DOLAN REPORT
CHARLES F. DOLAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY | FALL 2025
Message From the Dean
“Inspired by Charles F. Dolan’s bold vision and entrepreneurial spirit and building upon last year’s
accomplishments, we look forward to the exciting and thriving new academic year.”
CORRECTION: In the article, “A Commitment to Ethics” (Dolan Report Fall 2024, Fairfield University), the text of the final sentence of the fourth paragraph incorrectly describes the acronym RADAR. The sentence should read, “RADAR, an acronym for ‘Research, Analyze, Decide, Act and Reflect,’ is a framework for ethical decision-making that helps individuals to identify and respond to ethical issues.” We apologize for this error.
As we reflect on the past year, I am proud to share that it has been one of growth, achievement, and meaningful progress. Together, we have built on our successes and set the stage for an even stronger year ahead.
Enrollment reached another record high as we continue to attract outstanding students from around the world. The Class of 2029 admission rate hit a record-setting 25 percent, while applications increased by 15 percent, a testament to the quality of our programs and students.
Our programs continue to climb in national rankings and gain recognition. The part-time MBA is ranked #56, with several specialties in Top-20 rankings, per U.S. News and World Report. Poets & Quants ranked our online MBA at #23 and our undergraduate program at #37, while LinkedIn’s Top 50 Colleges of 2025 ranked us #28.
This year, we launched our AI & Tech Institute and introduced the Tech MBA in Shanghai along with an MBA AI concentration, strategically responding to the demands of the market. We welcomed extraordinary guests to campus, including Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, shoe designer Stuart Weitzman, and Bose’s first chief marketing officer and president of its Luxury Audio division, Jim Mollica P’27. Our students also gained unprecedented first-hand offsite experience with top companies including, Vineyard Vines, Paramount, and Bank of America.
The caliber of our faculty continues to gain national recognition. Joan L. Lee, PhD, CPA, was named one of the top 50 professors by Poets & Quants; Rajasree K. Rajamma, PhD, received an Outstanding Educator award of the Federation of Business Disciplines (FBD); Yasin Ozcelik, PhD, was awarded a Fulbright Specialist Award in AI & Analytics; and Jie Tao, DSc, received the Robert E. Wall Award, the University’s highest research recognition. Senior Associate Dean Anca Micu, PhD, joined the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and AACSB’s inaugural Eligibility Review Committee.
Our students achieved national and global recognition, winning the NYC and Eastern Regional CFA Research Challenges and, for the second year in a row, one of our students was invited to the London School of Economics (LSE) Alternative Investment Conference.
Amidst all this success, we also experienced profound loss. We lost our friend, mentor, and patron, Charles F. Dolan P’86,’85, GP’16. Through 25 years of dedicated service on Fairfield University’s Board of Trustees and his pioneering leadership in the telecommunications industry, Charles Dolan’s enduring impact continues to inspire and empower future generations. Inspired by Charles F. Dolan’s bold vision and entrepreneurial spirit and building upon last year’s accomplishments, we look forward to the exciting and thriving new academic year.
Z han L i , DB a Dean and Professor, Dolan School of Business
DOLAN REPORT
Zhan Li, DBA
Dean
Anca Micu, PhD
Senior Associate Dean
Leanne De Los Santos
Senior Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs
Rev. Gregory Konz, S.J.
Special Assistant to the Dean
Sarah Bollinger, EdD
Senior Director of the Career Development Center
Danielle Courtemanche, EdD
Assistant Dean and Director of Undergraduate Programs
Sasha Cerabino
Associate Director, Communications and Events
Bella Podgorski
Assistant Director, Integrated Marketing
Kiersten Bjork ’21
Associate Director, Integrated Marketing and Communications
Jeannine (Carolan) Graf ’87, MFA’25 University Editorial Director
Nancy (Gelston) Dobos ’91
Designer
Send Inquiries to:
Charles F. Dolan School of Business
Fairfield University
1073 North Benson Road Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
203-254-4000 ext. 2843 fairfield.edu/dolan
ON THE COVER: An aerial view of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business.
Photo by Joe Adams
NATIONALLY RANKED PROGRAMS & STUDENT OUTCOMES
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
# 23 in U.S. Online MBA
Poets & Quants # 69 Globally Online MBA Quacquarelli Symonds
Part-Time MBA Program
#56
among the best nationally
#2 in Connecticut after Yale
U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Business School Rankings
# 1 in Connecticut
Accounting (#13 nationally)
Marketing (#14 nationally)
Finance (#17 nationally)
Business Analytics (#20 nationally)
#2 in Connecticut Best Management MBA programs (#21 nationally)
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Business Schools Graduate Specialty Rankings
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
# 37 in U.S.
Best Undergraduate Business Schools
Poets & Quants
TOP 1%
Colleges in the Nation for Lifetime Return on Investment
Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce
Entering the Poets & Quants Best Undergraduate Business School Rankings in the top 40 aptly reflects the success of our cutting-edge curricula, outstanding student outcomes, and Jesuit values in educating the whole person. It is a testament to our exceptional students and outstanding faculty.
Zhan Li, DBA Dean of the Dolan School of Business
STUDENT OUTCOMES
99% of Graduate Students Are Employed within six months of graduation. (Class of 2024)
99% of undergraduate students have jobs or enroll in graduate school within six months of graduation.
(Class of 2024)
85% of internships were paid.
99% of senior class completed at least 1 internship. (Class of 2024)
TOP
EMPLOYERS:
Bank of America, EY, Franklin Templeton, Goldman Sachs, Henkel, NBCUniversal, PwC, UBS, Vineyard Vines, The Hartford and more.
AI FOR THE GREATER GOOD
The Charles F. Dolan School of Business is equipping students for the future of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
Fairfield Dolan celebrated the historic launch of its Artificial Intelligence and Technology Institute at the conclusion of the 2024-25 academic year. Guided by the Jesuit Catholic values of Fairfield University, Dolan’s AI and Tech Institute is dedicated to “AI for the greater good”—artificial intelligence and analytics research with meaningful social outcomes—while providing education, applications, and expertise to benefit businesses.
The AI and Tech Institute’s launch included a screening of five AI-generated short films developed by students in the classroom, showcasing the creative potential of artificial intelligence.
Highlights of the academic year included keynote speakers such as Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) Stephen Edison ’03, who shared insights on emerging AI trends and the evolving role of technology in consulting— a conversation that resonated strongly in a room filled with business students.
Robust programming by the Patrick J. Waide Center for Applied Ethics featured expert seminars on topics such as “AI and the Future of Content” with Luciano Floridi, founding director of the Digital Ethics Center at Yale University.
Fairfield Dolan also announced a new AI concentration in its Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, further demonstrating the school’s commitment to preparing future business leaders for a tech-driven world.
According to MBA Program Director Mousumi BoseGodbole, PhD, “An MBA in AI bridges the gap between
technical AI knowledge and business acumen. It helps data analytics to support strategic decision-making. A Dolan MBA in AI prepares graduates for ethical and societal leadership roles in this evolving landscape.”
F acu Lty expertise an D ongoing research in the field of AI furthers Fairfield Dolan’s mission to promote “AI for the greater good,” as exemplified by Jie Tao, DSc, associate professor of business analytics and director of the AI and Tech Institute. Dr. Tao was recently awarded the University’s prestigious Robert E. Wall Award, which recognizes excellence in faculty research, for his work on mental health detection technology.
According to Fairfield University Provost Christine
“ An MBA in AI bridges the gap between technical AI knowledge and business acumen. It helps data analytics to support strategic decision-making. A Dolan MBA in AI prepares graduates for ethical and societal leadership roles in this evolving landscape.”
Mousumi
PhD MBA Program Director
Siegel, PhD, Dr. Tao’s research addresses the urgent need for better ways to understand mental health expressed online. “His research employs advanced Large Language Models,” she said, “to analyze social media content with greater nuance, looking at patterns over time and incorporating expert knowledge to improve accuracy.”
As Dr. Tao’s work aims to make AI tools more accessible for mental health support, it also offers significant potential for broader application. l D
ABOVE: Jie Tao, DSc, director of Fairfield Dolan’s AI and Tech Institute, spoke at the spring 2025 launch event.
Photo by Joe Buglewicz
Bose-Godbole,
A NEW CAREER PATH STARTS HERE:
The Fairfield Dolan MBA
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at Fairfield University’s
Charles F. Dolan School of Business empowers students to explore new career paths while preparing them for the demands of a dynamic workforce.
For MBA candidate Steve NeustadterSchneider, Dolan’s MBA program serves as the perfect bridge between his background in research and his interest in business. His journey to pursue an MBA degree—like that of many others—was driven by the desire to make a career pivot.
After earning his undergraduate degree in biology from Stockton University, Neustadter-Schneider spent a year as a postgraduate research associate at Yale University, where he worked on both neuroscience research and AIrelated projects. Concurrent to his research at Yale, he worked as a project manager and digital director at the Neurorights Foundation (NRF), collaborating on the management of stakeholder relations with universities, corporations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and governments, within the context of neurotechnology and data privacy.
During his time with NRF, the foundation helped secure the unanimous passage of neural data protection laws in Colorado and California, with other contributions made at the state level in Latin America.
The challenges of working in neurotechnology data privacy at NRF sharpened Neustadter-Schneider’s belief in the value of continuous learning and sparked his desire to transition into the world of business.
A key reason Neustadter-Schneider chose Fairfield Dolan’s MBA program was its customizable concentration options, which catered to his interest in finance and investment analysis. He also appreciated that Fairfield Dolan’s coursework is focused on real-world applications of continuously developing topics such as AI. “Fairfield Dolan’s MBA is a program that evolves,” he said, “meeting students where they are in the field.”
With guidance from Fairfield Dolan faculty and staff, Neustadter-Schneider embarked on the finance concentration track and began to see the many ways in which his technical AI coursework could be translatable to actionable business strategies. “Students need to know how to apply AI,” he said, “not just how to construct it.”
At a Dolan Career Development Center event, Neustadter-Schneider networked with prospective employers and met representatives from Castleton Commodities International (CCI), a global energy commodity merchant headquartered in Stamford, Conn. He has since been hired by the company to work as a merchant operations and finance rotational associate in the physical gas and oil markets space. The rotational opportunity has allowed him to connect his analytical background to operations in finance and supply chain management, with exposure to a variety of areas. Networking events like the one Neustadter-Schneider attended are hosted each fall and spring semester by Fairfield Dolan’s Career Development Center, providing support to both undergraduate and graduate students. They give MBA candidates the chance to connect directly with employers on campus—regardless of what stage they are at in their career or whether they are looking to pivot—and forge relationships that can lead to opportunities in the workforce. l D
LEFT: Director of the MBA program and associate professor of marketing Mousumi Bose-Godbole, PhD, instructs online Fairfield Dolan MBA students.
by Joe Adams
Photo
WHERE LEADERS LEARN FROM LEADERS: FAIRFIELD DOLAN’S EXECUTIVE DBA PROGRAM
Bradley Rogers, a candidate in the Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (Executive DBA) program is an experienced supply-chain executive with 17 years of experience at PepsiCo. Seeking to take his education to the next level, he was drawn to the Fairfield Dolan Executive DBA program’s combination of expert faculty guidance and the built-in support of a learning cohort.
That cohort structure, Rogers noted, has been central to his experience. The program’s flexibility and in-person residency opportunities have given him space to network and learn from his classmates, while also drawing insights from the cohort ahead of his own.
Reflecting on his decision to apply to the Executive DBA program, Rogers explained that his motivation was both personal and professional—an opportunity to push himself to new heights in his career. “Higher education challenges you to think in new and different ways,” he said. Through the program’s in-person residencies, Rogers has found networking and learning from others in the program to be invaluable, offering perspectives that continue to shape his growth.
In choosing the Executive DBA program over a traditional PhD, Rogers considered what it means to be a
“scholarly practitioner.” His goal, he explained, was to become “more valuable in the workplace by applying an academic lens to practical problems.”
Under the guidance of Jie Tao, DSc, associate professor of business analytics, Rogers is pursuing dissertation research that applies directly to the workplace. His topic explores the use of artificial intelligence in supply chain management, asking, “Which AI model architectures offer the best performance under real-world constraints in inventory projection tasks in supply chain management, and how do technological, organizational, and environmental factors influence model success?”
Rogers remains energized by his dissertation work and by the chance to both mentor and grow alongside his cohort. He said he chose Fairfield for its nationally ranked Dolan School of Business, the strength of its alumni network, and his own commitment to lifelong learning.
“If you’re considering the program, take the first step,” he advised. “The journey itself—and the incredible support at Fairfield Dolan—will help you discover the path that’s right for you. It’s challenging work, but with commitment and the right people around you, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.” l D
FAR LEFT: The first and second cohort of Executive DBA candidates showed their Stag spirit during their in-person residency.
Photo by Kristie Kistner
ABOVE: Bradley Rogers is an executive at PepsiCo and a candidate in Fairfield Dolan’s Executive DBA program Contributed photo
Business With Purpose
How Fairfield’s Jesuit Catholic Mission Inspires Learning at
the Charles F. Dolan School of Business
From a mandatory “Business Ethics” course for all Fairfield Dolan students to an “Ignatian Pedagogy” course offered to Executive DBA (doctor of business administration) candidates, the Dolan School’s approach to education is deeply rooted in Fairfield’s mission. “In the Dolan School of Business, we are developing ethical leaders for a better world and lifelong success,” said Rev. Gregory Konz, S.J., special assistant to the dean of the Dolan School. “From students to faculty, we focus on societal impact, social responsibility, and engaging with the community—in addition to academic excellence and professional development. We are proud to be a Jesuit business school and we are clear about our values, demonstrating them daily in our work, programming, and partnerships.”
Grounded in the global Jesuit Catholic mission to share intellectual resources for the betterment of the community, the Dolan School’s international partnerships are a steadily growing example of that commitment in action. In the fall of 2020, the Shanghai MBA program was the first to offer a Fairfield University degree in a foreign country. In 2024, additional international offerings in Europe and South America were announced: 4+1 degree agreements in partnership with Comillas Pontifical University (Comillas ICADE) and Universidad Loyola
Andalucía in Spain, and Uruguay Catholic University in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Not only do such partnerships expand global opportunities for international students, they also provide an outlet for Fairfield to expand its reach, creating high impact academic opportunities that prepare students around the world to lead their communities with insight, empathy, critical rigor, and a determination to serve and promote justice.
Closer to home, the Dolan School encourages students on the Fairfield, Connecticut campus to view their studies through a lens of Jesuit mission and ethical reflection. The newly established Artificial Intelligence and Technology Institute, with its focus on “AI for the greater good,” advances socially impactful research and education, while Stag Ethics on the Road brings students into the workplace to see how professionals navigate ethical challenges in real time.
Another mission-driven program, the Fairfield Dolan 30 Under 30 Awards, celebrates exceptional business students whose accomplishments embody the Jesuit tradition of educating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Selection criteria for this prestigious award include the candidate’s societal impact as well as a personal reflection on how their work has shaped their own lives, underscoring the Jesuit emphasis on discernment.
“ In the Dolan School of Business, we are developing ethical leaders for a better world and lifelong success. From students to faculty, we focus
on societal impact, social responsibility, and engaging with the community—in addition to academic excellence and professional development.”
Rev. Gregory Konz, S.J.
Special Assistant to the Dean of the Dolan School
Beyond Fairfield’s classrooms, Dolan School alumni live out their Jesuit Catholic education through mentorship and support across the globe. “Stags are incredibly loyal,” said Fr. Konz, “There is a need and desire to give back—Stag alumni helping current students—that is a true embodiment of our mission. The Jesuit tradition is founded on service: that is what we aim to impart to our students, and that is something we are proud to see in our graduates.” l D
FAIRFIELD DOLAN’S 30 UNDER 30 2025 AWARDEES
Victoria Apostolico
Margaret Bardwil
Isabelle Brinster
Brandon Ciarlo
Olivia Conkling
William Gatward
Melanie Heller
Olivia Jaccoma
Marianna Kalin
Christopher Kenney
Catherine Lapolla
Dang Le
Dominick Lombardi
Evan Mansfield
William McKee
Meghan Morrissey
Khoi Nguyen
Elena Pearson
Julia Principe
Mishal Qureshi
Justin Sabogal
Luka Silva
Tyler Siwiec
Sarah St. Lawrence
Brady Strough
Megan Swanson
Nicholas Tapinis
Sara Wentland
Colby Zelano
Rebecca Ziobro
l 10
l 1 Remembering the Life and Legacy of Charles F. Dolan P’86,’85, GP’16
On Sunday, May 4, 2025, members of the Fairfield University community gathered to celebrate the life of Charles F. Dolan, an innovator and dynamic leader who passed away on Dec. 28, 2024, at the age of 98. Those in attendance, alongside the Dolan family, included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, who proclaimed May 4, 2025, “Charles F. Dolan Day.”
l 11
Journey on a Road Less Traveled” on Tuesday, March 25. Part of the Open VISIONS Forum lecture series, the event was presented in collaboration with the Dolan School of Business and the Fashion Marketing program.
l 4 Dean’s Executive Forum Presents Bose CMO and President, Luxury Audio, Jim Mollica P’27
l 12
participated in the 13th annual Fairfield StartUp Showcase on Thursday, April 24. Team Clean N’ Go Powerwashing came in first place and received $12.5K in seedfunding at the event. Team MiniMinds clinched both the Audience Favorite Award and the new Societal Impact Award.
l 7 Vineyard Vines Site Visit
senior vice president/CFO of Paramount Media Networks/Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios.
l
2 Governor Lamont Visits
Dolan Classroom
With a strong interest in technological innovation, the governor spoke with undergraduate students about artificial intelligence. He also shared personal reflections on the influential role of Charles F. Dolan, Trustee Emeritus of Fairfield University, visionary, benefactor, and namesake of the Dolan School of Business. Gov. Lamont recalled how Dolan had been a mentor to him in his career, providing invaluable guidance and insight into both business and leadership.
l 3 Stuart Weitzman Connects With Students
World-renowned shoe designer and entrepreneur Stuart Weitzman visited Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts to present “An Entrepreneur’s
Fairfield Dolan welcomed Jim Mollica, P’27, the first chief marketing officer (CMO) in Bose Corporation’s 60-year history. In a moderated discussion, Mollica discussed the marketing revolution taking place at Bose and shared how the company is using culture to connect more emotionally to consumers while competing in a crowded landscape.
l 5 BCG’s Stephen Edison ’03 Talks AI Trends
Stephen Edison ’03, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) led the spring 2025 Dolan Dean’s Executive Forum in a conversation titled “From Algorithms to Impact: AI Trends in a Consulting Career.” Edison spoke to nearly 100 students on the ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting jobs, industries—and their future as business leaders.
l 6 Annual StartUp Showcase
Competing for a record-breaking $40,000 in seed funding, five student teams
Students from Fairfield Dolan gained firsthand insight into the world-renowned Vineyard Vines brand directly from its cofounders. The Stamford, Conn., site visit to Vineyard Vines HQ was coordinated by the Dolan Career Development Center.
EVENTS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF DOLAN ALUMNI
l 8 Silicon Valley Immersion Trip
Through the support of alumni Joseph Bronson ’70, Stephen Pilch ’83, and Packy (‘90) and Robyn (‘91) Kelly, the third annual Silicon Valley Trip itinerary was filled with visits to top technology and venture capital companies in the Bay Area.
l 9 Paramount Studios Hosts Fairfield Dolan’s Women in Business Club
The Women in Business Club visited Paramount Studios. This was made possible by coordination of the Dolan Career Development Center and Candice Brancazio ’02, a Fairfield Dolan alumna and
l 10 2025 New Era of U.S. Innovation in Crypto Conference Fairfield Dolan students attended the 2025 New Era of U.S. Innovation in Crypto Conference. Companies in attendance included Google, Microsoft, Coinbase, and more. Kara Gustafson ’01 and her husband, Neil DeSilva generously gifted conference tickets for students to hear directly from experts about the future of digital assets.
l 11 Pinterest Immersion Presentation Students visited advertising agency, WPP, for a Pinterest Immersion presentation in NYC. Chief Media Officer of U.S. Media at VML, Jennifer Kohl ’89, coordinated this event. Kohl is on the Marketing Council for the Dolan School of Business and the Media Council for the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences.
l 12 Dolan Students Visit Bank of America HQ
Gina Douvas, senior vice president of investments at Merrill Lynch and senior resident director of Fairfield Connecticut’s Merrill Lynch office, led students in a site visit to Bank of America Headquarters in New York City. A Dolan School Advisory Board member, Douvas is the lead partner of her wealth management practice.
FACULTY NEWSBREAKERS AT FAIRFIELD DOLAN
The 2025 Outstanding Research Paper Award was presented to Jie Tao, DSc, associate professor of analytics and director of the Fairfield Dolan AI & Tech Institute, for the research paper, “KETCH: A Knowledge-Enhanced Transformer-based Approach to Suicidal Ideation Detection from Social Media Content,” co-authored by Dongsong Zhang, Lina Zhou, Tingshao Zhu, and Guodong (Gordon) Gao. Published in Information Systems Research, this paper proposes, develops, and evaluates a knowledge-enhanced, transformer-based approach (KETCH) to SID from social media content.
Additionally, Dr. Tao, was awarded the prestigious 2025–26 Robert E. Wall Award, one of Fairfield University’s highest faculty honors. Selected by a committee of academic deans and faculty leaders, the award recognizes exceptional scholarly work that reflects the University’s mission and values. Dr. Tao’s winning proposal, “Using Large Language Models (LLMs) for Mental Health Detection and Intervention on Social Media,” stood out to the committee due to “its strong alignment with Fairfield’s Jesuit mission of service, social justice, and ethical technology development,” said University Provost Christine Siegel, PhD.
Katsiaryna S. Bardos, PhD, professor of finance and chair of the Finance Department, along with coauthors Dev R. Mishra and Hyacinthe Y. Somé, produced the research paper “Firm-level climate sentiments, climate politics and implied cost of equity capital,” published in Journal of Corporate Finance and CLS Blue Sky Blog, Columbia Law School’s blog on corporations and capital markets. In a sample of U.S. firms, Dr. Bardos and her co-authors found strong evidence that firms’ implied cost of equity is decreasing in a novel proxy of firm-level climate change sentiments of earnings call participants, supporting prior literature that shows investors demand higher returns from their investments in brown firms and lower returns from investments in green firms.
Archana Tedone, PhD, assistant professor of management, along with co-authors Jessica Mesmer-Magnus, Chockalingam Viswesvaran, Erin Newkirk, produced the research paper “See something, say something: A meta-analytic review of safety voice,” published online in International Journal of Management Reviews.
Safety voice—the cornerstone of safe workplaces—is a form of safety
communication in which an employee speaks up about workplace safety-related issues with constructive intentions to help prevent incidents, reduce hazards, and improve overall safety of the work environment. When workers feel comfortable speaking up about safety concerns, organizations are gifted with opportunities to take proactive measures to protect their workforce.
Ata Jameei Osgouei, PhD, assistant professor of marketing, along with co-authors Andrew T. Ching, Brian Ratchford, and Shervin Shahrokhi Tehrani, produced the research paper “Estimating Position and Social Influence Effects in Online Search,” accepted for publication in Marketing Science. This paper contributed to the literature on structural modeling of online consumer search by incorporating both product position and social influence effects (e.g., product popularity), while allowing consumers to select multiple items per search and learn adaptively about their match with the platform.
Fairfield University’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business boasts experienced faculty who teach students the fundamentals, ethics, and new developments in business on a local and global scale.
THANK YOU 2025 CORPORATE PARTNERS
Bank of America recognizes the importance of providing students pathways to acquire valuable skills for success in careers, as well as the opportunity to explore career options. The Fairfield Dolan Professional Development Series offers its students these opportunities at the highest levels. We are proud to partner with Fairfield University.”
Bill Tommins Southern CT Market President
Forvis Mazars is supporting Fairfield’s accounting program to support the next generation of ethical, well-prepared accounting professionals. Our investment reflects a commitment to Fairfield Dolan’s academic excellence, its students’ workforce readiness, and our partnership, which helps support a strong pipeline of future talent.”
Joe Perfetto, CPA Partner, Assurance
Northeast Region Sector Leader | TMT, Life Sciences, and Services
NFP, an Aon company, is an organization of consultative advisors and problem solvers helping companies and individuals address their most significant Risk Capital and Human Capital challenges. “At NFP, we know that when you invest in your people and do things the right way, success follows. This approach requires courageous leadership, aligned values, and inclusive collaboration. Fairfield Dolan cultivates leaders who are ethical, curious, and committed to their employees and communities. As a proud alumnus and University Trustee, I’m honored NFP is a corporate partner of such an exceptional institution.”
Doug Hammond ’86 CEO
PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP is proud to support Fairfield Dolan’s accounting program with its INQuires grant, helping to foster innovative, interdisciplinary approaches that prepare students for the evolving demands of the workforce. This investment reflects PwC’s belief in empowering future leaders through holistic education, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving. The INQuires grant will help ensure Fairfield Dolan students develop the digital and analytical skills necessary for the accounting profession’s evolving demands.”
Kevin Catalano ’97 Partner
Phoenix Tower International is an industry-leading owner of wireless towers and other wireless infrastructure throughout the world.
“As a successful entrepreneur, I think it is of vital importance to invest in the appropriate training and education for the next generation of business professionals, including technical skills as well as strong ethics, proper governance, and social responsibility. These values are so important in today’s business world, and I was lucky enough to receive an education in these areas as a young student at the Dolan School. Phoenix Tower International is proud to support Fairfield Dolan as it prepares the next generation of business leaders.”
Dagan T. Kasavana ’99
Founder and CEO
Thank you to our 2025 StartUp
Platinum Sponsors:
Joseph ’70 and Linda Bronson
Dagan ’99 and Lori Kasavana
Packy ’90 and Robyn ’91 Kelly
KPMG
Kelly ’93 and Robert Liptak, P’27
The Charles F. Dolan School of Business is committed to the Jesuit Catholic tradition of educating the whole person (cura personalis) by fostering an engaging and diverse learning community of educational excellence and relevancy, with nationally recognized programs and innovative curricula, informed by the balanced teaching, research, and service contributions of outstanding faculty and staff, and supported by local and global partnerships. We develop socially responsible, intellectually curious, ethical, compassionate global business leaders who excel in their careers and lead meaningful lives.
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, Connecticut 06824-5195
