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University of South Florida Muma College of Business   February 2017
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: MUSTAFA SAGUN OVERSEES BILLIONS IN ASSETS
With a doctorate from USF's business school in 1994, the native of Turkey has soared in the business world. He credits his education at USF and connections he made while he was here as being crucial to his success. He now is chief investment officer for Principal Global Equities, an investment company that manages some $74 billion in assets. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa,  with his wife, Lisa Sutton, also a USF grad who earned an MBA here.   Learn More
DON BERNDT TAKING HIS RESEARCH TO THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Don Berndt, associate professor with the Information Systems Decision Sciences Department, soon will head to Washington to share his expertise with the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Financial Research. His travels are part of a new externship program in which professors opt out of classes for a while to work in the real world. There, they address issues using their research to solve practical problems. He is the second Muma College of Business professor to participate in the program.   Learn More
MUMA'S BRIGHTEST FRESHMEN GET DINNER AND SOME INSPIRATION
Dozens of the brightest and most motivated Muma College of Business freshmen, each with a GPA of 3.75 or higher, were treated to dinner and inspiring speeches; talks telling them they are special because of their high grade-point averages and urging them to stay in college and prosper even when times are difficult. It was a remarkable evening for these young Bulls. Learn More
SBDC FLORIDA'S STUDENT TEAMS HELPING REAL-WORLD BUSINESSES 
The Florida Small Business Development Center at USF worked with professors on campus to come up with an innovative concept that helps students, the center and involved businesses. It's a triple-win situation, says Eileen Rodriguez, regional director of the Florida SBDC at USF. Students see the inner workings of a real business; the SBDC expands its offerings and businesses get some valuable advice  for growing their brands. Learn more
SPORT & ENTERTAINMENT ANALYTICS CONFERENCE SET IN MARCH
The technical side of sports and entertainment marketing takes center stage at the annual University of South Florida Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference in March. The conference, in its third year, targets business leaders who deal with data and use it to drive key decisions in the sport and entertainment industries. The latest trends will be examined along with the growing importance of analytics. The conference takes place on March 29-30 at the USF Alumni Center on the Tampa campus.   Learn more
USF BUSINESS/TECH STUDENTS ALL OVER CHATBOTS AT HACKATHON
Competition was fierce among 20 USF students who wrapped themselves up with chatbots competing for cash in a Jabil-sponsored Hackathon. The event took place over a 12-hour span in January. This was the first Hackathon - an event at which creativity and self-expression through technology are rewarded -  sponsored by Jabil and hosted by USF. The top team won $1,000. Learn More
FINANCE PROFESSOR DAN BRADLEY AWARDED FULBRIGHT CORE  
Dan Bradley, a professor of finance in USF's Muma College of Business, was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in January becoming the fourth Muma business professor since 2015 to be honored with the prestigious Fulbright core scholarship and the fifth to be recognized by the auspicious program. "It's an honor to be awarded a Fulbright," Bradley says. "They are extremely competitive. I hope that it can help expand the USF brand on an international level."   Learn More

CELEBRATION OF FREE ENTERPRISE TO HONOR SHEILA JOHNSON 
A woman of firsts, Sheila Johnson is the honoree at the Celebration of Free Enterprise fundraising event scheduled for March. Johnson was the first woman to have ownership interests in three professional sports teams and the Innisbrook owner was also co-founder of the BET network; the first African American-controlled company listed on the NYSE.  Learn More
THE FLORIDA INTERCOLLEGIATE CASE COMPETITION COMING UP
The Florida Intercollegiate Case Competition, hosted by USF's Muma College of Business, is approaching and the field is expected to be full. The event, in its 15th year, is set for Feb. 24-25 and the graduate-student competitors come from USF, UF, FSU, FIU and UM. What are the rules of this game? Learn more
WORK DONE, RIBBON CUT; DBA SUITE HAS A BRAND NEW NAME
Big celebration at the Muma College of Business Doctor of Business Administration Suite, now known as the Mohamad Ali Hasbini DBA Suite, A ribbon was cut to commemorate the new name and to recognize the generous gift Hasbini, himself a doctoral candidate, gave to pay for the expansion of the space. Learn More
FACULTY/STAFF NOTES 
  • K. Doreen MacAulay, professor with the Information Systems Decision Sciences Department led a student team to the Phi Beta Lambda district competition at HCC recently and the four students will move on to the state competition in Orlando next month. Khushboo Bhatia, Preston Jones, Shawn Zamani and Manan Patel, all garnered first- and second-place finishes.
  • GJ de Vreede, professor in the Information Systems Decision Sciences Department who teaches graduate project management courses, was recognized at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences  as the second most productive HICSS author overall in the 50-year history of the conference, which is the longest running information technology-related conference in the world. He had penned 87 papers.
  • Anol Bhattacherjee, also a professor in the Information Systems Decision Sciences, and co-authors won the best paper award at the HICSS with "The More the Merrier? The Effects of Community Feedback on Idea Quality and Innovation Contests."
 
ALUMNI NOTES
  • John Chiang ('84, Finance) has joined California's 2018 governor's race. Chiang has made big headway in California's political system since graduating from USF, and recently was mentioned as one of the persons of the year for 2016 in Metropolitan News-Enterprise.
  • Devora Henderson ('86, Management) has been named vice president for the Americas region of Diebold Nixdorf, a world leader in enabling connected commerce for millions of consumers each day. In this role, Henderson will manage a portfolio of innovative solutions that will transform the retail experience for consumers. 
  • David Hutchinson ('93, Management) was recently appointed vice president of service at Conn's, Inc. He has nearly two decades of experience in sales and operations roles with an emphasis on creating an innovative customer service experience. Conn's is a specialty retailer currently operating over 110 retail locations in the United States.
  • Brittany Lamont ('10, Marketing) has been promoted to vice president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. Lamont began her career at the chamber as an intern in 2010 and rose to the position of communications director before her promotion.
  • Kirk Williams ('82, Accounting) has recently been promoted to chief financial officer at James Doran Co., JDC Management and St. Jude Farms, where he was previously controller. 
 
* Wednesday, Feb. 15, 8:30 a.m.,Conversation with a CEO: Dennis Adamovich.
The CEO of the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta and USF business college graduate will talk informally with USF Muma College of Business Dean Moez Limayem in the Center for Advanced Medical Learning, 124 S. Franklin St. in downtown Tampa. Adamovich's career also included stints as executives for Turner Broadcasting and Coca-Cola. For information, click here.
* March 8, 6:15 p.m. , The Celebration of Free Enterprise honoring Sheila Johnson
The Celebration of Free Enterprise brings together 400 business, government and community leaders to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the free enterprise system - and to raise funds for student success initiatives.  A celebration in every sense of the word, this not-to-be missed event is fun and always includes special entertainment. For ticket information, click here.
* March 29-30, The Third Annual Sport and Entertainment Analytics Conference
The event takes  place with a lineup of speakers including executives from KRAFT Analytics Group, Ticketmaster, NBC Sports, Nielsen, PwC and the Tampa Bay Lightning. For ticket information, click here.
* April 4, 11 a.m., The SunTrust Business Analytics Symposium. The event takes place in the Muma College of Business atrium and showcases the culture of analytics-driven innovation. It also strengthens USF's reputation in the state, nation and the world as one of the leading universities in big data and analytics. For more information, click here.
* May 5, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., The 30th Annual Government Small Business Conference: Game Plan for Federal Contracting. The one-day conference for small business owners aims to optimize business opportunities through workshops, panel discussions and an expo. The event takes place at the Holiday Inn Westshore in Tampa. For registration information, click here.