By: Lisa Chinn Marvashti   Keegan Kearl tapped out calculations on his cellphone while Christopher Ashley and Rodrigo Alexander Veliz hunched over a laptop. All three, along with their Spotsylvania High School teammates, were intent on making a robot do their bidding. The teens were among more than 70 students representing 12 districts—from Richmond to North Stafford, and throughout the Northern Neck—at last weekend’s début Innovation Challenge @Dahlgren, conceived as an annual event. Fredericksburg Christian School took home the top prize—$3,000, a ginormous trophy and a year’s worth of bragging rights—in the two-day robotics-style competition aimed at boosting STEM learning. “This is an opportunity to show how important these skills and capabilities are,” University of Mary Washington College of Business lecturer John Burrow told the competitors at the start of the contest, held at UMW’s Dahlgren Campus. “Your goals are important to the nation, the region and … [Read more...]

  By: Cathy Dyson, The Free-Lance Star Mariam Ahmed talked so little about the lifelong breathing problems she’s faced that her cousin and best friend, her go-to person in times of crisis, didn’t know for years how serious the condition was. Ahmed, a 22-year-old senior at the University of Mary Washington, has cystic fibrosis, a disorder that progressively damages the lungs and digestive system. Since infancy, she’s dealt with mucous-filled coughs and shortness of breath, pain in her lungs and fatigue. But even at her worst times, when she ended up in intensive care in 2019, twice, after lung infections raged out of control, Ahmed focused on others, according to her cousin and best bud Zanab Farooq. Farooq is 16 days older than Ahmed and jokes that she uses her senior status to every advantage. When the girls were younger, Farooq said she knew her cousin had some sort of ailment, but never understood its severity because Ahmed didn’t talk about it … [Read more...]

Oct. 5, 2021  |  By: Jill Laiacona Becca Winicour stands on her tiptoes to snag a soy yogurt off the top shelf, as Maggie Ellis, grocery scanner in hand, consults another classmate. “I found three blueberry ones,” she said, “but they’re not even a month old.” These University of Mary Washington seniors are enrolled in a new course called Alleviating Food Waste, which explores the root causes of unused food – a multi-billion-dollar problem in the United States – as well as ways in which it can be remedied. Hungry to learn more, students spend a few hours each week documenting expired products at the Fredericksburg Food Co-op, create tasty dishes with soon-to-be discarded items and cook up campaigns for saving imperfect produce. “Around 40 percent of all food in our country goes to waste,” said Associate Professor of Marketing Kashef Majid, who teaches the class. “Households are the main culprit,” he said, often buying an abundance of goods they don’t use, … [Read more...]

Ben Maxwell began his career with Edward Jones three days after graduating from the University of Mary Washington with dual degrees in Business Administration and Economics in 2005.  Through the years he has built his career with Edward Jones and has become one of the most sought after wealth advisors in the region.  Currently, his office in Fredericksburg, VA is responsible for leading 60 Edward Jones branches throughout Northern Virginia. With such an impressive career it is not hard to see why Forbes chose to recognize him by including him on their 2021 Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors list.  Each year Forbes develops this list by conducting an intense review of wealth advisors, which includes conducting telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and using quantitative data. Of the wealth advisors that are selected for the list, Forbes states that “they’re seasoned, have lived through market cycles, and their deep relations with families – often representing three or more … [Read more...]

By NSWCDD Corporate Communications DAHLGREN, Va  –  Discovering a talent that aligns with a passion is a rewarding feat and can lead to an enriching career. For Geneva Honeyman, exploring her many talents meant pursuing different avenues before recognizing where her passion truly lay. When asked about her early career aspirations, Honeyman fondly recalls her childhood interest in veterinary medicine, and a special knack for science and mathematics projects, which eventually led to the field of forensics. “I really enjoyed the science behind forensics but didn’t want to be that close to crime,” Honeyman said in a recent conversation. “I wanted to find an area of study that I would be passionate about.” When Honeyman enrolled at the University of Mary Washington she initially planned on majoring in psychology, but several impactful business and accounting courses convinced her to pivot to a business major. A chance encounter with visitors from the Naval Surface Warfare Center … [Read more...]

July 27, 2021  |  By: Jill Laiacona Just like it was yesterday, Mike Shane ’04 remembers the Washington Nationals making the playoffs nearly a decade ago. “An hour after the game ended, stands were still packed. Everyone was cheering as the players took a lap around the field, high-fiving their fans,” said Shane, who spent 13 years moving up through the organization. “From the players to the staff to the fans, that night was the culmination of so much effort, energy and passion. Mike Shane ’04 is the chief business officer for Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team and Wells Fargo Center. Shane, who also spent over a decade with the Washington Nationals, was just named to Sports Business Journal‘s ‘Forty Under 40’ list. Shane, who played baseball and earned a bachelor’s degree while at Mary Washington, has seen his hard work pay off. This summer, he was named to Sports Business Journal’s (SBJ) “Forty Under 40” list.  Now chief business officer for … [Read more...]

The College of Business is proud to recognize 2020 graduate, Nehemia Abel, for receiving a 2021 Payne Fellowship through the U.S. Department of State, which “provides up to $96,000 in benefits over two years for graduate school, internships, and professional development activities.”  The Payne Fellowship is a highly competitive program, though for many it is no surprise that Abel, who was highly involved in the UMW and Fredericksburg communities, made the cut. While pursuing a degree in marketing, Abel, who is a Burundian refugee, sought opportunities to promote diversity and multiculturalism on campus through participation in events through the James Farmer Multicultural Center, leadership roles with the African Student Union and Brothers of a New Direction, and as a mentor with RISE.  He also helped co-found the non-profit organization, Ubumwe, which assists Burundian refugees with pursuing higher education and careers. This commitment to helping the community and promoting … [Read more...]

  Q: You began teaching at Mary Washington College in 1986.  What made you want to become a professor? A: I began practicing law in Fredericksburg in 1978 with an emphasis in the areas of tax , wills and estates, and business transactions.  In 1980 I was requested by an acquaintance to teach a tax class at Germanna.  I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and each semester I taught either a tax or business law class.  In the fall of 1985 as a Business Leader I attended the Department of Business Administration’s Annual Business Breakfast and at that event I told the Department Chair that if he ever needed somebody to teach tax I would be happy to do so.  He explained that there was a full time position open to do just that and so I applied. After being chosen to be the candidate I then had to learn how to divide my time to carry on two equally enjoyable and demanding careers.  What made this such a great combination was that in the mornings I was teaching the students how … [Read more...]

For Tad Dickman ’12, Glenn Gray ’07, Jin Wong ’97, and Ricky Volante, sports at Mary Washington weren’t just a game; they were a passion.  A passion that each of them has translated into a career in the sports industry.  On Tuesday, February 2nd, the College of Business welcomed all four back to discuss their work as part of the ‘So You Think You Want To…’ series, which gives students the opportunity to learn more about industries that they might be interested in, as well as connect with alumni who are currently working in those industries. As mentioned, all four panelists participated in team sports at Mary Washington; Wong and Volante played baseball, Dickman played basketball, and Gray played soccer.  Now, all four are working in various areas of the sports industry; two in professional sports, Tad Dickman with the PGA Tour and Jin Wong with the Kansas City Royals, and two in roles that support the sports industry, Glenn Gray with the Buffalo Groupe and Ricky Volante with the … [Read more...]

The world of business is fast paced and ever changing, much like the uncertain times that have accompanied the Covid-19 pandemic.  Thus, to help prepare incoming students who wish to study business, the College of Business has developed an orientation website that not only provides students with information about the programs offered within the COB, but also features videos from current students, staff, faculty, and alumni. In addition to the orientation website, the COB has also launched a Facebook group, UMW Incoming Business Students, through its Facebook page.  Students who are interested in majoring in a business program are strongly encouraged to join this group in order to connect with other students, faculty, and staff. To visit the COB's orientation website, click here.   … [Read more...]