2021 Alumni News Roundup
Revolutionizing intracity travel, leading across the C-suite and building a local donut empire are just a few of the ways Business Gators have made an impact this year.
In 2021, Warrington College of Business alumni proved why they are difference makers, even during challenging times. With their eyes set on innovation and results, Business Gators across the world made a positive and robust impact on their businesses and in their careers. From revolutionizing intracity travel to leading across the C-suite, read more about how Warrington College of Business alumni made an impact in 2021.
Alumni Accomplishments
Warrington alumni accomplishments know no bounds. Here are a few of the things Business Gators did this year.
Adam Goldstein (BSBA ’01) and Brett Adcock (BSBA ’08) | UF Warrington alumni taking intracity travel to new heights
Patrick Templeman (BSBA ’98, MAcc ’98) | Taking an accounting degree to the music industry
Abre’ Conner (BA ’09, BSBA ’09), Justin Deen (BABA ’05, HS ’16, MBA ’22), Liana Guerra (BS ’15, BA ’15, MBA ’20), William Lewis (JD ’08, MBA ’09), and Suneera Madhani (BSBA ’09) | Five Warrington alumni named among 2021 40 Gators Under 40
Jessica Rhodes (MBA ’14) | Warrington alumna at the top of the seventh annual Gator100
Kristyn Cadwell (MBA ’21) | UF MBA alumna named among Poets & Quants’ 100 Best & Brightest MBAs
Joe Hair (BSBA ’66, MS ’69, Ph.D. ’71) | The Great Facilitator
Rachelle Antoine (MBA ’21), Perry Dube (MBA ’21) and Mikaela Medeiros (MBA ’21) | Three UF MBA Class of 2021 members named MBAs to Watch by Poets & Quants
Cindy Pekrul (BSBA ’89, MAcc ’90) | Leading accounting across the media landscape
Isaac Hetzroni (BSBA ’20) | UF startup Imprint Genius named industry’s fastest growing promotional products company
Sam Lopez (MBA ’12, DBA ’20) | Turning a technical passion into a career in the Navy
Peter Sealey (BSBA ‘62) | Giving back to the future of marketing
Paul Gourley (MBA ’20) | Impacting the globe through the military and medicine
Alumni Spotlights
Our alumni make their mark around the world. In 2021, we put the spotlight on some of our talented alumni to learn more about where they are today and how they got there.
Jim Heistand (BSBA ’74) | Building billions
Patricia Pacey (BA ’71, Ph.D. ’76) | Economic empowerment
Cheryl Cook (BSBA ’85) | Leading the next generation
Chris Meyer (BSBA ’94, MBA ’03) | Bloomin’ into a CFO
Ben Plotkin (BSBA ’76) | Success through service
Debbie Harvey (BSBA ’76) | Riding the retail wave to success
Vassia Daskalakis (BSBA ’16) | Ditching corporate live for entrepreneurship
Drew Stuerman (BABA ’19) | Meet Halo Potato’s Chief Donut Officer
Elizabeth Castro Gulacsy (BSAc ’96, MAcc ’96) | From Cuba to CFO
Chris Winfrey (BSAc ’96, MBA ’98) | Mastering the language of business
Class Notes
We want to stay in-the-know with our alumni. Through Class Notes, we encourage alumni to tell us what’s new and exciting in their lives, both personally and professionally.
Have a Class Note you’d like to share? Click here to submit your news to the Warrington Class Notes.
Vedant Patel (MBA ’17) is Assistant Press Secretary at the White House under President Joe Biden.
Kathleen Plinske (MBA ’12) was named the next president of Valencia College in Orlando. She is the first female president of Valencia.
Zannon Garza (BSBA ’09) is Director of Strategic Development at DeAngelis Diamond.
Alicia Holden (BSBA ’12) joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) as Associate Counsel – Technology, Events and Team Marketing and Business Operations (TMBO).
Lillian Mills (BSAc ’80, MAcc ’81) was named dean of the University of Texas – Austin McCombs School of Business. Mills is the first woman to serve as permanent dean of McCombs in the school’s nearly 100-year history.
Philip Gilbo (MSM ’10) was named Chief of Radiation Oncology at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut.
Yasmeen Neal (BABA ’02) is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard. She was named the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year, an honor bestowed by the Stars and Stripes National Guard Bureau.
Brandon Krumins (MSRE ’19) is Co-Founder and CEO of Unbard Coffee, a beverage company that fuels athletes with a cold-brew and pre-workout blend.
Tanya Sanders (MBA ’07) was named head of Wells Fargo’s auto division.
Robert Norris (Ph.D. ’97) is Chief Strategy Officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a combat support agency within the United States Department of Defense.
Yesenia Scheker Izquierdo (BSAc ’99, MAcc ’99) was named KPMG’s New York Office Managing Partner and New York Market Hub Leader. She is the first woman and Latina in the role.
Michael Hoffman (BSBA ’88) is Director, Brand Partnership, at iHeartMedia Atlanta.
Ronika Carter (MSM ’10) is Corporate Counsel at the WTA Tour, Inc., the governing and sanctioning body for the worldwide circuit of women’s professional tennis.
