News, Notes, and Nods: Graduates

April 7, 2026

Graduates smile during the Commencement ceremony

(Photo: Nic Czarnecki/Babson College)

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1981

Alan G. Thomas MBA’81 released a second edition of his 2015 book, Best Business Practices: Guidelines and Tools for Team Planning and Learning Faster Than Your Competitors. Co-written with Larry Kennedy, the second edition was released in July and is meant to serve as a well-organized business management and self-help guide to help companies embrace and implement AI.

1982

Michael Komich MBA’82 stepped down in March as the senior vice president for finance and operations at Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine, after working at the school for 35 years. Shawn Hawthorne ’06, MSA’06, who attended the school and later worked with Komich while serving on the school’s board of trustees, called Komich “a true pillar for the school.” Hawthorne added that many of the students attending Cheverus High School needed financial aid, and Komich did everything in his power to “make the financial equation work for these families to attend Cheverus.”

1984

Paul Scheufele MBA’84, P’19 wrote his first novel, Damaged Goods, which was published in July. The story involves a successful Wall Street trader whose life is upended when he inherits his deceased sister’s frozen eggs. The family drama explores the fault lines between ambition and compassion.

1992

Scott Magnacca MBA’92 recently published Storyselling in The Age of AI, a book focused on helping entrepreneurs and those in sales use generative AI to boost profits while maintaining the human touch. Magnacca, also an adjunct faculty member at Babson, also incorporated parts of his course, AI Enabled Selling for Client Facing Financial Professionals, into the book.

1994

Dave Doherty MBA’94, CEO of DigiKey, received the 2025 Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in October. The award, named in honor of WPI graduate Dr. Robert H. Goddard, a pioneer in the field of rocketry, is presented annually to alumni who have distinguished themselves through their professions. “We are proud to present Dave with the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in recognition of his contributions and achievements in the semiconductor manufacturing and electronics distribution industries,” said Arly Dungca, president of the Alumni Association at WPI. “Dave’s leadership and commitment to engineering and design progress have enabled innovation around the world.” Pictured (from left): WPI President Grace Wang, Doherty, and Dungca.

1999

Gillian Meek MBA’99 joined Bauer Hockey as executive vice president and general manager in September. Meek previously served as CEO of Kamik Canada Inc. and led the turnaround at the Keds brand as global president. She also held senior roles at Wolverine Worldwide, Stride Rite, Timberland, and Reebok. “Gillian joins us with a valuable combination of successful leadership experience across a range of global brands and the core values of team and consumer first that are fundamental to Bauer Hockey,” said Ed Kinnaly ’87, CEO of Peak Achievement Athletics and Bauer Hockey.

2000

Lebone C. Moses MBA’00 was named to the 2025 list of top 50 women leaders of Raleigh, North Carolina, in October. The annual list, published by Women We Admire online, cited Moses’s talents as a strategic business executive and advisor who empowers leaders to build stronger, more sustainable businesses.

2009

Adam Mascari MBA’09, co-founder of Origyn Solutions, announced the company received a $2 million grant from the Rhode Island Life Science Hub to advance women’s health. Founded in 2020, Origyn Solutions is a medical equipment and consulting firm focused on women’s health, which connects physician innovators and universities with resources to accelerate medical device development. “This award is a meaningful validation of our mission to accelerate medtech innovation in women’s health,” Mascari said.

2011

Ondrea Starzhevskiy MSA’11 was tapped by Worcester County, Maryland, officials to become the county’s deputy finance officer last September. Officials lauded Starzhevskiy’s extensive experience in municipal finance, including her time as director of finance for Easton Public Schools in Massachusetts from 2022 to 2025, and as the former director of finance for the City of Arcata in California from 2018 to 2022.

2012

Rob Ryan MBA’12 wrote Death by Digital Friction, which was published in October. Written for workplace leaders, the book examines the emergence of digital friction in the workplace and its underlying causes. It is meant to help leaders address how organizations can overcome friction and reclaim productivity in the modern workplace.

2014

Shashank Ramineni MBA’14 co-founded FastPix Inc., a Chicago-based company that builds software tools that let companies easily add streaming video, video analytics, and AI-powered video capabilities to their products.

2016

Adrian Herr ’11, MBA’16: See Undergraduate, 2011

2017

Erik Slettehaugh MBA’17 and Mitch McKinnon ’14 reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on September 28 as part of a charitable hike that raised more than $5,000 to fight substance abuse. The hike was organized by a close friend of Slettehaugh and McKinnon, who lost his nephew to substance abuse.

2024

Sameer Tyagi MBA’24 joined Gulfeagle Supply, a leading distributor of building materials in the nation. Tyagi will serve as the AI and process improvement manager, leading initiatives to apply artificial intelligence, machine learning, and process optimization tools to streamline workflows, reduce inefficiencies, and drive operational improvements across Gulfeagle.

MORE NEWS, NOTES, AND NODS FROM THE SPRING 2026 ISSUE:
Undergraduates » In Memoriam »