow Bryant to further its mission — while offering a variety of tax benefits, depending on how you fund your gift (based on eligibility).
We caught up with Bill to learn about his Bryant experience and why he chooses to support the university.
What inspired you to attend Bryant, and what was your experience like as a student?
I had a great time at Bryant, both socially and academically. I was involved in the Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity, and to this day, the brothers and I still stay connected online and meet up at reunions. Academically, I appreciated the smaller class sizes and the personal attention from professors at Bryant. They were always available and supportive and encouraged real-world applications of our lessons in class. The business principles I learned here turned out to be the exact tools I used in my career.
“ Support the university’s growth. Invest in the future. Because when Bryant rises, we all rise with it.”
BILL DROHAN ’76
How did your time at Bryant influence your career path, particularly your interest in politics and public policy?
My business education, combined with the access to unique internships, really opened doors for me. As a sophomore, I was among two students selected to represent Bryant in a statewide internship program at the Rhode Island State House. That experience ignited my interest in public policy. Through that, I met Julius Michaelson, a candidate for Attorney General, and joined his campaign team. A large part of my job was driving him to events, and I was able to learn firsthand about political strategy and leadership. That led to more internships and even a summer position advising the Governor of Massachusetts on solar energy policy. This pivotal moment blended my interests in business and public policy.
You’ve had a long and successful career building your own company. How did your education prepare you to become an entrepreneur? Bryant gave me the foundation I needed. I already understood accounting, marketing, strategic planning, and operations when I started my management and consulting company because I’d studied it all here. I wasn’t starting from scratch. Over 35 years, I grew that company from just me and an assistant to 75
employees. Eventually, we merged with a Boston-based firm, and I became a board member and stockholder. That success started with the practical, hands-on education I received at Bryant.
Why is it important to you to give back to Bryant?
I think of my career in three phases: learning, earning, and advising. I’m in the advising phase now. I’ve had many mentors who guided me, so now it’s my turn to help others, especially the next generation of business leaders.
Supporting Bryant financially, primarily through scholarships and my charitable gift annuity, is my way of paying it forward. Bryant set me up for success, and now I want to do the same for others. What makes those forms of giving meaningful to you?
Scholarships helped me as a student, and I want to return that support. The charitable gift annuity is also a smart way to give because it provides income to my wife and me and supports Bryant’s mission in the future. It’s a win-win. Plus, donating appreciated stock instead of cash gave us tax advantages and let us turn an overvalued asset into something impactful. I often say, “It’s the gift that gives to you first,” and that’s absolutely true.
What advice would you give to current Bryant students and fellow alumni?
First, the classic: diversify, diversify, diversify! That was drilled into me by my professor, Sam Knox, and it stuck. But more broadly, I’d say this: keep going and keep growing. There will be ups and downs, especially if you’re an entrepreneur. But stay positive, stay focused, and don’t stop learning. I also believe Bryant has what it takes to become the No. 1 business school in the country. To my fellow alums, I’d say: be part of that journey. Support the university’s growth. Invest in the future. Because when Bryant rises, we all rise with it.
To learn more about how you can shape Bryant’s future through a planned gift, please contact Bob Ferrell, Senior Planned Giving Officer, at (401) 232-6171 or email rferrell@bryant.edu
TJ Burke ’13 and Lindsey Kathmann
HILTON HEAD,
Elizabeth Weston ’18 and Rodney Ventar
Ariel Amabile ’20 and Corey Dell Russo
On April 11, members of the Bryant community gathered to celebrate six of the university’s most accomplished alumni and faculty at the annual Alumni Achievement Awards.
The Emerging Leaders Award recognizes Bryant alumni for growth and early success in their profession and for their service to Bryant University.
Mikayla Nogueira ’20 Emerging Leaders Award
WhenMikayla Nogueira ’20 changed her major freshman year from Entrepreneurship to Communication, she had no idea she would one day be launching her own product line. She did know, however, that she could lean on her passion for makeup to achieve her dreams.
Often attending classes with an elaborate full face of makeup, Mikayla jokes that she was known as “makeup girl” on campus. Despite these comments, she infused her love of beauty into her Bryant experience. She remembers doing projects on influencers and even crafted a business plan for a hair salon as she honed her communication and brand development skills.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the world in 2020, Mikayla, a newly minted Bryant graduate, had been furloughed from her job at Ulta Beauty. She found out her summer internship had been canceled, and she could no longer continue her graduate program. Unsure of her next steps, Mikayla took her lifelong passion to TikTok and posted her first video.
“I thought, ’I love to create, and I love creative direction,’” she says. “So why don’t I try taking everything I learned from Bryant, everything I learned at Ulta, and put it on social media?”
Mikayla became an overnight sensation her first video launching her wildly successful influencer career. “I knew right then and there that this was what I was meant to be doing,” she says. Six months after that initial post, she landed her first brand deal, and the rest is history.
“I’ve always been someone who works really, really hard,” she adds. “My first contract was major motivation to dive into this.”
Since then, Mikayla has worked with major beauty brands like RareBeauty, Kosas, and e.l.f. Cosmetics, and even celebrities like Selena Gomez.
She’s amassed more than 16 million followers on TikTok and garnered more than 1.7 billion likes on the platform. Throughout her career, Mikayla has landed a spot on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, appeared in Vogue, and has won numerous awards for her content, including Emerging Makeup Artist of the Year at the 2020 American Influencer Awards.
This March, Mikayla took her influencer career to the next level and launched Point of View (POV) — her own beauty brand. Featuring five skin prep products crafted to nourish the skin and create a better foundation for cosmetics, the brand has already garnered wide interest.
“It’s funny how my path has been carved,” Mikayla says, reflecting on how changing her major from Entrepreneurship to Communication gave her the foundational skills to build her following on TikTok — a move that that then led to founding her own brand. Mikayla looks back fondly on her time at Bryant. Her professors, especially Communication and Language Studies professor Tom Zammarelli, helped encourage her to chase her dreams.
“He always believed in me,” she says. “I had so many other professors who saw something in me and knew I was going to do something big with my life.”
Dr. Scott Kuindersma ’06 Emerging Leaders Award
Likehis high school friends, Scott Kuindersma ’06 initially attended Bryant University considering a career in finance. When he decided to follow his passion for computer science instead, he was able to chart his own course — one that led to a career in developing and researching humanoid robots.
“I followed a relatively non-traditional career path for a Bryant student,” Scott says. “But I think it goes to show that there’s tremendous flexibility here and that you can use Bryant as a launching pad to a wide array of careers.”
As Senior Director of Robotics Research at Boston Dynamics, Scott leads behavior development on Atlas, one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots. This type of robot leverages the full extent of the physical properties of its body, enabling it to run, jump, and, in Atlas’ case, do parkour. Scott’s current research aims to better understand how to advance embodied AI to enable complex mobility and manipulation for robots.
As an undergraduate, Scott began working with Biological and Biomedical Sciences professor Brian Blais and Brown University’s Leon Cooper on their computational neuroscience research, spending his summers helping to evaluate computational models of neurons in the mouse visual cortex. This experience, he says, sparked his interest in a research-based career.
Scott noted that it would have been natural to transfer to a more traditional engineering institution. However, he decided to stay at Bryant because of his experience with his professors and the opportunities to craft an educational program that was closely tailored to his own interests.
“Brian was a great mentor to me and really supported my curiosity and career ambitions,” he says, adding that his Mathematics professors, including Professor John Quinn, were another bright spot in his Bryant experience. “There was just so much opportunity for
individual attention, and my professors showed a deep interest in my success.”
For example, he remembers wanting to complete a course on programming language theory, but Bryant didn’t offer one at the time. Scott’s Information Systems and Analytics professor
Janet Pritchard stepped in and advised him in a one-on-one independent study where he completed a standard textbook on the topic. Brian similarly indulged Scott’s interests by offering an independent study in Machine Learning, which allowed him to build on what he learned in Brian’s introductory Robotics and AI course and dive deeper into implementing and debugging ML algorithms.
These specialized learning experiences expertly prepared Scott for the next phase of his educational career. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he focused on robot learning.
Later, he did a postdoctoral program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was the Controls Lead for the MIT DARPA Robotics Challenge team, MIT’s entry into a government-funded robotics competition that was focused on advancing the state of the art in robots designed for working in spaces that are unsafe for humans.
After his postdoc at MIT, Scott joined the faculty at Harvard University as an assistant professor of Engineering and Computer Science where he directed the Harvard Agile Robotics Lab and taught courses in robotics and AI. Scott eventually left academia to pursue an opportunity to lead research on humanoids at Boston Dynamics, where he still works today.
One of Scott’s favorite things about robotics is its connection to the physical world. “Like other types of engineering, robotics is often a trial-and-error test of perseverance. But when things finally start to work, it’s pretty satisfying when the result is a robot running, jumping, and doing backflips.”
He also likes that Boston Dynamics has created a public following by filming Atlas’ movements and sharing the videos on YouTube.
“Our team is passionate about building robots that will change the world for the better, for example by giving people more choice over what physical labor we assign to people in the future,” Scott says. “But there is plenty of room for creativity and playfulness in how we demonstrate our progress along the way, and it’s a lot of fun to be able to share that with the world.”
Mikayla Nogueira ’20 (center right) at the set of her POV Beauty launch campaign. Photo courtesy of Mikayla Nogueira.
This Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes Bryant alumni with a record of outstanding professional achievement or community service.
Hon. Justice Keisha Alleyne ’96
Distinguished Alumna Award
Hon. Justice Keisha Alleyne ’96
came to Bryant to earn a degree in Accounting and play volleyball, but she left with something even more meaningful and unexpected: her advocacy voice.
As New York Supreme Court 2nd Judicial District judge, Keisha was appointed to preside over guardianship cases. Elected to the bench in 2021, she says this work is what she’s been proudest of throughout her career.
“One of the things that’s most important to me is the ability to give back to my community,” she says. “What I do is an element of service. I’m speaking to people and changing their lives, and I love the tangential part of it where I’m able to make sure I’m taking care of the community that elected me to be here.”
During these guardianship proceedings, Keisha’s rulings ensure individuals who are incapacitated get the care and resources they need so they can survive and thrive. During her time at Bryant, she learned that advocacy would become an important part of her life.
One key moment came in 1993 when Keisha and a group of six other Black students actively campaigned to bring the first African American sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Kappa Omicron Chapter, to Bryant’s campus.
“We wanted something that represents who we are and speaks to who we are,” she says. Convincing the administration helped Keisha find her advocacy voice and stand up for what she believed in. To this day, Keisha
continues to play a pivotal role in her sorority as the Social Action Director for the State of New York.
Despite the challenges she faced on campus, Keisha says her Bryant experience shaped her into the person she is today. She fondly remembers the support she received from her volleyball teammates that helped her acclimate to college life and the sisterhood she found within her sorority that helped her grow.
“I think that those are the spaces that made me who I am,” Keisha says. “Bryant was one of the best learning experiences that I had.”
Upon graduation, Keisha attended Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston. She later received her lawyer’s master’s in taxation and worked as a corporate litigator for 15 years until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“I was sitting down and watching all the injustices that were going on in the world, and I was at a crossroads in my career,” she says. “I decided I wanted to be more impactful in the world.”
When the opportunity presented for her to run for a Civil Court judicial position, she ran and won.
“I didn’t know about any of those things. However, I decided to take the leap of faith and trust in all of the people around me who knew what to do,” she said, referring to her run for Civil Court judge. For four years, she presided over many different kinds of civil cases until the next election cycle, when the opportunity arose for her to run for the Supreme Court.
Keisha deeply appreciates the recognition from Bryant in receiving the Distinguished Alumna Award. To be recognized for how she’s blossomed — both in her career and as an undergrad — is amazing, Keisha says.
“I am the person I am as a result of all the sums of me. All the things that are me and that I actually did,” she adds. “I know for sure that I am the person I am because of the experiences I had — and Bryant plays a pivotal role in that.”
machines that make razor blade cartridges.
While at Bryant, Peter majored in Business Management and minored in Criminal Justice, where he honed his resource management skills. In his role, he expertly brings together the right people for the job and ensures they have the proper support and resources to excel. He also makes sure that the experts take the lead in their own fields.
“It’s a core value for me to be able to collaborate, listen, and bring in the best of my team’s views to ultimately make a decision,” Peter says.
From 1986 to 1996, including during his last two years at Bryant, Peter served as a part-time police officer in Northbridge, Mass. His career in law enforcement instilled a deep commitment to community service that shaped his approach to business. In addition, this time in his life allowed him to understand people better and coincidentally served as his introduction to the world of automation and control panels.
While on police duty, Peter spoke to a resident who worked for a company
In 1992, while serving as a part-time police officer, Peter founded Omni as a small business with just three employees. Since then, he has transformed the company into a globally recognized enterprise. In 2016, Peter led Omni through a major acquisition by NIBE, a publicly traded Swedish company recognized worldwide for sustainable energy solutions. As a part of the acquisition, Peter continues to lead Omni today. Now part of NIBE’s worldwide footprint, Omni has continued to grow and has become a leader in automation.
Some of his fondest memories have included working alongside his family. Both of his parents and his two children have held roles at Omni. His father, one of his first employees, retired from the company at the age of 90 in 2020.
Developing his team, he says, is incredibly rewarding. By focusing on learning from his employees, identifying their strengths, and aiding them in overcoming challenges, Peter has created a culture at Omni that prioritizes professional success and nurtures personal growth.
"It’s all about the team with me," he says.
Keisha Alleyne ’96 (left) presents a career day workshop on leadership at her alma mater, Nazareth Regional High School in Brooklyn, New York, where she serves on the Board of Trustees.
Peter Bedigian ’88, P’19MBA, P’20 on duty in July 1993. During this time, Peter worked on community policing initiatives that fostered partnerships between law enforcement and the citizens they served.
The Nelson J. Gulski Alumni Service Award recognizes Bryant alumni with a record of exemplary and longstanding volunteer service to the university or the Alumni Association. Such service will have enhanced the name, prestige, or educational excellence of the University or significantly furthered the outreach and professionalism of the Association. This award is named for Nelson J. Gulski ’26, ’72H, ’92H, whose association with Bryant as a student, teacher, administrator, and trustee spanned more than 70 years.
Chander Agarwal ’01
Nelson J. Gulski Alumni Service
WhenChander Agarwal ’01 arrived in Smithfield, he knew he would be honing his skills to one day take over his family business, TCI Express group, a major shipping and logistics company that transports goods across India.
Instead of going back and working a desk job after graduation, he embarked on his career in the logistics and supply chain industry, beginning with hands-on work in warehouses and cross-docks across the United States.
“There was no special treatment given at any point,” he says. “And I didn’t require any. That’s how I learned.” For well over a year, he painted the hulls of container ships and loaded and unloaded trucks to learn the industry from the ground up.
“It was the best way to truly understand the business,” Chander adds. “I believe that the opportunity lies in the details. Once we know the details, we can bring about real change.”
In the last decade, under Chander’s visionary leadership as the Managing Director of TCI Express group, he’s grown the company from a $30 million USD organization to a $3 billion USD enterprise. He has since become a key figure in Asia’s logistics sector, known for pioneering an asset-light model and for being the first company to have all of their offices digitally connected in remote parts of India and Asia where access to the internet and technology can be a challenge.
Between the skills he’s learned in the classroom to the ongoing partnership with Bryant students and faculty after graduation, he attributes much of his success to his time at the university.
“Bryant set the tone for my future path in life and helped me achieve my goals,” Chander says. “And working with bright students has helped with my business. It’s a continuous partnership, and I know it’s my moral duty to give back to Bryant.”
Award
Throughout his career, he’s remained closely engaged with the university. Since 2014, he’s hosted alumni and admissions events in India, supported international outreach efforts, and served as a mentor for prospective and current students. He serves on the Bryant Alumni Leadership Council, the College of Business Dean’s Council, and the International Advisory Council.
Chander has also led multiple Global Supply Chain Practicum projects in collaboration with Bryant faculty. He’s taken a student team to Vietnam to lay the groundwork for an acquisition for his company, another team to California to learn about supply chain management, and a third team to Singapore to TCI Express group’s Asia headquarters.
Chander’s service is not only institutional, but it also reflects a broader philosophy of social responsibility.
Deeply inspired by his grandfather who emphasized the value of an education despite not completing formal schooling, he views leadership as a way to empower others. Whether creating opportunities for students to broaden their global perspectives or investing in his community and his employees, he believes meaningful impact begins with humility and purpose.
“I always have this matrix of wellbeing,” Chander says. “On the top is the country, meaning the citizens. Then your company, employees, your employees’ families, then your family, and then you. And if you follow this matrix, I think everyone can achieve what they want to both financially and socially.”
Chander admits he was stunned and honored to receive the Nelson J. Gulski Alumni Service Award. “I didn’t expect it,” he says. “I never did anything for any award, it was all from the heart and soul.”
The Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes a Bryant faculty member employed by the university for three consecutive years for their devotion to teaching, their dedication to the profession, and their personal concern for, and commitment to, students.
Professor Robert F. Conti, Ph.D.
Distinguished Faculty Award
Professor
Emeritus Robert “Bob” Conti, Ph.D.’s robust career has spanned the United States Air Force, a successful ice machine manufacturing business, conducting research on workplace stress, and being named a Fulbright Scholar. But when he considers his career highlights, he emphasizes how much he enjoyed teaching graduate students at Bryant.
“They were terrific,” he says. “Hardworking, dedicated, and a joy to teach.”
From 1990 to 2005, Bob taught Operations Management at Bryant to both graduate and undergraduate students. In the classroom, he was known for his conversational teaching style — rich with anecdotes from his 35-year career in manufacturing.
Born and raised in Endicott, New York, Bob credits his neighbor, a British engineer who worked for IBM, with inspiring him to pursue his own future in engineering. He went on to earn both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Air Force in the research and development command.
Alongside a fellow Cornell classmate, Bob co-founded the Follett Corporation, a manufacturing business that produced ice machines out of a rented garage in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Eventually, the business grew and attracted the attention of Hoshizaki Electric, a Japanese company that specialized in ice cube making machines for various businesses in Japan. They wanted to enter the American market and approached Bob’s business, one of only seven in the industry, for a partnership. They agreed, and their business boomed, eventually occupying a 250,000-square foot manufacturing facility and employing more than 200 people.
The company’s success gave Bob the freedom to pursue his academic passions. He went on to earn three more degrees — an MBA, a master’s in Economics, and Ph.D. — all at Lehigh University. Postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge immediately followed his Ph.D. Bob’s research focused on the worker stress effects of Japanese-style "just-in-time" manufacturing — an operations strategy that aligns production with actual demand.
“Manufacturing is a wonderful combination of technical and human problems,” he says. “Success requires that both of these areas be served and solved.”
When Bob turned to academia to pursue a teaching career, he encountered
obstacles throughout the hiring process and found it difficult to secure a professorship. A chance encounter with a Lehigh colleague at a conference proved fruitful when he introduced Bob to Bryant’s new MBA program. It was a perfect match.
A beloved professor, Bob brought a wealth of information to his classes, from sharing findings from his research to real-world job seeking skills. As a service to his students, he launched a non-credit workshop to help graduating students write résumés and prepare for interviews. Grateful for his above-and-beyond help, the students even gave Bob a plaque to show their appreciation.
A few years into his career at Bryant, Bob was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to teach at the University of Malta Business School for six months. He spent his summers as a visiting professor at the University of Cambridge, where he was known for his personal approach to teaching, often memorizing his students’ names before the first day of class.
One of his fondest memories from teaching at Bryant was a conversation he shared with a Russian professor who was also a student in the evening MBA program. She told Bob that she was skeptical of the course’s value.
“In her mind, manufacturing and engineering were trades instead of areas of academic interest,” he says. “It was a great pleasure when she told me she was wrong at the end of the course.”
Bob also notes that any review of his academic career would be incomplete without crediting his late wife of over 70 years, Elle, for her unending support for his pursuit of this dream.
Reflecting on his Distinguished Faculty Award and his career, Bob is truly grateful for the recognition from the university.
“It means so much,” he says. “Bryant took a chance on me when others didn’t. Teaching is such a wonderful challenge and a wonderful experience. I’ll always cherish that.”
Chander Agarwal ’01 ( far left) on a practicum trip to Vietnam with Bryant students.
Students meld passions at Arts in the City
At first, it might seem like business and the arts are opposing career paths.
“In a traditional liberal arts setting, the idea of business sends shivers down your spine,” jokes Veronica McComb, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “But at Bryant, we don’t see those two things as being mutually exclusive — we see them as existing, not in tension with each other, but in harmony with each other.”
Each year, Arts in the City embodies that fusion of business and art. What started off as a two-day trip has grown into an immensely popular five-day event.
Zeke Kransdorf ’25, a Communication major and general manager of Bryant’s radio station WJMF, has watched the program blossom from the start.
“I love that we were able to explore more of the city atmosphere this year,” he says, adding that it was especially interesting to talk to other alumni who were a part of WJMF. “I kept coming back because I’ve been able to meet so many new people.”
Now in its third year, the trip featured a jam-packed schedule. In early January, students explored the city on their own, visited staple New York institutions like
the Museum of Modern Art, dined at Chelsea Market, and networked with Bryant alumni and executives in the arts.
McComb has upped the ante each year. The two most recent trips incorporated a workshop with Broadway Imagined, where students and staff were taught a musical number from a Broadway show. This year, it was The Great Gatsby — a show that the group later saw together on stage.
“Seeing 34 mostly business students, but many from Arts and Sciences, and seven faculty and staff members learning choreography together was quite the show,” McComb says.
In addition to a fun cultural experience, Arts in the City gives students a “peek behind the curtain”
at the job opportunities within what McComb calls the creative ecosystem.
“Publishers need accountants and Broadway needs marketers,” she says. “Art does not exist in a vacuum. Somebody within every creative field has to have the business sense to keep the operation running sustainably so that other people can experience art, too.”
This year, collaborating with the College of Business, McComb was able to get students into the National Retail Federation annual meeting, which includes a vast career fair. Students were required to explore the booths at the event, network with potential employers, and pitch their skills to some of the 6,200 brands represented at the event.
For Ashley McDonald ’26 , a Digital Marketing major, events like Bryant’s Networking Reception and the NRF meeting were some of her favorite parts of the trip. Students attended a panel where three Bryant alumni offered career advice and shared memories from their time in Smithfield. Students heard from Douglas Craig ’90, Global Senior Vice President of Programming and Content Strategy at Paramount; Samad Wagstaff ’12 , Music Executive, Investor at 300 Entertainment; and Kristen (Carter) Hine ’14 , Creative Manager at Paradigm Marketing & Design.
“Seeing that there were Bryant graduates living in New York who were in my shoes at one point was great,” McDonald said. “I’m not ready to graduate yet, but meeting people
working in jobs I’m interested in makes me excited for what’s coming next.”
Amy Ndoye ’25 , a Biology major, has also attended Arts in the City all three years. Immersing herself in the city’s vibrant culture, while also learning new ways to advance her career, is what encouraged Ndoye to venture to New York each year with her classmates.
“It always leaves me with something new, whether it’s a fresh insight or a valuable connection with alumni,” she says.
With next year’s Arts in the City already in the planning phases, McComb is excited to give more students an up close and personal look at the opportunities within the creative ecosystem.
For alumni and friends of the university, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Those living in New York in creative industries can join panels, host the program at their company, or financially support the program.
“We are so grateful to our partners who make this experience so special for our students,” she says. “The alumni panel is by far one of the highlights of the trip for our students, and they love to hear from you.”
For more information or ways to get involved, please reach out to Missy Walker, Associate Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement at mwalker14@bryant.edu.
Bulldogs in finance connect at annual Walk Down Wall Street
Bryant University’s Walk Down Wall Street, organized by the Amica Center for Career Education in conjunction with the university’s Finance Association, allows students to have a full day of networking and career building as well as a guided, insider’s look at the finance industry.
The day officially begins at the New York offices of Forvis Mazars, where Managing Partners Ryan Reiff and Connie Cagle give the Bryant students an expert-level look at the leading global professional services firm, from its history to its international scope.
As the Forvis Mazars representatives take questions from the Bryant students, the panelists for the next session trickle in. Bryant alumni representing a range of companies — including Barclays Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs, BNY, Essence Development, Ross Stores, Inc., and Revolve Wealth Partner —
are greeted warmly, and often with a hug, by Patricia Miernicki, associate director of employer relations for the Amica Center as they chat with one another, making and strengthening connections of their own.
The ensuing panel, moderated by Miernicki, opens the books to Bryant’s ambitious students. The alumni give thoughtful, candid answers to questions about their jobs, their time as Bryant students, and the sometimes-winding paths that led them to their current positions.
In many ways, that’s the secret to a successful and rewarding career, they note: Always be open to the possibilities. “I would say one of the most important things is to ask questions — to always be curious about everything, even things that might seem beyond the scope of your job,” suggests Stephanie Corcoran ’16, corporate planning manager at Ross Stores. “Always be thinking about how you can help your teammates and contribute to success.”
“ We take great pride in the fact that we all work together to do everything we can to help the university’s students.”
ROSS GITTELL, P h .D. BRYANT UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
network of Bryant alumni, parents, and friends of the university who work in investments, finance, banking, brokerage, and other financial services fields — commemorated its 10th anniversary. Though they come from different backgrounds and class years, the council’s members all pledged to contribute expertise and philanthropic support to ensure Bryant continues to lead the way in preparing students for careers in the field.
Later on, the students return to Forvis Mazars for a celebration as Bryant’s prestigious Wall Street Council — a
Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., was on hand to mark the occasion as well, and to praise the spirit of camaraderie and mentorship that suffuses the council — and Walk Down Wall Street. “This event has always been very special to me,” he states “I really believe that this is Bryant at its best.” Gittell also praises the strong bonds between Bryant and its alumni, and the powerful impact those bonds can have.
“We take great pride in the fact that we all work together to do everything we can to help the university’s students.”
The Wall Street Council started with a single idea, Stephen Tully ’98, a founding member of the council, confided to the audience. And at its core, the idea was simple: Bryant Bulldogs are stronger in packs — and they look out for one another.
Tully wondered: What if the Bryant alumni in the financial scene were to come together? Now, more than a decade later, he sees the answer before him: a powerful force aided to assisting one another and to ensuring that future generations of Bryant students can achieve their potential.
“We are scrappy and nimble. Bryant isn’t some Ivy League institution; it’s on all of us to come together,” reflects Tully, who has passed leadership of the council to a new executive board but remains on as an advisory board member. “It’s about our strength as a group.”
For more information or ways to get involved, please reach out to Missy Walker, Associate Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement at mwalker14@bryant.edu.
Fred M Roddy Foundation gift expands lab capabilities
Thanks to a generous donation from the Fred M Roddy Foundation, Bryant Professor Dr. Christopher Reid and his team of students and research associates are furthering their research to combat one of the top global health threats: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
According to the World Health Organization, it’s estimated that bacterial AMR — when pathogens become resistant to the drugs meant to kill them — was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths overall.
Reid, in partnership with researchers at Brown University, developed a small molecule antibiotic in 2023. The drug employs a novel mode-of-action, meaning it works differently to combat bacteria than traditional antibiotics.
The next phase of Reid’s research involves developing preclinical experiments using an Ultra HighPerformance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) unit, gifted to Bryant by the Roddy Foundation last year. The equipment — which helps to separate, identify, and analyze complex compounds in different mixtures — is one of a few pieces financed by the Foundation to aid the ongoing work to deal with antimicrobial resistance.
“Since we are a small foundation, finding ways to expand the impact of the grants we’re able to make is important to us,” says Elizabeth McIntyre, president of the Roddy Foundation.
For over 50 years, the Foundation has focused on funding medical and
BBC FILM
The film follows an average day in Singh’s life, from walking Bryant’s 468-acre campus to attending an Archway class taught by Maloney in the university’s new Financial Markets Center to doing yoga in the Interfaith Center. “We wanted to show the person beyond the leader,” notes Rubino. “All of her experiences and all of the facets of her time in college have helped make Ritvi who she is today.”
A COMMUNITY FOCUSED ON SUPPORT AND
SUCCESS
Throughout the film, women leaders within the university community, including D. Ellen Wilson ’79, the chair of Bryant’s Board of Trustees and the namesake for the university’s Ellen Wilson Leadership Center, share their own insights on inspiring the next generation of women in finance.
“A really critical role that higher education has in society is to create choices and to open up windows that people might not otherwise have,” Wilson muses, noting that supporting women’s leadership is a key element of Bryant’s Vision 2030 strategic plan. At its core, she suggests, empowering the leaders of tomorrow means helping them to discover the strength within themselves.
“ The Roddy Foundation’s gift facilitates a truly immersive educational experience that builds on the momentum our students are gaining in their courses.”
KIRSTEN HOKENESS DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL OF HEALTH
AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
health-related projects to support organizations “carrying on research, educational or operational efforts for the cure or alleviation of afflictions of body or mind, or for general educational or charitable purposes,” she adds.
“Bryant has effectively used grants from the foundation to generate additional funding for projects with a real impact,” McIntyre says.
In Reid’s classes, students are currently being trained on how to use the UHPLC, analyze the data, and operate experiments from beginning to end. Some students, like Ethan Hall ’25, are even establishing the methods Reid and his team will use for the preclinical experiments needed for their research.
“It’s cool because I’m not just watching a professor use the equipment, I get to actually run the experiments,” says Hall, a Biology major with a pre-health concentration. After graduation, he plans to go to medical school where he knows that research will likely be a component of his work.
“Not everyone gets hands-on experience with a UHPLC in undergrad,” Hall adds. “Learning how the machines work and how I can use them in future research is fascinating and super beneficial to what comes next for me.”
“ We wanted to show the person beyond the leader, all of her experiences and all of the facets of her time in college have helped make Ritvi who she is today.”
KERRI RUBINO ’25MBA BRYANT MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER
“Whenever there’s an underrepresented group, it warrants attention, and it warrants resources to try and correct a trend. That’s what we’re doing here at Bryant,” says Mara Derderian, lecturer of Finance, director of Bryant’s Financial Planning Program, and director of the university’s award-winning Women in Finance leadership program. At Bryant, providing support for women in finance takes many forms, she suggests, from access to opportunities like internships, networking events, and off-campus conferences, to helping create a student-focused community.
In the film, Singh shares what’s helped her to develop the confidence to excel, including experiential learning opportunities that prompted her to reimagine what she was capable of and supportive professors that aided her in finding her voice.
“I sit in the front of class now,” she states with a smile.
Assisted by undergraduate research students, Reid will use the methods developed in the classroom to look at how the drug interacts with human blood plasma using the UHPLC in the lab. Understanding the stability of the compound and how it binds to proteins in the blood are critical for understanding its viability as a potential antibiotic.
“We’re giving our students the opportunity to work with instruments they’ll find in graduate school and in the industry,” Reid says. “We’re introducing this equipment and giving them a chance to get their hands wet conducting the range of experiments they’ll do in the real world at a much earlier stage in their career.”
Kirsten Hokeness, director of the School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, says these are exactly the types of experiences that she wants students to have during their time at Bryant.
“Overall, the goal of the School of Health and Behavioral Sciences is to train the next generation of the healthcare and life sciences workforce, and to be able to push forward ongoing faculty research,” says Hokeness. “The Roddy Foundation’s gift facilitates a truly immersive educational experience
The film follows an average day for Ritvi Singh ’25, from walking around Bryant’s campus to attending an Archway class in the new Financial Markets Center to a yoga class in the Interfaith Center.
As Singh prepares for graduation, then graduate school with a job waiting for her at multinational professional services firm Grant Thornton, she hopes the film will inspire other aspiring young women in finance. “I know that it’s my face that people see onscreen and my voice that people hear, but I hope that every young woman, and every Bryant student, will recognize themselves when they see the film,” she says.
Dr. Christopher Reid
that builds on the momentum our students are gaining in their courses.”
In addition to the UHPLC unit, the Foundation financed a nitrogen generator, a hydrogen conversion kit, and a fluorescence detector that will expand upon the capabilities of a mass spectrometer the Roddy Foundation gifted to Bryant in 2020. The equipment will also drive other projects that include climate change work and DNA coiling in zebrafish and its implications for cancer research.
The new UHPLC, says Reid, has been a gamechanger in the lab.
“We used to run experiments looking at the mode-of-action of our inhibitors on a High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography unit and it used to take us around three hours to analyze,” he says. “Now, we’re analyzing the same samples in about 30 minutes, and I’m getting more data than ever before as it is paired with our mass spectrometer.”
“The Roddy Foundation has been a strong partner of Bryant and building the School of Health and Behavioral Sciences,” says Hokeness. “We’re so grateful for our long-term partnership and to have the support of such great friends.”
ONLINE MBA
> continued from page 2
University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Rupendra Paliwal, Ph.D. “Our students benefit from personalized guidance within a dedicated community of faculty and staff, fostering collaboration, resilience, and the confidence to define and achieve their goals. This commitment has been integral to the recognition of our Online MBA program.”
College of Business Dean Todd M. Alessandri, Ph.D., says the program’s focus on allowing students to learn online at their own pace while connecting them with supportive faculty who help tailor student experiences to their career aspirations, allows the Bryant Online MBA to replicate the hallmarks of Bryant’s in-person transformative education.
“When you have exceptional faculty who are committed to delivering outstanding career outcomes for our graduate students, you are going to get noticed, so it’s no surprise to see Bryant University’s powerful and results-oriented online MBA continuing to earn this national recognition,” says Alessandri. “The program provides the flexibility students want and the personal, collaborative learning environment that allows them to thrive by tackling real world applications in the classroom that directly lead to positive impacts on their careers.”
WOMEN’S SUMMIT ® 2025
A day of strength, resilience, and transformation
On March 13, Bryant University welcomed more than 1,000 attendees to its 28th annual Women’s Summit®. This year’s theme, Elevate Your Journey, celebrated women’s inner strength.
“Remember, during the difficult times, that there is strength inside each of us and support from those around us,” said Bryant University’s Inge-Lise Ameer, Ed.D., vice president of student affairs, dean of students, and executive director of the Women’s Summit® “Elevate your journey and dig deep for all the great resiliency, gifts, courage, heart, and intelligence that I know you have inside of you.”
Following Ameer’s welcome and thanks to Director of Student Case Management Kelly Boutin and Associate Director of Wellbeing and Nutrition Amy Webster, who played key roles in
the planning and execution of the Women’s Summit®, platinum sponsor Amica Insurance welcomed opening keynote speaker Scarlette Joyce Rojas to the stage. Rojas, a renowned speaker on financial empowerment, began her presentation by asking attendees if they were ready to dominate the money world. The response was thunderous.
“We all have a financial thermostat, and that financial thermostat is set at a certain temperature. It’s based on what you saw and heard as a child,” said Rojas.
Following a series of morning breakout sessions, Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., addressed a lunchtime audience and referenced The Economist’s annual Glass Ceiling Index, which analyzes working conditions for women around the world. While significant progress has been made
BRYANT ESTABLISHES NEW ANNUAL FORUM
The Bryant University community came together for the first-ever Nader Alexander Salem ’16 Forum on Wednesday, March 5, at the Heidi and Walter Stepan Grand Hall in the George E. Bello Center for Information and Technology.
A deep thinker and profound learner from a young age, Nader loved his experience at Bryant, wore his class ring at all times, and always considered himself a proud Bulldog.
With the support of his family and to honor his memory, this annual event features a keynote speaker followed by a guided discussion with the aim of broadening the community’s understanding of neurodivergence and to enhance inclusion and belonging.
Wearing her son’s class ring, Nader’s mother, Patsy Nicolazzo ’P16, lit a
memorial candle prior to the keynote address. Marie Saddlemire, Director of Accessibility Services, said Nader was a “kind and generous friend and loving son” who was “strongly committed to living and working in an ethical way.” Associate Provost Wendy Samter said Nader was full of “curiosity, kindness, and empathy.”
For the inaugural event, Bryant welcomed Janet Barbieri, MSW, LICSW, Deputy Director at the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (AANE), as the keynote speaker. Barbieri spoke at length about neurodivergence and encouraged crowd participation in several exercises to learn more through working together.
Patsy looks forward to watching the forum grow each year in honor of her son’s memory.
If you would like to support the forum or learn more about next year’s event, please contact Robert Ferrell at rferrell@bryant.edu.
over the last few decades, he noted, there is still much work to be done.
“ The more we open ourselves up to what we fear, the more we allow growth to jump in, too.”
“We can and should be doing better for women. That’s why we are committed to expanding and further strengthening educational and career pathways for women at Bryant University,” said Gittell, who pointed out that the university’s women graduates earn more equitable wages than their peers across the nation, with a 4 percent wage gap, compared to the national average of above 15 percent.
MICHELLE POLER
FOUNDER OF
THE 100 DAYS WITHOUT FEAR PROJECT
settle for a kayak,” the entrepreneur, brand strategist, and author lamented.
Pamela Everhart, senior vice president and head of regional public affairs, inclusion, and impact at Fidelity Investments, was then honored as the recipient of the year’s Kati C. Machtley Businesswoman of the Year Award.
"What drew me to Fidelity 30 years ago is its concern and focus on empowering women to build a secure financial future for themselves and their families,” said Everhart. “The work that I lead at Fidelity is even more impactful when we can partner with outstanding organizations such as Bryant University, which makes accepting this honor so special."
One of the biggest limits to our potential is fear, afternoon keynote speaker Michelle Poler told the audience — and its effects can be devastating. “You start dreaming of 150-foot yachts and, somewhere down the line, you
Throughout her high-energy presentation, which began with a reggaeton dance, Poler told the story of her 100 Days Without Fear project, through which she faced 100 of her greatest fears — from tarantulas to sky diving to public speaking to, yes, dancing in public. The project, she said, proved to be transformative, and taught her about our ability to transcend what we believe ourselves to be capable of.
Poler encouraged the audience to confront, and overcome, their own fears, both personal and professional, and turn those moments into stepping stones. "The more we open ourselves up to what we fear, the more we allow growth to jump in, too,” she said.
Each year, Bryant University hosts more than 1,000 women from across New England at the Women’s Summit®, a day of professional development, empowerment, and personal growth. Read more about the day’s events at news.bryant.edu.
This year’s Women’s Summit® celebrated women’s inner strength. Afternoon keynote speaker Michelle Poler told attendees that one of the biggest limits to our potential is fear.
EVENTS AND CONTACTS
November 2024 | STAMFORD, CT
We loved seeing our alumni community at Third Place by Half Full Brewery! Alumni from CT and NYC turned out for our first event in Stanford in several years.
February 2025 | FLORIDA
We were excited to engage and celebrate with alumni, friends, and community members during events across the sunshine state in February! Special thanks to our West Coast hosts Janice ’88 and Dave ’88 Hobaica in Naples; hosts Tom ’68 and Kathy Hewitt in Lakewood Ranch; and hosts Jim ’81 and Barbara Brady in St. Petersburg. Thanks to our East Cost hosts Paul ’79 and Kathleen Blackman in Ponte Vedra and host Eric J. Bertrand ’94 in Fort Lauderdale!
MAY 2
Bryant Swimming and Diving Golf Tournament at Wentworth Hills Country Club, Plainville, MA
MAY 8
Connect with alumni at Phantom Farms Brewing, Cumberland, RI
JULY 12
Newport Polo at Glen Farm, Portsmouth, RI
STAY TUNED!
Bryant alumni events in Boston and New York City happening in June!
See more upcoming events at alumni.bryant.edu/events
STAY IN TOUCH
We
February 2025 SINGAPORE
Thank you to Chander Agarwal ’01, Jonathan Oh ’00, Marten Hart ’97, Dhruv Sisodia ’02, and Yogesh Farswani ’96 for joining Robin Warde P’17, our Director of Global Alumni, Parent, & Constituent Engagement, to inaugurate our Bryant Alumni network in Singapore!
January 2025 | INDIA
It was great to see 60 of our Bryant alumni, students, and new community members in New Delhi, including Kavita Dhingra P’24, P’28 (left), Karan Dhingra ’24 (center), and Prashant Dhingra P’24,’28 (right). Thanks to Chander Agarwal ’01 and his parents for hosting us!
March 2025 | WASHINGTON, D.C. Alumni connected in the
NCAA PRE-GAME CELEBRATIONS AND WATCH PARTIES
Hundreds of alumni and supporters of Bryant Men’s Basketball turned out for our Pre-Game Celebration in Cleveland and at our watch parties in Boston, New York City and Providence, cheering on the Bulldogs with pride!
See photos from the game on page 3!
For questions, updates, story ideas and to send photos of you and other Bryant alumni, contact us at alumni@bryant.edu or call (401) 232-6040
December 2024 | UNCASVILLE, CT
had an incredible turnout of more than 100 alums at MJ23 Sports Bar & Grill at Mohegan Sun before the Men’s Basketball game vs. Fordham!
BOSTON — City Tap House CHICAGO — The Arrogant Frog CLEVELAND — Southern Tier Brewery NEW YORK — Stout NYC