alumni

Co-founded in 2018 by Trevor Montano, BS Accounting ’00, and Derek Horstmeyer, a professor of finance at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, the Montano Student Investment Fund (SMIF) is an all-equity investment fund administered by finance students at the Costello College of Business.

Mason alumna Kristen Cavallo was named the Virginia Business Magazine Business Person of 2023, a distinction that recognizes her achievements in growing companies while emphasizing diversity in leadership.

Shabinaaz Mahdi, BS Accounting ’12, discovered a passion for accounting at the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University. While in school, she was introduced to Baker Tilly, a leading advisory tax and assurance firm, where she has risen through the ranks to become partner.

The Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University is committed to the active-duty military service members and veterans who come to Mason to enhance their education. We caught up with some military veterans who recently graduated from the Mason MBA program who shared the impact the MBA program has had on their career already, and how the Mason MBA could be beneficial for others.

The RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Success through Entrepreneurship) Program as a cohort of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's SOAR Initiative. SOAR provides a holistic model for startups and empowers individuals who do not currently have adequate access to entrepreneurship training opportunities. RISE focuses its support on aspiring entrepreneurs from refugee and immigrant backgrounds.

Mason alum Horace Blackman was elected as rector of Mason’s Board of Visitors in July, after serving as vice rector for the past two years.

Mason alum Alaleh Jenkins, acting assistant secretary for the United States Navy, shared her keys for success in a fireside chat with School of Business Dean Ajay Vinzé.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Alaleh Jenkins, BS Accounting ’97, immigrated to the United States as a teenager without speaking any English. As a student at George Mason University, she enrolled in basic English classes and quickly became fluent in English while also excelling in her other courses. Focused on academics as well as adjusting to and succeeding in a new country, she took advantage of Mason’s job fairs, landing a job at a major CPA firm after graduation.  “I got a lot of tough love at my first job and I will be forever grateful to my employer for pushing me out of my comfort zone,” Jenkins says.

With the daytime dedicated to her nine-to-five job and evenings occupied with coursework, the financial support that Kaylene Green, BS Accounting & Legal Studies ’87, received from her employer was integral to her success. Now the president and CEO of Flagship Government Relations, Inc., she makes sure to return the favor, supporting the business students of her alma mater.

In her 2021 PhD dissertation, Ashley Yuckenberg, a trained journalist and assistant professor of business communications at Mason, plumbs the ethical quandaries of crisis coverage—and provides a framework for guiding journalists through them.