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The School of Business recently welcomed nine new board members to the Dean’s Advisory Council. The council acts as a partnership between the school and business leaders in order to deepen the business community’s participation in the development of Mason business students. Members of the council represent a variety of industries and provide a real world perspective that ensures the school’s program curricula meet current industry needs.

As Ngoc Le was wrapping up her sophomore year at the ����AV School of Business, she was surprised to learn that she had been nominated for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) scholarship. After a demanding application process, her hard work was rewarded as she was named a PCAOB scholar.

Already an accomplished marketing executive, Patricia Mejia, returned to Mason to attain the master of science in technology management, graduating in 2012. Mejia is now the chief marketing officer at GoTab Inc., which provides food and beverage establishments with e-commerce solutions, a service increasingly in demand.

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.

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.

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.

There are many misconceptions about employing people who have developmental disabilities. Operating out of Manassas, Virginia, Didlake finds and creates employment opportunities for people with developmental and other kinds of disabilities. One of their business ventures in creating such opportunities is The UPS Store franchising, an operation well suited for job skills training. Recently they added a location, opening up on ����AV’s Fairfax campus. In partnership with Mason LIFE, a program offering a university experience to young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Didlake has assembled a team to proficiently handle the printing, packaging, and shipping needs of the campus community.

During her time at the School of Business, Nancy Sydnor, BS Marketing ’99, formed lasting friendships among her classmates and instructors. “Starting at Mason in my 40s and further along in my career, I was nervous about fitting in,” she says. “But everyone was so welcoming and helpful. My Mason experience was immensely positive.”

Growing up in Paris, France, Ava Nia, BS Marketing ’19, fondly recalls coffee breaks paired with delicious baked goods. A passion baked at a young age ultimately inspired her to establish Baked à la Carte, a business she runs while also balancing the pursuit of an MBA at Mason and working fulltime as a marketing business partner at CGI.

When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Darin Simmons Jr. MBA '11, recognizes there’s challenging work to be done, work that won’t be accomplished overnight.