Several business leaders shaped by their Mary Washington University educations returned to campus last week as College of Business (COB) honorees.
At the ceremony on Friday night, October 10th. On the 14th, at the Cedric Rook University Center, COB inducted an alumnus into its Hall of Fame, named three distinguished alumni and honored three up-and-coming young alumni.
Jennifer Clift ’00 was inducted into the COB Hall of Fame as Senior Science Technology Manager and Chief Technology Officer for the King George County Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD). As an innovator and technologist, she advances NSWCDD’s technological capabilities through investment, collaboration, and education, including academic collaborations.
One of Clift’s favorite Mary Washington memories is her senior capstone project in a course taught by the late Garno Evans, in which she interviewed Southwest Airlines executives as part of an analysis of a successful business model. “It was a fun and rewarding experience and provided many leadership lessons that I have carried with me throughout my career,” she recalls.
Clift holds an MS in Engineering Systems from the Naval Graduate School and is currently pursuing a PhD in Engineering at George Washington University.
This year’s Distinguished Alumni recipients are Megan Shepherd ’94, W. Lee Murray ’04 and Krishna Sinha ’08.
Megan Shepherd of SimVentions is a distinguished alumnus of the School of Business.
W. Lee Murray of Cary Street Partners Wealth Management is a distinguished alumnus of the School of Business.
Krishna Sinha of CACI International is a distinguished alumnus of the School of Business.
Shepherd is the Chief Operating Officer of SimVentions, responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of the employee-owned Stafford County software company.She was named one of the most distinguished women leaders of 2021 Virginia Business Magazine.
Murray is a Financial Advisor and Managing Director of Cary Street Partners Wealth Management. As a member of the UMW Visitors Council, Murray has been recognized for his work in the financial industry and service to the community.
Sinha is Vice President of Market Development for CACI International, providing expertise and technology to support national security missions as well as defense, intelligence and civilian customers. After a successful career on Wall Street, he joined CACI and was named a “Rising Star”. corporate investor Magazine.
Rachel Lomax of NASA’s Langley Research Center is an honorary young alumnus of the School of Business.
Gerber Ortiz, owner of GO Masonry, is the recipient of the COB Young Alumni Award.
Brittany Murphy of Cary Street Partners is a young business school alumnus.
The winning young alumni are Rachel Lomax ’15, senior program analyst supporting NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program; entrepreneur Gerber Ortiz ’17, owner of GO Masonry serving Northern Virginia; and Brittany McBride ’18, of Cary Street Partners Certified Financial Planner and member of the UMW Women’s Leadership Symposium Advisory Board.
Additionally, the School of Business will welcome alumna Mark Logan ’04 to campus on Friday, October 5. 21, as this year’s Executive Officer in Residence (EIR). The EIR program provides students with the opportunity to interact with renowned leaders in the corporate world and enhance their knowledge of the free enterprise system.
Logan has spent his entire career in professional services, having spent the past 12 years in New York for RSM, a middle market focused audit, tax and advisory services provider. Since joining RSM’s Transaction Advisory Services group, he has played a key role in the group’s growth from 40 employees to over 500 people.
He is a CPA in New York and Virginia and is recognized as an emerging leader in the field.
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