1978
J. Ricardo Kfuri (’78 MIBS) lost his wife, Cheryl Woolfolk Kfuri (’78 MIBS) on March 22, 2023.
1982
Michele (Bowser) Carroll (’82 MIBS) has been named Executive Director of the International Society of Service Innovation Professionals, the global membership association advancing people-centered, data-intensive innovation to benefit business, society and humanity. Carroll continues to lead the marketing firm she founded in 1994, Carrollco Marketing Services, and serves as advisor and board director for several Silicon Valley/San Francisco organizations.
1983
Laura Watkins Biggerstaff (’83 marketing)’s Iron Elk, LCC received the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Certification by the South Carolina Department of Transportation. Iron Elk, a prominent safety apparel company, earned the certification that reflects the company’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and excellence in safety services. This will allow Iron Elk to participate in a broader range of projects and collaborations, fostering economic advancement across the state. The DBE program aims to provide equal opportunities for small businesses owned and operated by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Iron Elk's certification signifies the company's alignment with these goals, enhancing its ability to collaborate on projects that drive economic growth and support local communities.
To learn more about Iron Elk, please contact sales@ironelk.com or 864-770-3323 or visit ironelk.com.
1988
Melanie Reams Varin (’88 MIBS) published her book Ignite Topline Growth: How RevOps and Go-To-Market Alignment Spark Success as an eBook and a paperback. It is about the superpower that organizations tap into when their revenue-generating teams are working in sync. It is based on Varin’s experience leading a marketing team at GE Healthcare, then being asked to lead a national sales team as well — only to find out that their alignment wasn't where it should be. Varin’s book is available on Amazon and can be ordered where ever books are sold.
1994
Kevin Meredith (’94 MBA) published his book Under Penalty of Death in May 2023 with Red Lightning Books, an imprint of Indiana University Press. Available on Amazon, the book concerns the historic but long covered up and forgotten 1932 kidnapping of Howard Woolverton by Machine Gun Kelly. Meredith worked on it in his spare time while pursuing the day job USC educated for him in technology sales and marketing.
1997
Amy Bashor (’97 USC international studies, ’99 MHR) recently published her first children's book Rascal Takes Responsibility, the first in a series of stories about the Forest Friends, a group of adorable animal characters who live near the Standing Pines Campground in Hartsville, South Carolina. The book follows the adventures of Rascal and his friends as they learn the importance of admitting mistakes, making amends and offering forgiveness. Through beautiful illustrations by local artist Rebecca Powell and engaging storytelling, the book teaches children essential values that will help them grow into responsible and compassionate individuals. Published by Standing Tall Books, Rascal Takes Responsibility is now available for purchase on Amazon. Bashor plans to continue the Forest Friends series, with the second book scheduled for publication later this year.
2000
Dave Rogers (’00 management and marketing) accepted in 2023 the role of Director, Electric Truck Division at Ethero Truck and Energy. Ethero is a zero-emissions commercial truck dealership covering Maryland through South Carolina with additional expansions planned. The dealership represents Nikola and Lonestar SV brands.
2003
Ben Bomar (’03 MIBS) recently celebrated three years for the company he founded, Lithyus Group. Headquartered in Minnesota, Lithyus helps organizations transform their best practices into common practices by celebrating, retaining and sharing the institutional knowledge of key personnel. Though global in scope, Lithyus maintains strong ties to South Carolina, serving multiple clients in Columbia and Charleston.
2003
Tim Gallagher (’03 MACC) and his wife, Kara Gallagher, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Logan Jane, on August 17, 2023. In March 2023, Tim was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.
2003
Anna Huffman (’03 management and marketing) was re-elected as the Secretary for the National Information Officers Association.
2004
Jerrell Moore (’04 MHR, ’04 J.D.) began a new role as chief human resources and diversity officer on May 1, 2024, and became a member of the company's Management Committee on June 30, 2024. Moore joined the company in 2023 as chief diversity officer, bringing extensive experience in human resources and diversity with brands such as Google, Nike, Assurant, Spectrum and Burger King, and a career dedicated to the people space. The decision to incorporate the company's diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging function within human resources aligns with its overall strategic focus on talent development and sustainability.
2005
Felicia (Hardin) Stovall (’05 PMBA) has been promoted to Head of Administration, Senior Wealth Advisor and Trust Officer, Senior Vice President at Chesapeake Wealth Management. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®), Certified Wealth Strategist® (CWS®) and holds the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) designation. After earning her PMBA and a B.S. in psychology from Presbyterian College, Felicia attended the Cannon Financial Institute's Trust School (Trust I, II & III) and received her Certificate in Financial Planning from Emory University. She serves on the Williamsburg Health Foundation Board of Trustees and the Presbyterian College Alumni Associate Board of Directors. She served on the Gloucester-Mathews Care Clinic Board and is past president of the Rotary Club of the Historic Triangle. In addition, Felicia enjoys being an active member of the Virginia Peninsula Estate Planning Council and the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Councils.
Prior to joining Chesapeake Wealth Management, Felicia worked as a Trust Officer in South Carolina where she served on the South Carolina Bankers Association Wealth Management Committee and was a member of the Greenville Estate Planning Council, Spartanburg Estate Planning Council and Columbia Estate Planning Council. She is a former executive officer and board member of the Laurens County Habitat for Humanity chapter and past board member of the Laurens County Community Foundation, Clinton-Newberry Tennis Association and Laurens County Chorale.
2009
Somil Mehta (’09 IMBA), after 14 years of experience in international enrollment management in a university setting, he transitioned to the corporate side joining IDP Connect, a global leader in the international education sector. His role there as a Senior Client Success Manager is to help U.S. partner institutions reach their international recruitment goals. His professional journey in international education began as a result of being a student ambassador during his IMBA program at the Moore School. He said he has had the great opportunity to have traveled to over 50 countries and met such amazing students from diverse backgrounds. Mehta currently lives in Long Island, New York, with his family.
2011
Craig S. Glass (’11 MBA) owns photography business Ambrotype Visuals, which includes artistic architectural images of USC available for purchase and is now an official USC Alumni Association Gamecock Business Directory member. To learn more, visit AmbrotypeVisuals.com or UofSCAlumni.org/gamecock-business-directory.
2013
Jake Ward (’13 MBA) was recently appointed to be Vice President of Workplace Health Without Borders and supports various education projects for Vietnamese Universities, expanding knowledge of leadership and health risk reduction. He was also selected as the American Industrial Hygiene Association's representative to the International Occupational Hygiene Association Board of Directors, an association of occupational health organizations from across the world that represents the global community of occupational health professionals.
2013
Sarah Gibbs (’13 management and marketing) recently joined Graduate Columbia, a hotel in the heart of the USC campus, as Director of Rooms. In this role, Sarah serves as director of both housekeeping and front office departments. She is excited to be back in Columbia as she has moved around the East Coast since graduating 10 years ago. Sarah hopes to inspire other young Gamecocks to follow their dreams and passions and always be willing to wait for the right opportunity!
2014
Aseem Gupta (’14 IMBA)’s startup named Sahy electric was incubated at one of India's top universities. Sahy, which means “to do right,” is a venture which aims to make transportation free of cost and emissions by leveraging additional revenue streams. The enterprise was started in 2022 and is currently bootstrapped by the founding team.
2015
Chase Harding (’15 marketing) was recently promoted to Director, Addressable Strategy for Kinesso (IPG Mediabrands).
2018
Mary Sarah Ryan (’18 economics and finance) was just promoted to Senior Accountant with Search Solution Group Inc. out of Charlotte, North Carolina.
2019
Jack Bellissimo (’19 MBA) was named senior vice president of Product Management, Marketing and Strategy by ABB Installation Products, formerly known as Thomas & Betts. Bellissimo is leading the U.S. and Latin America region portfolio of electrification solutions. He will focus on strategically positioning the business in the global marketplace to continue developing, manufacturing and marketing products used to manage the connection, protection and distribution of electrical power in industrial, construction and utility applications.
Bellissimo joined ABB from Hubbell Electrical Products, a division of Hubbell, Inc., where he was the Vice President of Marketing and Product Management. Before that, he held sales and product leadership roles at Hubbell and Michelin, as well as operations and supply chain management roles at GE Power. ABB would also like to recognize Bellissimo's armed forces service. He served five years as an Airborne Army Ranger and Sr. Intelligence Analyst with the 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Army. He deployed three times to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal. Bellissimo earned a B.S. in business management from DeVry University. He relocated to the Memphis, Tennessee, area for the ABB SVP position.
2019
Jason Friedman (’19 finance) launched a startup in May 2022 called AdvisorFinder, which is an online marketplace helping people find and research financial advisors. Friedman co-founded tech startup AdvisorFinder with Drew Keever (’19 USC political science).
2019
Hannah Marcheschi (’19 operations and supply chain) and Keenan Smith (’18 finance and operations and supply chain) got engaged over Labor Day Weekend in 2023. Both studied operations and supply chain at the Moore School and met as members of Sigma Omega Upsilon International Business Fraternity. They now live in Chicago with their dog, Grizzly.
2020
Rory Silverman (’20 IMBA) and Pooja Subramanian (’20 IMBA) got married on Oct. 28, 2023 in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina!
2023
Elizabeth Oswald-Sease (’23 PMBA) was named Vice President of Finance and Operations for the South Carolina Governor's School of Science and Mathematics.
2024
Hunter William Blackwell (’24 IMBA) served as president of the MBA Student Association and received the Outstanding MBA Student in Global Strategy Award in 2024.