Alumni Class Notes

  • Barry Pearson CPA (M.S. in Accounting in ’07) has been appointed Vice President for Finance & Chief Financial Officer at Grambling State University, effective April 15, 2026. Pearson is a strategic finance executive with nearly two decades of experience leading financial operations across complex, multi-billion-dollar organizations. He most recently served as Vice President, Head of Finance, BET Media Group at Paramount Global, where he oversaw financial operations for the billion-dollar media division and advised executive leadership on strategy, investment, and performance. Pearson began his finance and accounting career with global accounting firm Ernst & Young. Pearson’s experience spans financial planning and analysis (FP&A), accounting, audit, and large-scale organizational transformation, including acquisitions, divestitures, financial system modernization, and enterprise-wide strategic planning. His appointment reflects a growing trend of institutions recruiting senior financial leaders from global industries to navigate an increasingly complex higher education landscape.

  • Katrina Liao (M.S. in Accounting ’05), Investment Partner at Coller Capital, and Co-Opted Investment Committee Member of Guy’s & St Thomas’​ Foundation, has been named to PE Hub’s Women in Equity 2026 list. The annual edition celebrates 10 stars in the industry.

  • Jeffrey Pietras ’98 has stepped into a new role at Global Payments Inc. as Head of Corporate Development for the Integrated & Platforms business.

  • Derek Rush ’17 has joined Angeles Equity Partners LLC as a Vice President on the investment team. The private investment firm partners with niche manufacturing, critical industrial services, and specialty distribution businesses to realize their full potential. In this role, he will focus on evaluating, executing, and managing investments across the industrials sector. Before joining Angeles, Rush was an investment professional at Ardian in New York, where he was primarily responsible for deal evaluation and execution. Prior to Ardian, he served as an Investment Banking Analyst with Piper Jaffray’s Services and Industrials team.

  • Anderson Granger ’16 and Corinne Thomas ’17 were married Dec. 20, 2025, in Palm Beach, FL. After a wedding trip to Thailand and The Maldives, the couple is living in New York, where the bride is Vice President for Investments at Kelso & Company and the bridegroom is Director, Real Estate Mergers and Aquisitions and Corporate Advisory at JLL.

  • Christopher D. Stanley ’76 retired in 2022 after 30 years as a professor and author focusing on the social and religious world of early Christianity and Judaism. In addition to his academic publications, he recently released the final volume of his historical fiction trilogy, A Slave’s Story. He and his wife, Laurel Stanley (Nursing ’77), live in Southern California.

  • Kathleen (Leeny) K. Oberg ’82 has been appointed to the board of directors of Yum! Brands Inc., effective April 1, 2026. Ms. Oberg served as Marriott International Inc.’s Chief Financial Officer from 2016 until 2026 and Executive Vice President, Development of Marriott from 2023 until 2026. Previously, Ms. Oberg was the Chief Financial Officer for The Ritz-Carlton from 2013 to 2015, contributing significantly to the brand’s performance, growth, and organizational effectiveness. Prior to that role, Ms. Oberg served in a range of financial leadership positions with Marriott, including Senior Vice President, Corporate and Development Finance and Senior Vice President, International Project Finance and Asset Management for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Ms. Oberg first joined Marriott as part of its Investor Relations group in 1999. Prior to that, she held a variety of financial leadership positions with Sodexo (previously Sodexo Marriott Services), Sallie Mae, Goldman Sachs, and Chase Manhattan Bank. Ms. Oberg was previously a member of the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s IREFAC Council. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Adobe Inc.

  • Tim Coughlin ’94 has been hired by UBS as a Managing Director, joining UBS from JP Morgan, where he spent two decades. Throughout his career, Tim has guided individuals, families, and business owners through complex financial decisions with remarkable clarity and tailored strategies. Starting out as a bond trader on Wall Street, Tim later transitioned to Wealth Management—a move that allowed him to genuinely align his core values and principles with client outcomes. Tim’s deep expertise brings valuable insights, providing a truly holistic approach to financial solutions. Growing up as a football coach’s child, discipline and dedication were ingrained in Tim’s life from an early age, qualities that continue to shape his professional journey. Tim now resides in Franklin Lakes, NJ, with his wife, Andrea, and together they are proud parents to Emma, Shea, and Brennon.

  • Jen Mason ’92 has assumed the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Marriott International. Mason joined Marriott in 1992 and most recently served as Global Officer, Treasurer, and Risk Management. Since joining Marriott, Mason has held several leadership roles, including CFO for the company’s largest segment, the U.S. & Canada division, Senior Vice President of IT Business Partnership & Planning, as well as Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing Planning Support. In her first 16 years with Marriott, she held a number of positions of increasing responsibility in Internal Audit, Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis, Lodging Finance and Business Development.

  • Chad Kanyer (M.S. in MIT ’22) has started a new role as a Senior Account Executive at Tekion Corp.

  • Harrison Wray ’18 has started a new position as Senior Manager at West Monroe.

  • James Maina ’13 has started a new position as Principal at StepStone Group.

  • Caroline Wimbleton (M.S. in Global Commerce ’18), after eight years with Allianz Partners, working across Madrid, Paris, Dubai, Richmond, and its global brand and partnerships teams, is stepping into a new role leading the North America consumer mobile app ecosystem at Electrolux Group.

  • Courtney Schoeb ’24 is joining Giant Ventures’ inaugural Investor Program. She will be based in San Francisco, with a particular focus on Giant’s growth fund. Originally from Charlottesville, Courtney started her career in private equity at Evergreen.

  • Zachary S. Evans (M.S. in MIT ’20) has officially transitioned from Administrative Fellow to Manager, Desktop Support Services at UVA Health.

  • Tristan Snyder (M.S. in Business Analytics ’25) recently started a new position as Business Analyst at Koalafi.

  • Sircia Levitt ’25 is a Production Manager and Engineer at FinDash, a fintech startup building an AI-native platform for financial advisers.

  • Merritt Lane III ’83, President and CEO of Canal Barge Company, served as the 2026 Rex, King of Carnival in New Orleans. He greeted the city on Feb. 17 during the Rex Procession, a highlight of Mardi Gras Day since the Rex Organization first paraded in 1872. He also presided over the Rex Ball that evening, alongside the Queen of Carnival. Throughout the Carnival season, he participated in traditional civic and ceremonial events leading up to Mardi Gras Day.

  • Shannon Nash (McIntire ’92, Law ’95), a Partner at AI governance intelligence company Alpha, has been named to Women We Admire’s list of Top 50 Women Leaders in Finance for 2026.

  • Shelby Davis (A&S ’21, M.S. in Commerce ’22), Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Northern Neck Electric Cooperative, recently volunteered with the Team USA Welcome Experience ahead of this year’s Winter Olympics, gaining a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on the preparation that supports America’s athletes. Held during the final week of January, the Welcome Experience is the central hub where athletes collect their gear from Team USA partners, with activations from Ralph Lauren, Nike, SKIMS, and others. Davis contributed to logistics, from packing and organizing athlete kits to staging Opening and Closing Ceremony outfits in dressing rooms and taking inventory of hundreds of apparel items.

  • Erin Bailey (M.S. in Global Commerce ’19), Project Manager and Market Account Manager for Olympic & Paralympic Partnership at Allianz, carried the Olympic Flame in Lake Garda, Italy, on its journey across the country last month. The Torch Relay is a tradition dating back to the origin of the Games, and the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Torch Relay elevates the scale, with over 10,000 Torch Bearers journeying across the 110 provinces of Italy. Bailey returned to Italy to support the Olympic Winter Games in February.