January 2026
Ready to see how the Saunders community is shaping the future? Our January Issue is full of high-impact research, student success stories, and our events calendar. Don't forget to contribute your own news for next month by visiting Saunders announcements or emailing us at communications@saunders.rit.edu.
Matt McCloskey ’26 (EMBA) came up with the idea of a traveling stuffed RIT Tiger, which travels the country with fellow EMBA students. The tiger, named Cash (short for Cashmere), journeys from home to home as a tangible link between classmates across the country. Students document each stop through photos and stories shared on a dedicated Slack channel.
Kyndale Simmons ‘29 (marketing) was recognized as an RIT Difference Maker for Native American Heritage Month.
Muskan Gupta ’25 (MBA), Tabiha Rahman (MIS), Dhanalakshmi Maheswaran ’25 (accounting and analytics MS), Anastasiya Tsikh ’26 (finance), Nagwa Fokunang (MIS), Margaret Birmingham (MIS, global business), Shuanglin Huang ’27 (accounting), Marina Lui ’27 (MIS), Lavanya Kapoor ’25 (MS business analytics), and Lily Lin ’28 (business exploration) attended the Grace Harper Celebration, November 4 through 7, in Chicago, IL. Rose Thomas, academic advisor, attended the event with the Saunders students.
The winning teams for The Freshman Experience Biz1+2 have been announced.
Pinnacle Award: Section 3 Team 4 Disolve - Stella Bauschard ‘29, Shriya Royer ’29 (finance), Emily McCann ’29 (accounting), Sadhvi Jumar ‘29, Johnny Jin ’29 (management information systems)
Community Impact Award: Section 5 Team 5 - Jakob Harken ‘29, Coilin Mackenzie ‘29, Will Moore ‘29, Jaxon Weed ‘29
Innovation Award: Section 1 Team 5 Brushoe - Connor Blumenthal ’29 (finance), Ariel Coleman ‘29, Jasmine Jean ‘29, Robert Rosello ‘29
Presentation Award: Section 1 Team 1 Purico - Sheyenne Brito ’29 (finance), Nicole Euyoque ‘29, Caleb Greeson ’29 (global business management), Santiago Vasquez ‘29
Financial Plan Award: Section 2 Team 3 Aline - Rebecca Binford ‘29, Darnell Fields ‘29, Mina Lahm ’29 (marketing), Mac O’Dell ‘29, Brenna Wilder ‘29
Soon Hyeok Choi, assistant professor in the department of finance and accounting, was interviewed by Cotality—“Could a buyer’s market end bidding wars?—for their Property Pulse newsletter. The interview highlights findings from his co‑authored article, “The Winner’s Curse in Housing Markets."
dt Ogilvie, dean emerita and professor emerita, has been recognized by the Center for Black Entrepreneurship for successful completion of her work as a Research Fellow of the Center. This program, launched in partnership with the Black Wealth Data Center, was designed to identify and fill gaps in Black entrepreneurship data and research.
Benjamin Hart ‘25 (MBA) joins the department of management as an adjunct professor beginning January 12, 2026.
Ahmad Namin PhD, joins the department of finance and accounting as an adjunct professor beginning January 12, 2026.
Jordan Clark ‘92 (hotel and resort management) joins the department of international hospitality and service innovation as an adjunct professor starting January 12, 2026.
Laharish Guntuka, assistant professor in the department of management, has received one of the Journal of Business Logistics Best Paper Awards with his co-authored paper: “Supply Chain Plasticity: A Responsive Network Capability to Ensure Resilience.”The paper advances resilience research by introducing supply chain plasticity as a distinct and actionable network capability.
Erik Hoppin ‘00 (business management) has been named Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley. Also, his team, “The Oaktide Group,” was recently included in the Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management teams for 2026 – the third year in a row.
Kurt Button ’09 (accounting) ’10 (MBA), partner MMB+CO, Wyatte C. Hall, Ph.D. ’08 (psychology), and Angela Deborah Nkugwa, Strategic Sourcing Specialist, RIT have been named to the Rochester Business Journal list of 40 Under 40 for 2025.
“Forty Under 40 recognizes Rochester’s leaders who are 39 years of age or younger for their professional accomplishments, community service and commitment to inspiring change.”
‘U.S. News & World Report’ ranks RIT online Executive MBA degree program among nation’s best
The 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings, released this week, listed Saunders College of Business’ online Executive MBA program as No. 13 in the nation for “Best Online MBA Programs.”
‘Forbes’ names RIT a top college for launching careers
Forbes has named RIT one of the “Top 15 Colleges for Launching Your Career,” highlighting the university’s strong cooperative education program, industry partnerships, and career-focused academic offerings.
Twelve graduates honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards
Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented annually by each of RIT’s nine colleges, the Graduate School, and the School of Individualized Study to alumni who have performed at the highest levels of their profession or who have contributed to the advancement and leadership of civic, philanthropic, or service organizations.
Executive MBA program plans targeted curriculum updates
The Executive MBA program at Saunders College of Business is preparing a set of curriculum updates with the aim of better aligning executive education with the needs of the current business environment.
