Alumni & Friends News

Mark Duhon portrait
August 25, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Generating generational impact: Mark Duhon

Alumnus Mark Duhon (BSBA ’88) is putting his business degree to work leading a Chicago nonprofit organization that is successfully bridging the economic and educational gap for first-generation college students.
Rachel Hartley poses next to reception desk with Autodesk logo
August 5, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Going global and going places: Rachel Hartley (BSBA ’19)

As an undergraduate student, Rachel Hartley (BSBA ’19) made sure global experiences were integral to her education at Fisher. Now, lessons learned from those experiences are continuing to pay off for her in the global software industry.
Alumni Spotlight: Bill Curry
July 15, 2021
The Ohio State University

Alumni Spotlight: Bill Curry

During his professional career that has now spanned more than 12 years, Bill Curry (BSBA '08) has had the opportunity to work with countless individuals and families navigating them through financial opportunities that have set them up for security well into the future.
Headshots of Hariz Faesol and Adam Othman
July 15, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Leadership lessons sticking with DLA alumni

Two graduates of the Dean's Leadership Academy share how the program has impacted their development as business professionals.
OhioHealth names new chief diversity and inclusion officer
July 13, 2021
The Columbus Dispatch

OhioHealth names new chief diversity and inclusion officer

Meet Aisha Allen (BSBA '99, EMBA '14), OhioHealth’s new vice president of culture, engagement and inclusion/chief diversity and inclusion officer, and learn about the more than 20 years of experience she brings to the new role.
Group of smiling Project THRIVE students show off their Buckeye branded attire
July 7, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Fisher teaming with Deloitte Foundation to support diverse students

A scholarship fund created by alumni affiliated with Deloitte, as well as the Deloitte Foundation is helping to advance diverse undergraduate and graduate accounting students and programming at Fisher.
Tribevest group investing platform brings on Harlem Globetrotter
June 18, 2021
The Columbus Dispatch

Tribevest group investing platform brings on Harlem Globetrotter

An idea hatched among friends sparked Travis Smith (BSBA '99) to consider a new way to build wealth while helping anyone build a portfolio. The idea? Tribevest, a Columbus-based group-investment platform that launched in 2018 to help groups of investors create their own limited liability company (LLC), open a bank account, interact, vote and invest all within 48 hours.  
Weaving artistry & enterprise
June 17, 2021
The Ohio State University Alumni Association

Weaving artistry & enterprise

Women of the Wayuu culture in La Guajira, Colombia, have an advocate with a head for business, a heart for service and a love of fashion. The benefits sparked by Amber Hammond (BSBA '15) are rippling out within their community.
Josh Meyer in tuxedo, walks with his wife, in wedding dress across a suspension bridge in the mountains on their wedding day
June 7, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Josh Meyer: Daring to leap

 As a student, Josh Meyer (BSBA ’13) completed a global internship experience at a small company in Australia. Eight years later, he was promoted to CEO. What’s his secret? Kaizen.
Martin family spell out O-H-I-O in shadow.
June 4, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Sarah and Bryan Martin: Back to where it all began

Sarah and Bryan Martin dispel an accounting myth, dispense advice to Fisher students and reflect on the impact Fisher’s Accounting Honors program had on their personal and professional lives.
Cole Williams on a path with two dogs
May 25, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Cole Williams: Soaring to new heights

Cole Williams (BSBA ’18) holds his Fisher experience close to his heart. Coming from a small high school with a graduating class of only 28 students,
Grace Figliomeni portrait
May 20, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Discovering a new direction: Grace Figliomeni

Fisher helped Grace Figliomeni find her future in business by showing her how she could combine her passions and create an entirely new direction for her career. She credits scholarship support for giving her access to Fisher’s programs and learning opportunities that shaped her degree and her future.

Photo of a S'wich Social sandwich
April 23, 2021
Columbus Business First

Ohio State graduates open S'wich Social, selling ice cream, cookies in Italian Village

Sean Whited (MBA '19) and Addison Brown (MBA '20) met in Fisher's MBA for Working Professionals program, where they hatched a plan for made-to-order ice cream sandwiches. The idea has given way to S’wich Social, which opened in March at 869 N. 4th St., and is built around customizable combinations of two beloved tastes – ice cream and cookies.
New initiative aims to boost sales for Black-owned businesses by $1 million
April 19, 2021
Columbus Business First

New initiative aims to boost sales for Black-owned businesses by $1 million

A new initiative aims to generate $1 million in increased sales to Columbus-area Black-owned businesses, including one owned and operated by Renard Green (MBA '06).
'This is my calling' – Harley Blakeman's motivation behind startup Honest Jobs
April 19, 2021
Columbus Business First

'This is my calling' – Harley Blakeman's motivation behind startup Honest Jobs

Harley Blakeman (BSBA '17) discusses the creation of Honest Jobs and its pivot from job-hunt training services to a full tech platform that matches candidates with criminal records with employers.
Elicia Azali headhsot wearing white suit jacket
April 9, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Being a Buckeye means 'everything'

Receiving the 2021 Pace Setters Executive Award gave Elicia Azali (BSBA ’05) an opportunity to reflect on the way Ohio State and Fisher impacted the story of her personal and professional growth.
Melinda Whittington
March 15, 2021
Forbes

No time to recline: La-Z-Boy’s CFO on the demands facing finance leaders In 2021

As Melinda Whittington (BSBA ’89) transitions from CFO at La-Z-Boy Inc. to become the company’s next CEO, learn how her experience as a top finance officer shaped her outlook on issues including social responsibility, the COVID-19 pandemic and ethics.
Harley Blakeman
March 12, 2021
Columbus Business First

Startup helping people land jobs after prison raises $1.2M after pandemic pivot, TechStars

Harley Blakeman (BSBA '17), founder and CEO of Honest Jobs in Columbus, founded the job-matching service two years ago in Columbus, and through the pandemic rebuilt the technology and shifted its target market to state agencies from individual employers.
1963 Women's Student Government Association group photo
March 8, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Barbie Tootle: Six decades of time and change

Part of Ohio State for 60 years, Barbie Tootle has watched as our society and Ohio State underwent a cultural revolution. As a freshman in what was then the College of Commerce, she had no female professors and few women in her class. Today, with the second woman leading Ohio State as its president, Barbie recognizes how far the institution has progressed.
William Bradford, Thaddeus Spratlen, Michael Verchot at Foster School Consulting and Business Development Center
February 15, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Teacher, advocate and pioneer: Thaddeus Spratlen’s trailblazing legacy

Thaddeus Spratlen (BSBA ’56, MA ’57, PhD ’62) built his career teaching business students and engaging the business community to help create, enhance and sustain the marketplace for underrepresented communities. Read more about the lasting impact this trailblazing alumnus continues to make.
Amber Hammond outside a building with Ciela Handmade products
February 8, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

An entrepreneurial spirit that transcends borders

Amber Hammond (BSBA ’15) knows an entrepreneur’s motivation can strike from the most unexpected places — an idea developed over a cup of coffee with a friend and scribbled on a paper napkin; a well-planned digital presentation for a class; or as Hammond knows, it can come from a seed planted following a global experience that uncovers a whole new world through the eyes of a different culture.
See John Travolta, Martha Stewart and more celebrities in Scotts Miracle-Gro's first-ever Super Bowl ad
February 2, 2021
Columbus Business First

See John Travolta, Martha Stewart and more celebrities in Scotts Miracle-Gro's first-ever Super Bowl ad

John Sass (MBA '05), Scotts' vice president of advertising at Scotts Miracle-Gro, details the company's strategy behind its Super Bowl ad this year.
Gerlach Hall on Fisher's campus
January 19, 2021
Max M. Fisher College of Business

Mentorship pair highlight the value of connections and global networks

Two Fisher alumni share their story of connecting through a college program, and across an ocean, as mentor and mentee.
There's a Better Way Podcast: Terry Kayobotsi (MBOE '17, EMBA '19)
January 13, 2021
Fisher College of Business

There's a Better Way Podcast: Terry Kayobotsi (MBOE '17, EMBA '19)

As part of the “There’s a Better Way” podcast, Laurie Spadaro, director of the Master of Business Operational Excellence, program sat down with Terry Kayobotsi (MBOE '17, EMBA '19), technology analyst with Nationwide Insurance. Hear why Terry chose to pursue not only his MBOE but also an EMBA, and how his Fisher experience has had an impact in his professional career.
Lisa Ingram
January 11, 2021
Columbus Business First

Fourth-generation leader takes over White Castle board

Lisa Ingram (MBA '00), CEO and president of White Castle, was named head of its board of directors. Ingram, a fourth-generation family member in the business, takes over for her father, Bill Ingram, who is retiring.