Dean's Report: 2024 Year in Review

The annual Women of Isenberg (WOI) Conference was held in February. This year’s theme was “Inspire, Influence, and Innovate," and the keynote speaker was alumna Shachar Scott ’02, who has helped to build and scale global brands including Meta Reality Labs, Bumble, Snapchat, and Apple.

The Hospitality & Tourism Management (HTM) Department held its 50th annual HTM Career Day in February. The slogan for this year’s event, “Proud Past, Golden Future,” represented the opportunities that HTM hopes to provide both the students and the companies that attended the Career Day, while reminiscing on the last 50 years of the department.

The Isenberg Insurance Academy (IIA) is a partnership between Isenberg faculty and industry professionals—such as Arbella, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, and Hanover. The initiative fosters educational and professional alliances within the insurance sector, promoting innovation and excellence in training and practice. Last academic year, the IIA formed a student club that recruited 45 new members.

"My favorite Isenberg experiences would involve meeting new, like-minded people—either through my classes or extracurricular activities."

"I’m grateful for being part of the early brainstorming sessions for Isenberg’s brand campaign."

"My mom always told me, ‘Go where you’re loved,’ and I felt Isenberg was the best fit for that descriptor."

"The Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship is a hub of incredible talent and driven individuals who are all inspiring to connect with."

In fall 2024, Isenberg welcomed its largest-ever class of new graduate students:

• Approximately 100 new students joined the MS in Accounting program this fall, up from 70 new students last year.
• More than 200 students were admitted to the MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) program
• Thirty-seven students —a third of whom are international —entered the Master of Finance program.

Students from the real estate track in Isenberg’s Master of Finance program have been providing property development consulting services to a citizen’s group in Amherst who are looking to expand the town’s tax base, vibrancy, sustainability, and economic health. The students investigated vacancy rates in Amherst and the demand for different types of properties, and created a financial model to demonstrate the potential impact on town revenue that might be generated for each type of property.

Isenberg has introduced a new Graduate Certificate in Project Management, as well as six focus areas (business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, healthcare administration, marketing, and sport management) to choose from for students in the Online and Hybrid MBA programs. These expanded offerings will ensure that Isenberg's innovative suite of programs support a variety of outcomes.

In new rankings published by U.S. News & World Report in February, Isenberg’s Online MS in Accounting and Online MS in Business Analytics programs were ranked number 6 in the Best Online Master’s in Business programs, an improvement of three places from 2023. In the Best Online MBA ranking, Isenberg’s program maintained its rank of number 12 overall from 2023, and its position within the top 10 public universities.

"Understanding how to analyze and work with data to make informed decisions is becoming more and more crucial across every industry, so I knew that what I learned in the program would prove to be valuable."

“I chose Isenberg and UMass because I loved my time here as an undergraduate student and this is one of the top business programs in the country. I knew the professors would help me achieve my goals and they’d be there to support me in my endeavors.”

“I transitioned in my career from private practice to chief medical officer at Endeavor Health Elmhurst Hospital, where I serve as president. I researched many MBA programs and decided that an online MBA would give me the flexibility to work full-time, provide a maximum amount of time to my family, and not burn out.”

Monideepa Tarafdar, Isenberg’s Charles J. Dockendorff Endowed Professor in Information Systems, has been named editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, one of the most respected and established journals in the field. Tarafdar is a world leader in her field and has published many influential papers concerning the positive and negative impacts of modern technology use and artificial intelligence.

Anna Nagurney, the Eugene M. Isenberg Chair in Integrative Studies, was appointed this fall to serve a five-year term as an expert on supply chains in the Science Advice and Guidance for Emergences (SAGE) program. SAGE is an Office of Enterprise Services, Administration, and Support Division program with a direct link to the Chief Scientist Office in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Lisa Pike Masteralexis, senior associate dean and sport management professor, has been recognized by Sports Business Journal as a member of its prestigious Honor Roll for her transformative impact on the field of sport management and her students. She has fostered a legacy of mentorship and connection that has shaped the careers of many industry leaders.

Isenberg’s Accounting Department hosted the 28th annual International Symposium on Audit Research (ISAR) in June at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza. The symposium was a convergence of the brightest minds in audit research. Forty-eight research papers from 12 countries were presented at ISAR 2024, including papers from 3 Isenberg faculty members.

David Firestein, a successful retail broker in New York with clients like Whole Foods and Starbucks, credits Isenberg with helping him embark on a career that felt like playing Monopoly—one of his favorite childhood pastimes. Eager to pay it forward, he hopes that creating the David Firestein Real Estate Scholarship will empower UMass undergraduate and graduate students specializing in real estate and give them support and guidance so that they can succeed in the industry.

Though initially drawn to finance, Alex Ambroz sought a career that offered more work-life balance, leading him to explore “allocator jobs”—positions focused on managing institutional investments for healthcare organizations, university endowments, and foundations. To spread the word about these career opportunities, Ambroz established the Allocator Jobs platform in 2023. 

Many people pursue a master’s degree in sport management with a goal of working with professional athletes, but Fatoumata Ouattara had a different plan—to work in community relations, youth development, and social responsibility in sports. Within a few months of finishing her McCormack degree, she joined the Special Olympics New York team as associate director of program school, and community. 

Posting on social media about his day-to-day life—commuting in Boston on the T, working out, chatting with friends—2019 Isenberg finance alumnus Davis Clarke made a name for himself in 2024 with short viral videos promoting positivity and looking to the future. Clarke, who works as a capital management manager at Citizens, gives credit to Isenberg Professor Bruce Weinberg, who helped him start an Instagram account as part of a marketing class project.