Keynote: Anne Massey

A leading scholar in information systems, Anne built her distinguished career across five universities, with the bulk of her academic career at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington. At IU, among varied roles, she developed cross-disciplinary programs between the School of Informatics and Computing, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Business School, the School of Public Environmental Affairs, and the School of Law. She also co-founded the Center of Excellence for Women in Technology, which is the nation’s first and only large-scale, interdisciplinary, university-based initiative to encourage and promote the participation, empowerment, and achievement of women students, faculty, staff, and alumnae in technology. Anne has earned several awards for teaching undergraduate and graduate business students, including the Indiana University Board of Trustees’ Distinguished Teaching Award. She is now serving as the first female Dean of the Isenberg School of Management, and has been busy immersing herself in this new role.

Alaina Macaulay

Alaina M. T. Macaulay is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Recently joining the Isenberg family in July 2019, she is focused on developing and managing programs that make members of underrepresented groups feel at home at Isenberg, while working with all groups to support them in being engaged and inclusive community members. Alaina was heavily involved in the planning of Isenberg's Inaugural Inclusive Leadership Summit and the grand opening of the Suit Shop in Fall 2019. She also serves as the advisor for the Advancement of Diversity in Business. Prior to her work in Isenberg, she was the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Elms College. In that role, she created and chaired an institutional diversity committee, opened the first multicultural designated affinity space, developed student affinity groups, organized the schools inaugural Black Issues Summit and other programs, all while working closely with students as a success coach and advocate.

Alaina attended Western Illinois University where she was a Division I student-athlete receiving both a BS and MS in Kinesiology and Sport Management, respectfully. During her time at Western Illinois University, she co-founded and co-chaired WE (Women Empowering), a group for women student-athletes to build community, self-esteem and inclusive spaces. She lives her passion and works to mentor others so we can "lift as we rise."

During her career, Alaina has led dozens of workshops and presentations nationally and internationally on the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and bias. She loves working with and engaging new audiences on the topic of inclusion. In her free time, Alaina enjoys traveling, painting and spending time with her husband, Charles, and daughter, Kiya. Please contact Alaina at https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/people/alaina-macaulay, amacaulay@isenberg.umass.edu or Twitter: @AlainaMacaulay

Allison Smith

Allison, a graduate of Isenberg School of Management in May 2010 (BBA – Accounting and Information Systems) and December 2010 (MSA), is a Director in KPMG’s Finance Transformation practice. In this role, Allison specializes in leading and architecting innovative finance transformation projects for back-office functions of Fortune 1000 global companies. Allison partners with finance executives to define business strategy and develop the future state target operating models. From there, Allison leads organizations through initiatives to achieve their target operating model, typically enabled by Cloud software and automation.

Allison has worked in over 20 countries and loves the fast-paced lifestyle of consulting. In addition to client work, Allison leads campus and experienced hire recruiting efforts, serves on the Consulting Council Leadership team, and collaborates with member firms to define the finance transformation methodology. Allison’s personal hobbies and interests include traveling, scuba diving, wine tasting, OrangeTheory, and spending time with family and friends.

Alyson Sutera

Alyson Sutera is a leadership program manager for the human resources and communications organizations at United Technologies. Both are two-year, rotational programs for top entry-level talent to develop the future leaders within human resources, business functions and communications. Alyson has built her career on strengthening organizational sustainability through early-career talent acquisition and development.

She began career at Pratt & Whitney, holding different roles within the aerospace business unit of UTC. As a human resource generalist in commercial engines, she focused on aligning HR strategies and business needs across the dimensions of domestic and international staffing and leadership development. Additionally, she played a critical role in building and accelerating a diverse talent pipeline to support business growth and future leadership needs within the manufacturing and quality engineering programs. Alyson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Connecticut State University and a master’s in business administration from Albertus Magnus College.

Amy Pocsik

Amy Pocsik is a CPA and entrepreneur who is passionate about women supporting each other. So passionate in fact, that she started a business to do just that. As CEO and Co-Founder of Women’s Business League, she helps women grow their businesses through strategic smart networking. Women’s Business League is a leading networking community with 11 chapters across 3 states and growing. Amy is also CEO of Rise Recruiting, a Boston based recruiting firm specializing in connecting incredible talent with extraordinary opportunities. When she’s not doing the work she loves, you can find Amy at the hockey rink cheering on her two boys. Or, traveling with her sons and incredible husband (who she met at college – thanks UMASS!). You can reach Amy at Amy@WomensBusinessLeague.com

Andrea Desaulniers

Andrea Desaulniers is the Director of Operations Management for United Technologies (UTC) based in Farmington, CT. She is responsible for leading Corporate Operations programs including UTC Supply Chain University, Supplier Diversity, and is a partner with HR on the UTC Operations Leadership Program (OLP). Andrea returned to UTC Headquarters in January 2019 from Sikorsky Aircraft (acquired by Lockheed Martin in 2015) where she was the Manager of Finance Leadership Development, responsible for all employee development, hiring, continuous improvement, communications, employee engagement, and Lockheed Martin integration within finance.

Prior to Sikorsky, Andrea held positions of increasing responsibility at Pratt & Whitney and UTC Corporate Headquarters including Program Manager, ACE Certification, Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis, Manager, Strategy & Development, Commercial & Military Operations Product Line Manager, and began her career as an associate in the Manufacturing Engineering Development Program at Pratt & Whitney. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research from University of Massachusetts.

Brittany Herzog

Brittany Herzog is a Manager in EY's Financial Services Tax practice focusing on federal taxation of mutual funds. She’s also aligned to Global Investor Services which involves international tax services and project management. She sits on the New England Unity Executive Board (EY’s LGBTQ+ affinity group) and assists with managing budget, empowering members to run events, consulting, and oversight. She has been with EY for four years, previously with Deloitte for three. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, movies, video games and costuming.

Brittany Mason

Brittany graduated from UMass Amherst in 2013 with a B.B.A. in Accounting and a B.A. in Political Science. She was a member of Isenberg Fellows and the Isenberg Undergraduate Leadership Club (U-Lead) while at UMass. After graduation, Brittany began working as a tax accountant for Ernst & Young in Boston, where she has been for the past six years. She is now a Tax Manager in the Private Client Services practice. She is active in the UMass recruiting efforts at Ernst & Young and loves going back to campus to meet with students. She appreciates building relationships with both her external clients and the people she works with at the firm. She enjoys traveling, skiing, and reading in her spare time.

Carol Lapidus

Carol is a partner at RSM US LLP, based in the New York office, and is the firm’s national leader of the consumer products industry practice. She has served clients as an accountant and consultant for over 30 years.

Carol leads the consumer products practice, working with internal teams to optimize growth and client service, as well as externally, meeting with clients, prospects and influencers, sharing RSM’s expertise in the consumer products industry. She also advises clients on organizational structure, licensing, international operations, mergers and acquisitions, financing, cost containment and long-term planning.

In 1994, Carol became the first woman in the history of Goldstein Golub Kessler & Company, P.C., voted into the partnership, before partners of that firm joined RSM.

Professional affiliations and credentials

Certified public accountant, New York; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants; American Apparel and Footwear Association; Delivering Good  - board member; National Retail Federation; Women’s Presidents Organization; Bachelor of Science, accounting, with honors, University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Crissy Cavallaro

Crissy Cavallaro is a Marketing Manager at Arnold Worldwide in Boston, Massachusetts, where she works in advertising on the Progressive Insurance account. She started her career with Arnold 3 years ago and has since worked on a variety of campaigns across TV, radio, and print. Crissy also leads a women’s group at Arnold called WomenUp, which focuses on programming intended to empower women in advertising.

Crissy graduated from Isenberg with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and a minor in Studio Arts. During her time at UMass Amherst, Crissy served as the co-president of the Women of Isenberg Conference. She interned at a boutique ad-agency, Nail Communications, as a way to gain exposure to the industry. Additionally, she worked as a Marketing Consultant for Carvel Ice Cream in completion of an Honors Thesis. Outside of work, you can find Crissy either out on a run or embracing her side-hustle, painting.

Denise Andrews

Ms. Denise Andrews is Managing Partner of Legacy Unlimited, www.legacyunlimited.us, a global consulting company specializing in leadership, diversity, and inclusion.

Ms. Andrews is a respected leader of change, high performance, globalization and diversity within the private and public sector. Key principles that guide her life are: - to whom much is given much is required - choose to be a good local and global citizen - to leave a legacy from which all families benefit - to be free to dance in every country.

Ms. Andrews holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters in Business Administration from Xavier University. Ms. Andrews is a board member for Women’s International Networking. “To attain excellence, you must care more than others think wise, risk more than others think is safe, and dream more than others think is practical!” Author Unknown

https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-andrews/

Gail Cruise

Gail Cruise is a Senior Lecturer II and a business professional with extensive experience in designing, teaching, and implementing educational courses/programs at the university and adult levels. Her expertise is in integrating technology into teaching and learning, and she teaches courses that cultivate students’ oral, written, and visual communication skills. For international experience, Gail has chaired conferences in her field of business communication and traveled abroad with Isenberg students. Impassioned by cultures, Gail is as an avid solo traveler of the world.

Jasmine Shockness

Jasmine Shockness is a savvy business developer with a history of generating value for entertainment brands. Working at companies such as NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS, Shockness has assisted in the development and execution of multimillion-dollar content distribution deals, driving revenue with new and existing content providers.

Executing and managing content deals with clients such as T-Mobile, Walmart, Spotify, Comcast, Verizon, and Cox, to name a few, Shockness is passionate about the way technology is disrupting the traditional media space. With a strong reputation within the Media & Entertainment industry, Shockness is known as a leader, which is a true testament to her ability to negotiate and build strong partnerships.

Jean Smith

Jean Smith is the Chief Operating Officer of Colwen Hotels, based in Portsmouth, NH. She leads the company’s design, purchasing, warehouse and installation organization for new and renovating hotels. Jean is a 1990 graduate of UMASS Amherst where she earned a degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration.

Jean secured her first General Manager role at a Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Foxborough, MA in 1995. In 1998, she joined Colwen Hotels as the opening General Manager of its first hotel. In 2010, Jean accepted an opportunity with White Lodging as a Regional Vice President. Two years later, Jean took charge of the lifestyle hotel portfolio for McKibbon Hotels, based in Tampa, FL. In this position, she also served on the franchise advisory council for AC Hotels for Marriott International. Jean rejoined Colwen in 2016 as the Executive Vice President. Jean was named Chief Operating Officer in January of 2019.

Jennifer Putnam

Jennifer Putnam is a Senior Manager in the Business Tax Services practice of KPMG LLP. During her more than 14 year career with KPMG, Jenn has provided tax compliance and planning services to clients across a variety of industries, including corporations, partnerships and high net-worth individuals. In her current role, she works within KPMG’s Tax Business School to develop facilitator-led and digital learning national training programs for the firm’s Tax practice.

Jenn holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Babson College and currently serves as a Director for the Babson Alumni Association. She also holds a Master’s of Science in Taxation from Suffolk University, and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Massachusetts. An avid New England Patriots fan and lover of Broadway musicals, Jenn resides in Easthampton, MA.

Joanna Hunt

Joanna has been with BDO for over twelve years and during this time, she gained experience planning and supervising audit engagements from start to finish. At BDO, she has developed extensive expertise serving public and privately held clients. Joanna is a Director in the Assurance practice at BDO and for the past five years has worked in the firm’s Northeast Real Estate Practice. In this capacity, she manages audits of group engagements that report under Fair Value GAAP model and Income Tax basis of accounting. Her clients include commercial real estate companies that collectively manage more than $1.0 billion in assets.

Joanna’s areas of specialization include auditing and financial reporting for pass-through entities and partnerships and multi-entity engagements. In addition to her real estate experience, Joanna has helped oversee BDO’s northeast employee benefit plan practice. In this role, she is the lead manager responsible for the planning and supervising the northeast employee benefit plan practice and also regularly supports the local office training requirements.

Kaila Kennedy

Kaila graduated from UMASS in May 2012 with a BBA in Operations and Information Management. After college, Kaila worked at Grant Thornton for five years as a Strategy and Performance Improvement Consultant where she focused on a range of services, including risk management, ERP vendor selections, and implementations. In 2017, Kaila joined Amazon as a Program Manager on one of the many Alexa teams. Since joining, she’s worked on technology implementations and efficiency programs for an operational team focused on Machine Learning improvements. Now a Senior Program Manager, Kaila focuses on programs relating to Global Expansion.

Kim Leung

Kim is a Director in PwC’s Deals - Capital Markets & Accounting Advisory Practice (CMAAS). She has extensive experience advising companies through successful registration with the SEC in connection with IPO’s and spin-offs. She delivers value to clients in helping them navigate through complex accounting and financial reporting matters associated with a capital markets transaction, such as an IPO, debt and equity offerings, divestitures and carve outs, mergers & acquisitions, complex US GAAP and IFRS accounting matters, including GAAP conversions and accounting conversions/adoptions. Kim holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting) degree from University of Massachusetts and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Lauren Aquilano

Lauren Aquilano graduated from UMass in 2010 with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from Isenberg and a minor in Sociology. Lauren started her career at TJX soon graduation as an analyst in the Corporate Merchandise Training Program. She worked her way from analyst to planner and into her current role as buyer. She loves the fast paced, entrepreneurial spirit of being a merchant and enjoys pairing her passion for product with data to drive sales. Being a buyer is a people focused role and Lauren gets a lot of satisfaction from cultivating relationships with her team as well as the vendor community.

Outside of work Lauren likes to spend time at home cooking with her husband, heading outdoors for a run, or looking for new places and things to try. This last year she was excited to have completed her first triathlon and welcomed her first nephew into the family.

Lauren Bahn

Lauren Bahn is a Solution Consulting Academy Manager at Oracle-NetSuite in Burlington, Massachusetts. She is directly responsible for leading a team of accounting and supply chain individuals through a six-month training program to learn NetSuite software, business acumen, and presales. With a background in solution consulting and client services, Lauren has found her home in the software industry and has been a trusted advisor to hundreds of wholesale distributors and manufacturers who operate their business on NetSuite. As a member of Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL) and the NetSuite Culture Committee, Lauren is invested in professional development and fostering a strong organizational culture. Lauren is a graduate of the Isenberg School of Management with a BBA in Marketing.

Lindsay Milne

A native of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., Lindsay Milne is a 2006 graduate of the Isenberg School of Management at UMASS Amherst. She has traveled extensively on various projects with some of the world's premier brands during her time with NBC Universal, the MLBPA, the NBA, Wolverine Worldwide, the Minnesota Timberwolves and LEGACY Global Sports.

Lindsay was named a 2015 nominee for Ad Fed Minnesota’s 32 Under 32 award. In her five years with the Timberwolves and Lynx, she and her team garnered numerous awards including 2017 WNBA Marketing Franchise of the Year, 2017 IDEA GMA Best Overall Video Show award, 2019 NBA Digital Innovator award and 2019 CLIO Silver award for the Timberwolves x Nike x Prince campaign. Lindsay was hired by LEGACY Global Sports in 2019 to reshape the company’s marketing, digital platforms, digital content, partnerships, business intelligence and guest experience operations. She resides in the Greater Boston Area with her dog, Walter, and enjoys pilates, reading, biking, and spending time with friends and family on the water or the golf course.

Mackensie Wise

Mackensie is a graduate from Isenberg School of Management in May 2019 (BBA and BS in Marketing and Sports Management). She is currently the General Manager of the new TB12 Flagship Facility. In this role, Mackensie specializes in leading, overseeing, and developing a culture and environment to drive business and brand initiatives. Through overseeing over 13+ Employees, building structural and organizations goals, and collaborating with the Head Body Coach, Mackensie is able to assist in the construction and establishment of the TB12 brand in the city of Boston. 

Mackensie is a former member of the Women of Isenberg Conference Committee from 2017 to 2019. Her passion for storytelling has driven her to produce and co-direct marketing videos for companies like lululemon and TB12. When she is not working she enjoys traveling, working out, and spending time with her friends and family.

Margery Piercey

Margery is a CPA and Chartered Global Management Accountant. After three years of accelerated studies at Isenberg, she started her career with a Big Four firm. She went on to hold many leadership roles in public accounting, including Partner-in-Charge of a national firm’s Boston office. She is now CFO/COO of Mass Insight Education & Research, a national non-profit closing achievement and opportunity gaps for underserved students. Prior to taking on her current role overseeing finance, accounting, human resources, development and IT, Margery was a Mass Insight Board member.

While at Isenberg, Margery was President of the accounting honors society, Beta Alpha Psi, which ignited a passion for leadership and volunteerism. She is a past Board Chair of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs and of the United Way of Tri-County and the first female from Massachusetts to serve on the Board of the American Institute of CPAs in that organization’s 135-year history. Margery is a former Isenberg Accounting Dept Alum of the Year and a member of the Accounting Department Advisory Council.

Fun fact – Margery has sung the National Anthem for the Celtics and the Red Sox.

Melissa Baker

Melissa Baker, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, in the Isenberg School of Management, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  She is an award winning teacher focusing on service experience management, human resources management, and restaurant management. Her first main stream of research focuses on service failure and recovery while her second main stream of research focuses on appearance and impression formation.  Dr. Baker’s research has been published in top tier marketing and hospitality journals.

Morgan Maradian

Morgan Maradian graduated with a dual degree in Finance and Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2017. Upon graduation, Morgan began working at UBS as a Sales Trader on the Equities Electronic Trading Team. An active member of the Young Finance Alumni Board, Morgan has continued to support students within the Isenberg community through mentorship and outreach in an effort to contribute positively to the academic environment that gave her the opportunity to succeed.

As Co-Head of innovation for UBS' action stream The Big Why and as a member of the Junior Talent Forum, Morgan works closely with her peers and senior management to cultivate and promote an inclusive culture within the investment bank that focuses on retaining junior talent. An avid marathoner and concertgoer, Morgan looks forward to continuing to strive for a future on Wall Street that includes opportunities for women and others from diverse backgrounds.

Moureen Karim

Moureen Karim graduated from Isenberg as a finance major and economics and psychology minor in 2017. In school, she was involved in Women in Business, Finance Society, and the Fixed Income Fund. She has worked as an intern at Enterprise Bank, Barings Capital Management, and Citigroup Global Markets - where she has been working in New York City full-time in Sales and Trading since graduation. She is now an associate on the Global Structured Products desk, selling a variety of fixed income securities to institutional investors.

Michele Equale

Michele is the End to End Process Owner Lead, Workplace Solutions at MassMutual. Michele works with leadership to design and execute best in class capabilities and cultivate superior talent practices. She believes a people-centric lean operation delivers the highest return in policyholder value and creates the best experience for MassMutual employees. Committed to increasing the value delivered to customers and reduce the waste within operational processes, Michele coaches leaders at all levels of the firm on transformation management, change leadership and lean management principles. Completing her 12th year with MassMutual, Michele has functioned in roles influencing executive recruiting, business strategy development & planning and continuous improvement. She is a UMASS Isenberg School of Management 2019 Driven Leader Award recipient, a UMASS Isenberg School of Management 2018 Driven Leader Award Nominee, a two-time recipient of MassMutual’s Enterprise Improvement Award, a recipient of MassMutual’s President Cost Challenge Award and a recipient of the MassMutual Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award. Michele actively serves on the UMASS Alumni Association Board of Directors, on the UMASS Alumni Association Finance and & Investments Committee and on the Pioneer Valley Ballet Board of Directors.

Passionate about closing the gap in women in leadership positions, Michele founded the Women’s Leadership Business Resource Group’s Lean in to Learn program, focused on supporting women at all levels of MassMutual and cultivating their financial and investment acumen and confidence.  Early in her career, she sold software solutions and consulting services to fortune 100 corporations in multiple industries and regions of the country. Michele is a proud mother and step-mother of four children,  Reilly, 20, Joseph, 16, Brooke, 15, and 8-year-old AnnaRose, and enjoys life’s delights such as painting in her studio, attending fine art galleries and museums, riding horses and floating on Saratoga Lake with her kids, parents and husband, Chris. Michele obtained her MBA at Isenberg School of Management in 2013 and a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Colorado State University in 1995.     

Nichole Wunder

Nichole is an alumni of the Isenberg School of Management and an audit partner at RSM. She has 16 years of experience providing auditing and financial advisory services to a variety of clients. Her clients are primarily in the technology and life sciences industries, varying in maturity from early stage companies raising their initial equity through large multi-national companies. She has extensive experience working with private equity portfolio companies within the software and high technology industry, assisting in business combinations and revenue recognition oriented due diligence matters on potential acquisition targets for these clients. She also advises clients on accounting and financial reporting matters, as well as business and industry issues.

Nnenna Ikoro

Nnenna is a healthcare management consultant with a background in epidemiology and international development. She is passionate about utilizing data and business approaches to find solutions to global healthcare problems. Nnenna has worked both domestically and internationally across non-profit, public-sector, and commercial organizations, with a focus on public health and market research implementation, program evaluation, business process improvement, data analytics, and training delivery. Her international experience spans throughout eastern and southern Africa, and southeast Asia. 

In 2017, Nnenna participated in the Africa Business Fellowship, through which she led data-driven initiatives for patient experience enhancement at a private healthcare facility in Nairobi, Kenya. She also interviewed healthcare business leaders in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa to conduct market research on innovative service delivery models, consumer behaviors, and the application of healthcare technologies in emerging markets.

In her current role at KPMG, Nnenna helps healthcare clients leverage information and data analytics to inform implementation of healthcare policies, programs, and innovative technology solutions. She finds value in applying and leveraging her global acumen in her day-to-day work, and remains excited about emerging markets and international travel. Nnenna holds a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree in Epidemiology from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology and Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Nora Junaid

Nora is an instructor in the Operations and Information Management Department at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her teaching focuses on the importance of integrating computing applications into work processes, making it more appealing and accessible to students majoring in Business studies.

 Pam Batalis

Pam has successfully led the marketing, sales, and corporate sponsorship growth for national brands and sports properties including Reebok, The American Basketball League, World TeamTennis, The Topps Company, Learfield IMG College, and currently, Wells Fargo. Pam currently serves as Vice President, Sponsorships & Brand Engagement for Wells Fargo. She manages 4 of the company’s largest sponsorship platforms including: College Sports, Local Arts/Entertainment; Diverse Segment; and Hudson Yards.

Considered an entrepreneurial pioneer in the sports industry, Pam’s early career included the successful launch of three (3) “industry-first” new businesses in just a 10-year stretch. She was named an SBJ “2016 Game Changer”; and received the “2014 Distinguished Alumnus Award” from The McCormack Department of Sport Management at UMass. Pam’s undergraduate degree is from Saint Michael’s College, where she’s in the Athletic Hall of Fame; and remains the only Lady Knight to ever be selected to an Olympic-level team.

Pat Griffin

Pat Griffin is Professor Emerita in Social Justice Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Dr. Griffin is the author of Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sports. She is co-editor of Teaching For Diversity and Social Justice, and co-author of On The Team: Equal Opportunities for Transgender Student-Athletes, the NCAA Guide for the Inclusion of Transgender Athletes and Champions of Respect: NCAA Guide for the Inclusion of LGBTQ Student-Athletes. She is a member of the leadership team for Seeking Common Ground, Religion and LGBTQ Inclusion in College Athletics. She coached swimming and diving at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and field hockey and basketball at Wheaton High School in Montgomery County, Maryland. She played field hockey, basketball and swam at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Patty Catanese

Patty graduated from the UMass Amherst in 1986 with a BS in Mathematics. Directly out of college she was hired by CIGNA Insurance Company to work in a specialty line called “surety”. Working through two acquisitions she has now been with Liberty Mutual Insurance for 33 years. She moved up the various underwriting roles until promoting into management in 1998. She became a Regional VP of Liberty Mutual Surety in 2011 handling all of the Northeast States that include a team up to 100 people and $200 million in written premium.

 Paula Gould

Paula Gould is the founder of Float and gather ehf., an international go-to-market and growth strategy consultancy. She is also a speaker and MarComm executive. She previously served as Head of Brand & Communications at Men&Mice (acqu. by Stefnir SÍA III), CMO at Greenqloud (acqu. by NetApp), Board Member at CLARA (acqu. by Jive Software) and Principal at venture capital firm Frumtak Ventures, where she led international growth, brand and marketing initiatives internationally.

She has extensive experience working with growth and startup companies from the US and Europe. Paula has held additional C-level, interim C-level and advisory roles throughout her career. Prior to these appointments Paula owned PEG PR, a boutique Communications firm at the intersection of IT and entertainment, where she advised and nurtured the growth of an international roster of clients ranging from social media, video and gaming platforms to a fuel cell manufacturer and notable award-winning artists.

Rachel Bergeron

Rachel grew up in Raynham, Massachusetts and attended Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School. Upon graduation, she attended UMass Amherst, majoring in Marketing at the Isenberg School of Management and minoring in mathematics. At UMass, Rachel was involved with a few organizations on campus, including Recruiting Director of Women in Business as well as the Treasurer of Club Softball Organization. Rachel studied abroad in Galway, Ireland in the spring of 2014. Rachel worked as the front counter staff at the Isenberg Undergraduate Programs Office while in school. She also did two summer internships at TJX in buying (2013) and planning and allocation (2014) and started full time as an Allocation Analyst upon graduation in 2015. Rachel has worked her way through planning and allocation and is currently a Planning Manager for Marshall’s ladies’ apparel.

Rachel Spates

Rachel Spates graduated from the Isenberg School of Management with Master’s degree in Sport Management and is currently the Associate Director, Communications for Sun Life U.S., a global financial services company. With extensive experience in the sports and financial services industries, Rachel’s specialties include event management, integrated marketing, PR & media relations, sponsorship activation, social media, employee engagement, and marketing communications. She has previously held positions at Major League Lacrosse and the Boston Celtics.

Rachel is also a member of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Alumni Association Board of Directors. In 2019, she was elected to a two-year term as Vice President, Leadership Development. When not working, she’s either skiing, rowing, hiking, biking, or surfing, and recently completed a successful summit of Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro in 2018. Rachel is also a graduate of Boston University, with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

Shantel Palacio

Shantel Palacio is an education policy analyst and consultant with nearly 10 years of experience executing both mayoral and chancellor’s initiatives in New York City’s Department of Education. She served as chief of staff and as a strategic advisor to senior management teams on projects that have impacted all of NYC’s public schools, including the process for issuing nearly $40 million dollars in charter school funds. In 2018, she was featured on National Public Radio in an article that referenced Brownsvillain LLC, a website that uses storytelling to highlight the residents of her community in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Palacio is co-producing Million Dollar Block, which was awarded the Independent Film Project’s prestigious 2019 Documentary Fellowship.

After obtaining her master’s degree in public policy and administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2012, she co-authored research examining the economic impacts of funding public higher education. This research, presented to media outlets and policymakers at the statehouse in Boston, Massachusetts in 2012, is also referenced in university publications, including a Policy Brief by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics. Palacio also holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Bryant University and is currently working on a Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies, where she will continue research ways of improving educational outcomes.

Stefanie Wagner

Stefanie Wagner is a senior manager at Pratt & Whitney, where she established and currently oversees the financial structure of international entities in support of the F135/F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Stefanie has worked in Finance at Pratt & Whitney for over ten years and started as a graduate of the UTC Financial Leadership Program. Stefanie has held positions of increasing responsibility in both the commercial and military sides of the business. She holds an MBA from UMASS Amherst and BA in Accounting from Bryant University.

Sue Keegan

Sue Keegan is Executive Director, Integration Finance at United Technologies Corporation. In this position Sue provides financial leadership for the anticipated merger of United Technologies and Raytheon, including project management, synergy realization planning and financial readiness. Sue also serves as an executive sponsor for UTC’s Financial Leadership Program as well as UTC’s Finance Inclusion Forum whose mission is to foster an environment of inclusion and engagement for UTC Finance. Sue has over 28 years of finance experience at both Pratt & Whitney and United Technologies corporate office.

Prior to her current role Sue was Executive Director, Finance, Commercial Engines Sales & Programs and previously held leadership roles in program finance, sales campaigns and financial planning & analysis. In her free time, Sue enjoys cooking, traveling and spending time with her two college-aged children and her dog.

Tara Whitney

Tara Whitney is a published author, speaker and coach. She’s leading a revolution of women who are listening to their own internal wisdom, respecting and nourishing their bodies and ultimately trusting themselves in every area of their lives. Her latest book, Hungry: Trust Your Body and Free Your Mind around Food, offers a fresh perspective on why women have struggled with food and gives them a path to set themselves free.

Starting her career as a CPA in public accounting, Tara is a serial entrepreneur and has founded and grown several businesses, including an accounting consulting firm and a yoga studio. These days, Tara and her family, her husband and three children create plenty of adventure on the Seacoast of New Hampshire. She loves soaking in the gifts of the ocean, her meditation cushion and yoga mat.

Zihla Salinas

Zihla is Global CMO and U.S. CEO of ENGINE, a Global media, marketing solutions and technology company. In her role, Zihla oversees the vision and direction of ENGINE brand and the integrated offering of consulting, strategy, data and creative capabilities, in the U.S. Zihla has spent her career running formidable integrated agencies, and working with clients such as Netflix, Warner Brothers, Kraft, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, Disney, HBO, Apple and Nestle. Prior to this role within ENGINE, Zihla served the organization in the role of CEO of Trailer Park, a leading entertainment marketing and content creation company.

Prior to Trailer Park and ENGINE, Zihla launched and ran DonerLA as EVP and Managing Director. She joined DonerLA from parent company MDC Partners, where she served as Senior Vice President Strategy and Development. Prior to that, she was the CMO of RAPP and she has held senior strategy roles at companies including MXM, Genex and O’Grady Meyers. Her home base is Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and two children.