2023 Alumni of Color Network Weekend Award winners

In recognition of the college’s breadth of diverse and successful alumni, Fisher hosted its third annual Alumni of Color Network Weekend. The event provided graduates with a chance to reconnect on campus, to celebrate the accomplishments of a select few who have made meaningful contributions to their professions, impacted academia and provided a legacy of professional excellence, and to gather for an Ohio State football win over Youngstown State.

“At Fisher, we are thought leaders, and our biggest legacy is our alumni who are positively changing our communities and our world,” Anil Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business, told attendees. “We gather together this weekend to celebrate our outstanding alumni who bring us a degree of diversity, different backgrounds and different perspectives.”

During the weekend’s Evening of Celebration, three individuals were recognized with Alumni of Color Legacy Awards — Steven R. Brand (BSBA ’98, BA ’98), Angel Fernandez (MBA ’11, JD ’11) and Ami Scott (BSBA ’94, MBA ’94) — for achieving excellence and recognition in their professional careers. Rohan G. Williamson (MA ’96, PhD ’97) was acknowledged for his contributions to higher education with The Thaddeus Spratlen Alumni of Color Distinguished Educator Award.

“When I came to Ohio State, I was a nontraditional student. I was married and had two children,” said Brand, deputy chief information officer for Resource Management at the U.S. Department of Energy. “The foundation of my success has been not only my wife, but the education I received at Fisher College of Business.”

David Harrison, senior director of Fisher’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion Student Services and Corporate and Community Outreach, praised Fernandez for being one of the first graduate students to help with the KeyBank Leadership and Creativity Undergraduate Symposium and the KeyBank MBA Student Case Competition — programs that are flourishing today.

“I think we are successful because of the people who stand behind us and give us the platform to succeed,” said Fernandez, CEO of Johnson’s Roofing Services, Inc. “For me there are two people who helped me. My 85-year-old grandmother who was sold into servitude, but at 26 years old came to the U.S. and became a first-generation immigrant. The second is my chemistry teacher from high school who taught me to aim high and always hit the mark. I am standing before you today because of them.”

Harrison recalled meeting and recruiting Scott when she was a senior in high school. He was impressed she was reading “The Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison, a favorite story of Harrison’s about a man who thought he was invisible to society.

“David Harrison has been a constant in my life for 35 years. He’s the reason I’m here today,” said Scott, a consultant and coach with Volta Talent Strategies. “David is the reason I have a sense of community — of collaborating, mentoring and teaching. He taught me how to keep giving until it hurts.”

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2023 Alumni of Color Network Weekend

 

Alumni of Color Legacy Award Recipients

The Alumni of Color Legacy Award recognizes Fisher alumni of color who have achieved excellence and recognition in their professional careers and have provided extraordinary service to their alma mater and their respective Black, Hispanic, Latinx and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) communities.

  • Open/Close Steven R. Brand (BSBA ’98, BA ’98)

    Steven R. BrandSteven R. Brand (BSBA ’98, BA ’98)
    Deputy Chief Information Officer
    Resource Management, U.S. Department of Energy

    Steven Brand is the deputy chief information officer for Resource Management at the U.S. Department of Energy. Focused on enabling an organization that leads the department’s IT reform initiatives and protects it from an increasingly complex and hostile cyber landscape, he provides executive leadership for all the Office of the Chief Information Officer’s human capital, financial management and procurement management activities.

    Challenging his team to seek continuous improvement, he ensures more than 700 federal and contract employees, more than $400M in direct appropriations and shared services funds and contracts valued at more than $10B are effectively supported and fully aligned to strategic goals.

    With over 20 years in the Marine Corps serving as the foundation, Steven has deep knowledge in the arenas of leadership, inspiring change and federal business operations, across multiple federal departments, including DOD, DHS and Treasury. Before joining the Department of Energy, he served as the director, Office of Information Technology Acquisition, leading the efficient execution of nearly 7,000 contract actions worth nearly $2B annually.

    Steven holds a Master of Computer Science degree from the Naval Postgraduate School. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The Ohio State University.

  • Open/Close Angel Fernandez (MBA ’11, JD ’11)

    Angel FernandezAngel Fernandez (MBA ’11, JD ’11)
    CEO
    Johnson’s Roofing Service, Inc.

    Angel Fernandez is an accomplished finance and accounting executive and the current chief financial officer and in-house counsel at Johnson’s Roofing Service Inc. (JRS), based in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

    Throughout his professional experience, Angel has held various leadership positions at BASF, Barrick Gold and Duke Energy before joining JRS in early 2022. His work ethic, attention to detail and financial acumen have been instrumental in JRS’s growth and success.

    He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Brigham Young and a joint JD and MBA degree from The Ohio State University. He is a dedicated family man, a loving husband to his wife, Brittany, and father to two children, Mariel and Marcus. In his spare time, Angel enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and anything outdoor related.

  • Open/Close Ami Scott (BSBA ’94, MBA ’94)

    Ami ScottAmi Scott (BSBA ’94, MBA ’94)
    Consultant and Coach
    Volta Talent Strategies

    Ami is a consultant and coach at Volta Talent Strategies in Washington, D.C. She is focused on developing and strengthening legal professionals in various roles through one-on-one coaching and counseling and programmatic initiatives.

    Before Volta, Ami spent over two decades in private practice representing lenders and borrowers in complex financing transactions. She was a partner at Mayer Brown LLP in Chicago and, most recently, at Schiff Hardin LLP in Washington, D.C. Ami earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Fisher through the 3/2 Program and a JD from the University of Michigan Law School.

    Ami is a member of the college’s Dean’s Advisory Council. She currently serves as the secretary of the board of directors of the National Veterans Leadership Foundation, an organization that helps universities better serve their student veteran and military-connected population. She also served as the secretary and co-chair of the governance committee of the board of directors of Washington Performing Arts and served on the boards of KidPower DC, The Academy for Global Citizenship (Chicago) and Chicago Scholars. She spent eight years as a high school youth mentor with the LinkUnlimited organization in Chicago.

As the inaugural recipient of the Thaddeus Spratlen Alumni of Color Distinguished Educator Award, James Hill had the honor of presenting this year’s award to Williamson, the Bolton Sullivan and Thomas A. Dean Chair of International Business at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

“We were undergraduates together, we studied together, he was a mentor of mine and we pledged the same fraternity,” said Hill, chair of Fisher’s Department of Operations and Business Analytics and a professor of operations management. “And today, with this award, our walks [in life] have come full circle.”

“When we speak of the spirit of the Spratlen Award, we celebrate pioneering curiosity of an individual fully committed to academia,” continued Hill. “It’s clear that Rohan — through his research, leadership and administration — fully embodies the values of the late Dr. Spratlen.”

The Spratlen Award honors educators who achieve profound impact within academia and/or higher education.

“When I think of Ohio State and Fisher College of Business, I think of coming back to my family,” said Williamson. “This here — Ohio State and Fisher — this is home and it is special to receive this award from family.”

The Thaddeus Spratlen Alumni of Color Distinguished Educator Award Recipient

The Thaddeus Spratlen Alumni of Color Distinguished Educator Award seeks to honor educators who continue in the trailblazing footsteps of our award namesake, achieving great impact within academia and/or higher education.

  • Open/Close Rohan G. Williamson (MA ’96, PhD ’97)

    Rohan G. WilliamsonRohan G. Williamson (MA ’96, PhD ’97)
    The Bolton Sullivan and Thomas A. Dean Chair of International Business
    McDonough School of Business
    Georgetown University

    Research Associate
    National Bureau for Economic Research

    Rohan Williamson is professor of finance and the Bolton Sullivan and Thomas A. Dean Chair of International Business in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a research associate at the National Bureau for Economic Research.

    At Georgetown, he has served as the vice provost and dean. He specializes in risk management, corporate governance, investment decisions and liquidity and has received the Michael Jensen and William Sharpe Best Paper Awards for his research. He serves on the advisory committee for the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown, board of directors for the Western Finance Association, the finance advisory board at Fisher, and he chairs the committee for racial diversity for the American Finance Association. In addition, he is the founder of UNITY, a nonprofit focused on youth development. He received The Ohio State University Pace Setters Award and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society.

    He received his PhD and MA from The Ohio State University, an MBA from Atlanta University and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton.

Earlier in the day, a trio of young alumni were honored with Alumni of Color Emerging Leader Awards and participated in a panel discussion. The recipients — Amjed Osman (BSBA ’16), Mariah Scott (BSBA ’15, MAcc ’16) and Aubrey Yuzer (BA ’05, MBA ’09) — shared with alumni and Fisher students their early career challenges and successes, the importance of networking and mentorship, how they managed uncertainty and unfamiliarity during and after the pandemic and their continuing support of their alma mater.

“The Emerging Leader Awards recognize the contributions of early career Fisher alumni who have made a difference as professionals, in their communities and here at Fisher and Ohio State,” said Cynthia Turner, assistant dean and chief diversity officer at Fisher. “We are proud to uplift these three honorees as examples of the impact of our young alumni. Each one of them represents the very best in what our young alumni have to offer — as professionals and as servants to their communities.”

Alumni of Color Emerging Leader Award Recipients

The Alumni of Color Emerging Leader Award celebrates Fisher alumni of color of the last 15 years who have made early yet meaningful contributions to their profession and their alma mater, and their respective Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) communities.

  • Open/Close Amjed Osman (BSBA ’16)

    Amjed OsmanAmjed Osman (BSBA ’16)
    Founding Partner
    GreenLight Venture Partners

    Amjed Osman is a founding general partner at GreenLight Venture Partners and strategic business partner to global Fortune 500 companies. He is also the co-founder and executive producer of the podcast and TV show, “Inside the Green Room with Danny Green.”

    Amjed is a graduate of The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business and serves on the Fisher College of Business Alumni Board. Amjed has previously worked for LinkedIn, Ernst & Young LLP, Lingo Live Language Services and Abbott Laboratories.

    He is an avid traveler and foodie and loves spending time with family and friends.

  • Open/Close Mariah Scott (BSBA ’15, MAcc ’16)

    Mariah ScottMariah Scott (BSBA ’15, MAcc ’16)
    Senior Manager
    Accenture

    Mariah is a senior manager within Accenture’s Metaverse Continuum Business Group focusing on banking and fintech clients. Mariah is driven by the financial innovation, inclusion and freedom that comes with participating and creating products that fuel the Web3 ecosystem.

    She is a proud, born and raised Buckeye and devoted advocate, mentor and coach for women and minority communities. She is a member of the Fisher College of Business Alumni Board and is an advisor to the new Fisher College of Business Young Alumni Council.

    Mariah graduated from Fisher’s Master of Accounting program in 2016 and the undergraduate program with an accounting degree in 2015.

  • Open/Close Aubrey Yuzer (BA ’05, MBA ’09)

    Aubrey YuzerAubrey Yuzer (BA ’05, MBA ’09)
    Former Director, Menu & Product Development
    Domino’s Pizza

    Aubrey Yuzer served as Domino’s director of menu and product development from October 2020 to August 2023. She oversaw all product innovation, menu strategy and product quality initiatives for the Domino’s U.S. business, including launching Domino’s Oven-Baked Dips and Loaded Tots.

    Prior to her time at Domino’s, Aubrey worked in brand management on some of America’s leading food brands. Her food career started at Wendy’s in product marketing. She then helped orchestrate the turnaround of International Delight® coffee creamers. Later, she led product innovation for popular vegan brands Silk® and So Delicious Dairy-Free®. She is also a devoted diversity and inclusion workplace advocate, having co-founded, led and fundraised for multiple employee resource groups. This work led to her winning Danone’s Culture Award.

    Aubrey earned her bachelor’s degree in music from The Ohio State University and returned to Ohio State for her MBA after working in nonprofit arts.

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“The foundation of my success has been not only my wife, but the education I received at Fisher College of Business.”

Steven R. BrandBSBA '98, BA '98