Saunders College of Business: Alumni Webinar

This panel-style discussion will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of what to expect from your RIT Saunders College of Business education.

Attendees will have the opportunity to interact live with our panelists and ask pressing questions regarding our alumni's RIT experience, career path/outcomes, and so much more! We look forward to you joining us!

Panelist

Jim Salzano, BS ’87 (Accounting)  CEO of Jones & Vining, Inc.

Jim Salzano BS ’87 is the CEO of Jones & Vining, Inc., a global manufacturer of footwear components supplied to over 500 of the best footwear brands including Nike, Adidas, New Balance, On and Under Armour.

In 1995, Jim joined Clarks Shoes as an executive vice president, becoming president in 2010 and setting Clarks on a path to achieve over $1 billion in revenue by 2013. During his time there, Jim was recognized as one of industry’s “Footwear News Power 100”. In 2015, he took over as CEO of Easy Spirit, a NYC-based women’s footwear brand. Over an 18-month period, product, marketing, and distribution underwent a complete transformation, and Jim was instrumental in the sale of the business to Marc Fisher in December 2016.

Jim has chaired the board for the Two Ten Footwear Foundation and was awarded the AA Bloom Award, which recognizes an individual in the industry for outstanding volunteerism. At Clarks, he co-founded the First Step Program, which provided internship opportunities to people with disabilities. He is a member of the RIT President’s Roundtable and Chair of the Saunders College of Business National Council. Jim is also a parent of current student at RIT. He resides in Boston with his wife Shana and four children, Nathaniel, Luca, Caden, and Ryker.

Bob Thomas, BS ’84  (Bus. Admin)– Chairman & CEO of Worldwide Speakers Bureau

Bob Thomas is widely recognized as a leader in the global lecture industry. His stellar reputation for outstanding service and strategic counsel has endeared him to clients and speakers alike. He has over 25 years of diverse domestic and international experience serving a wide range of client industries including financial services, transportation, technology, association, education, and defense. As such, Mr. Thomas has established solid relationships with past and present leaders in government, business, the economy, and the media.

Prior to founding Worldwide Speakers Group, Mr. Thomas helped lead a prominent global lecture agency, where he was recruited to execute an aggressive growth strategy to expand the agency’s worldwide presence and market share. In his 8 years with this agency, he specialized in building a global brand, recruiting speakers, and developing an international client base.

Mr. Thomas has led the recruitment of exclusive speakers and managed the day-to-day relationships with many of them. He has assisted former heads of state, captains of industry, and global media personalities with their communications strategies as well as their lecture goals and agendas to provide the greatest impact on audiences.

Throughout his lecture industry career, he has focused on establishing long-term client account relationships with multi-national and Fortune 1000 companies, trade associations, college/universities and international forums.

Prior to entering the lecture industry, Mr. Thomas served as a member of the senior management team for two service consulting companies in the travel management and energy industries. During his tenure, he successfully transformed key business and management strategies and practices, as well as secured new alliances with strategic business partners, all resulting in significant growth and profitability.

Mr. Thomas started his professional career in 1984 with IBM where he accomplished a record of significant achievement in sales and marketing and held executive positions in multiple IBM businesses.

Mr. Thomas is a graduate of the College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He serves as the Advisory Board Co-Chair at Berkshire School, a college preparatory school, in Sheffield, MA.

Stacey Wronkowski BS ’03 (MIS) – Vice President Digital Technology at United Airlines

Stacey Wronkowski serves as Vice President Digital Technology for United. In this role Stacey oversees the technology that runs the United Operation – from corporate safety to the airports, to the technology used by our crew, network operations and maintenance teams and everything in between.  She also leads the United Advanced Analytics and Employee User Experience organizations.

Stacey has been with United based in Chicago for 9 years and has over 20 years of technology experience. She previously held positions with General Electric, Ernst & Young and Crowe. Stacey obtained her bachelor’s degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and an MBA from Xavier University in Ohio.