Costello College of Business News

Katharyn White is vice president of Federal Ecosystem at IBM, and co-academic director for the Chief Marketing Officer Program for George Mason University’s Executive Development Program. Recently, we had the opportunity to catch-up with White to learn more about her work with Mason’s Executive Education program and her take on the industry.

In business, a specialist strategy can sometimes be riskier than a generalist one. Competing in only one industry leaves firms highly vulnerable to heightened income volatility, with extreme gains and losses, often alternating in quick succession. Innovative firms, whose business models are based on heavy R&D investments with uncertain returns, are especially affected by these fluctuations. Kelly Wentland, assistant professor of accounting, discusses this issue.

With her client expertise, people skills, and work ethic, Andrias White Murdaugh, MBA ’15, has risen quickly through the leadership ranks. While many young professionals must undergo extensive on the job learning, she believes that the education she received at Mason, at the undergraduate and graduate level, prepared her to be an immediate and impactful leader in the industry.

Government corruption has universally corrosive effects on U.S. society. Yet there is little uniformity to the structure of state-level corruption oversight agencies. Syrena Shirley, an assistant professor of accounting at Mason, recently published a research paper in Current Issues in Auditing suggesting that in the fight against corruption, these structural inconsistencies are impactful.

This academic year the George Mason University School of Business graduated a total of 1,337 students - 1,106 undergraduates, and 231 graduate students. During his remarks at the School's Degree Celebration on Sunday, May 22, Dean Maury Peiperl commended students for their determination to succeed in this very challenging time.

In the first of a three-part series for the summer semester, on Tuesday, June 7, at 12 noon, the GMU Center for Retail Transformation will host a virtual panel on how retailers can transform shoppers' in-store experience.

Much discussion has been centered around the importance of balancing work and well-being. In an article written by School of Business students, they found that investing in your personal well-being boosts productivity and health.

On November 1, 2021, Dominique Callins, Women in Business Initiative board member, was sworn in as a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia. This remarkable achievement was earned after years of dedication to her clients and a commitment to excellence.

Graduating with a bachelor of science in information systems and operations management (ISOM) and minors in business analytics and health information technology, Bhagya Nair is the student speaker at this year’s Spring Commencement.

Innocent Adebiyi has one of the more inspiring George Mason University’s School of Business stories. A first-generation graduate student and a 2021 Virginia State University graduate, Adebiyi is pursuing his master’s in finance (MSF) while also serving our country as an active-duty Logistics Officer and Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Active-Duty Component.

With a desire to help others and run a business on her own terms, Judy L. Redpath, MBA ’84, founded VISTA Wealth Strategies, a financial planning and wealth management firm, in 2006. She cherishes working alongside her clients to construct roadmaps to their dreams, and her successes in doing so have led to being named to Forbes’ Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State list.

For Margaret Pike, a super senior who transferred to George Mason University School of Business from Northern Virginia Community College with an AS in business administration, taking advantage of the connections she can make at Mason was an opportunity she would not let pass.