The George Mason University School of Business congratulates our 2022 Alumni Award Winners!
2022 School of Business Distinguished Alumna Award
The School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes those who have demonstrated a high level of professional achievement in the for-profit, not-for-profit, or public sectors.
Elaine D. Marion, BS Accounting ‘95
Chief Financial Officer, ePlus inc.
Elaine Marion has more than 20 years’ experience in accounting and finance including experience in the areas of corporate finance, risk assessment and management, strategic planning, human resources, business insurance, and information technology. As CFO, Elaine works closely with the CEO in establishing strategic objectives as well as operating policies and procedures to ensure attainment of organizational objectives. She actively participates in all committees of the board of directors, manages the overall operating risk of the company which includes financial, IT, regulatory, and fraud. She is responsible for reports as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission, managing the relationship of the company’s working capital facility, oversees treasury functions and budgeting and oversees the company’s information technology functions including data center/infrastructure, communication/collaboration and custom and over the counter applications. Elaine is actively involved in investor relations and participates in roadshows and investor conferences. Ms. Marion earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree with a concentration in Accounting from George Mason University. She is a council member of the George Mason University School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, and a board member of the Executive Advisory Board of the College of Business at the University of Mary Washington.
2022 School of Business Alumni Service Award
The School of Business Alumni Service Award recognizes business school alumni who have demonstrated both professional achievement and outstanding service to the university and the community, and in doing so brings honor to the School of Business.
Christopher M. Preston, Sr.
Chief Development Officer, United Way of Metro Chicago
Chris Preston is a seasoned nonprofit executive. He has spent the better part of his career with United Way, fundraising for communities and causes across the country. Chris is currently Chief Development Officer for United Way of Metro Chicago, where he leads the team responsible for raising $43 million annually for communities in Chicagoland. Previously, Chris served as Vice President of Corporate Relations for United Way Worldwide, leading United Way’s flagship corporate partnership program and the National Football League partnership. Chris has also served the United Ways in the greater Philadelphia and Washington, DC, areas. He currently serves on the board of the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium and resides with his wife and son part-time in Northern Virginia and part-time in Chicago.
2022 School of Business Prominent Patriots
School of Business alumni honored as Prominent Patriots meet the Mason Graduate ideal as engaged citizens and well-rounded scholars who are prepared to act. Peer-nominated and peer-selected, the Prominent Patriots represent School of Business alumni as the very best in demonstrating citizenship, scholarship, and leadership in their daily lives.
Lerzan Aksoy, MBA ‘97
Interim Dean and Professor of Marketing, Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business
Lerzan Aksoy is Interim Dean and Professor of Marketing, at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. From 2015 to 2022 she served as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Strategic Initiatives. She is the 2022 recipient of American Marketing Association’s Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Services Discipline Award. Dean Aksoy’s scholarship focuses on customer loyalty and she has co-authored 5 books one of which is the NY Times bestseller The Wallet Allocation Rule. Dr. Aksoy is a global nomad having lived in seven countries growing up, is a Fulbright scholar, and has a PhD in marketing from University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, MBA from George Mason University and BS in Business Administration from Hacettepe University, Turkey.
Elena Angell, MBA ‘17
Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Gartner Inc.
Elena Angell currently serves as a head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Gartner, leading global research and advisory company. The scope of her work includes developing and driving Gartner community impact strategy, environmental sustainability and Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) reporting. Her career has always been centered around social impact and she carries her passion for it in her personal life as well. Elena graduated from George Mason University School of Business with her MBA degree in 2017. In 2020 she joined the Advisory Board of the Women in Business Initiative where she served on the Executive Committee as a Treasurer. Elena resides in Fairfax, Virginia with her husband and their two daughters.
Frederick R. Costa, BS Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems ‘98
CEO/Co-Founder, MetaPhase Consulting
As the CEO of MetaPhase Consulting, a small Management/IT consulting firm in Reston, Virginia, Fred Costa is responsible for pursuing the firm’s goals of a company with Engaged Teams, Meaningful Work, and Happy Customers. Fred’s career started in the ‘.com’ boom before transitioning into leadership roles at consulting firms including IBM, Accenture, and Booz Allen Hamilton. Fred’s experience centered around leading full life cycle software implementations and undertaking large scale IT transformation initiatives. He is passionate about technology and deeply values people and relationships. He graduated from George Mason University with a B.S. in Decision Sciences & Management Information Systems and holds Agile SCRUM certifications. In his downtime, Fred enjoys being with his wife, 3 kids, friends, traveling, and working out.
Lisbeth Guerrero-Vasquez, BS Finance ‘00
Former Vice President of Partnerships, Commercial & Asset Management, ENGIE Renewables North America
Lisbeth Guerrero-Vasquez is an accomplished executive with an extensive career in renewables, liquefied natural gas, and wholesale and retail electricity. Lisbeth held various leadership positions in commodity risk, asset management, and commercial operations where she maximized value of complex energy portfolios, created efficiencies, and led innovation and organizational change. Most recently, Lisbeth was the VP of Partnerships, Commercial & Asset Management, and a member of the executive team for ENGIE Renewables. Lisbeth joined ENGIE when the company launched its retail power business in 2002. She was a key leader and influencer from its infancy to a profitable and successful business. Prior to ENGIE, Lisbeth held positions at Dynegy, Morgan Stanley, and Hess. Lisbeth graduated from George Mason University with two B.S. degrees, Finance and Decision Sciences & Management Information Systems, and completed advanced studies in Energy Risk Management at the University of Houston. Lisbeth is a member of the Business for a Better World Center Advisory Board at GMU and of the Women Renewable Industries & Sustainability. She mentors young students and professionals. Lisbeth resides in Houston and enjoys hiking and traveling the world.
John T. Hall, BS Accounting ‘93
Chief Financial Officer, Notal Vision
John Hall graduated with a BS in accounting from Mason in 1993. He has remained in Northern Virginia during his 29-year career and he has remained connected to the Fairfax campus attending basketball games or being active with his fraternity, Sigma Chi. John met his wife at GMU and proposed to her by the pond near Cross Cottage. Their daughter Ashlee is a junior at Sweet Briar College. Their oldest son Case is a freshman at GMU. Their youngest son Mason is a junior in high school who may also attend the university he was named after. John has worked for several large global companies, but his passion has been building outstanding finance departments for several local tech start-ups.
Ali B. Kahil, BS Finance ‘19
Associate Director, Tax Services, Cresset Asset Management
Ali Kahil graduated in 2019 from the George Mason University School of Business. He has been featured on television, in print, as a speaker, and online for his works in the finance and investing spaces. As a lifelong Patriot, Ali volunteers his time as part of the Next Generation Committee of the Financial Planning and Wealth Management Advisory Board. Mr. Kahil works for the Tax Services team within the Multi-Family Office at Cresset Asset Management, a $27-billion-dollar national RIA. As an intrapreneur of his company, he has created and assisted in the creation of exciting initiatives in the personal privacy/cyber security and robotic process automation spaces. Mr. Kahil resides with his family in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Charles A. Kapur, BS Management '00
President/CEO, Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce
Charles Kapur is President and CEO of the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, representing 350 member organizations employing over 15,000+ employees. The Chamber supports regional economic development through signature events such as the Northern Virginia B2G Matchmaking Conference and the Titans of the Toll Road seminars. Prior to joining the Chamber, Charles spent nearly twenty years in the banking industry. He is a graduate of George Mason University’s School of Business, a member of Leadership Loudoun Class of 2012, and a 2013 graduate of the Virginia Bankers Association School of Bank Management. Charles resides in Bristow, Virginia with his wife and two daughters. He is active in his church and serves on the board of several area nonprofits.
Adnan M. Karimi, BS Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems ‘05
CEO, Kreative Technologies
Adnan Karimi is the CEO of Kreative Technologies, one of the leading Health-IT firms within the Washington metropolitan area. Adnan started the firm in 2013 with the vision of shaping the future of Health IT by cultivating creativity and harnessing the power of technology. Prior to founding Kreative, Adnan was supporting Defense Health Agency in several integral roles to empower medical providers with real-time data and innovations to enhance military healthcare. Adnan leveraged his education from Mason, his prior experience gained from working with several firms to promote military health and utilized his personal reputation as a technologist to establish Kreative Technologies. Kreative has quickly established itself as a leader in providing clinical data delivery, cybersecurity and solutions development.
Mohamed Bashir Omar, BS Accounting ‘05
Chief Financial Officer, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund
Mohamed Omar is the Chief Financial Officer at the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund. Prior to joining GMHF, he was the Controller at the Metropolitan Council. Mohamed spent nearly a decade in management consulting. Prior that he worked as an Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs in London. Prior to Goldman, Mohamed worked for Marriott Hotels in the treasury department. He began his career at PriceWaterhouseCoppers. Mohamed serves on the boards of a few nonprofits that work on addressing health and housing inequities. Mohamed recently completed University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Policy Fellowship. He has an MBA in finance and a master’s in information systems from Johns Hopkins University as well as a bachelor’s in accounting from George Mason University. Mohamed lives in Minneapolis with his wife and twins.
Chris Osborne, BS Business Administration ‘75
Senior Vice President - Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley
A native of Northern Virginia, Chris Osborne graduated from Mason in 1975 with a BS in Business Administration. He entered the wealth management industry a week after obtaining his degree and has spent the vast majority of his career working for Morgan Stanley and its predecessor firms in support, revenue-generating, and managerial roles. With a career spanning four decades and as many states, Chris has been able to develop meaningful lifelong connections with clients, co-workers, and many others he has met through his involvement in each local community. In his free time Chris enjoys playing golf, traveling, and relaxing within earshot of the ocean. His wife of 34 years is his constant companion with whom he shares two adult children.
Lisa A. Roger, MBA ‘20
CIO, Dewberry
Lisa Roger is an accomplished senior executive with demonstrated capabilities in leadership, negotiations, public speaking, employee management and development, collaboration, process improvement and communications. She has strong entrepreneurial business developer experienced in building organizations and offerings in challenging environments. She is a proven leader with ability to influence and gain corporate sponsorship and buy-in from stakeholders within and external to the organization. She has a reputation for integration, re-structuring/re-organization, relationship and team building skills that transcends political and organizational challenges, with a focus on mission objectives.
Cassie S. Schupp, MRED ‘15
Director, Development, Foulger Pratt
Cassie Schupp is Director of Development at Foulger Pratt, a nationally renowned real estate developer where she oversees the execution of several multi-faceted projects through entitlement, design, financing, and construction. Cassie has been at Foulger-Pratt for seven years and has managed a variety of development projects across multiple different asset classes including, multi-family, single family rental, mixed use, and office. During her tenure she has overseen the development of 1.6M SF, including 1,500 residential units, for a total investment value of $660M. Cassie has served as president of the MOREDIG alumni group for the past two years, navigating the COVID pandemic and maintaining engagement within the membership. She left her mark by incorporating regular service events into the MOREDIG events programming.
Sameet Singh, BS ISOM ‘20
Cybersecurity Consultant & Student, EY
Sameet Singh is a 2020 ISOM graduate from The George Mason University School of Business. During his time as a student, he was President of the Mason ISOM Association (MISOMA), where he linked his fellow students with employers and professional development opportunities. After graduating in 2020, Sameet joined Ernst & Young (EY) and is still with the firm as a Cybersecurity Consultant. In 2021 Sameet became involved with Mason again, serving as chair of the Outreach Committee for the School of Business Alumni Chapter Board, where he led and assisted with many significant initiatives, providing value not just to Mason alums but also to current Mason Students. Today, Sameet is back at Mason studying Psychology, a field in which he’s always been interested.
Effie Ypsilantis, BS Business Administration and Management ‘86
Senior Vice President, Business Development and Sales, Toppan Merrill
As a senior executive with Toppan Merrill, Effie Ypsilantis has enjoyed over 25 years of experience providing consultative services and software solutions for Captial Market transactions, Regulatory Compliance, virtual data room solutions, the annual meeting process and SOX (Sarbanes Oxley). She has had the privilege to partner with numerous companies around the globe assisting with every phase of their lifecycle during the initial launch, private and public fundraising, and ongoing regulatory filings. Effie has been involved in helping private and public companies comply with SEC disclosure and filing requirements and will assist SEC filers to understand the SEC’s XBRL and structured data mandates.
2022 School of Business Emerging Business Leader Awards
Presented by the School of Business Alumni Chapter, the Emerging Business Leader Awards recognize both graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated they are on the path to becoming an outstanding business leader and a distinguished representative of Mason's School of Business. Student awardees receive cash awards and a commemorative plaque on behalf of the School of Business alumni chapter.
Graduate Division
Kimberly Biscoe, MBA
Kimberly Biscoe is a Sr. Business Development Analyst working at NorthStar Anesthesia, a top anesthesia management company that partners with hospital administrators across the United States to provide outsourced anesthesia care for greater operational efficiency, cost savings, and better clinical outcomes. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Healthcare Management with a minor in Business Administration from Towson University, where she also served as the Director of Finance for a multicultural sorority, Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Inc., that promotes leadership development and women empowerment while graduating with honors (Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society). Following graduation, she worked at Children's National Hospital where she served as Operations Lead for the Center for Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine, overseeing 8 sub-divisions, where her primary goal was to assist in sustaining the financial health and operations of the center to help keep their doors open to treat patients. It was during this role that she grew a strong interest in data analytics and decided to pursue a part-time MBA along with the business analytics certificate at Mason. While serving as a cohort representative and supporting her classmates along the way, she is setting out to graduate from the MBA program and climb the ladder in her professional journey.
Undergraduate Division
John H. Jin, BS Management Information Systems
John Jin is a senior studying management information systems with a minor in business analytics. He is passionate about technology applications for sustainable development and the digital divide. To that end, he is interested in cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and innovation ecosystems. He has experience working on these issues as an intern at Ernst & Young and at Navy Federal Credit Union. For his final year at Mason, he hopes to make a lasting difference as a member of Immanuel Christian Fellowship, MISOMA, and the Honors College. In his free time, he enjoys traveling with his family, playing sports, and reading books on investing. Currently, he is reading Richer, Wiser, Happier by William Green.
Nhu Nguyen, MSA
Natalie (Nhu) Nguyen is a senior at the School of Business currently participating in the accelerated master’s program concentrating in accounting at Mason. Upon graduation in December 2022, Natalie will continue her education to obtain the rest of the 150 credits by participating in the master of science in accounting program offered by Mason while studying to complete all four parts of the CPA Exam before she graduates in December 2023 with an MS in accounting. In her free time, Natalie volunteers at the local animal shelter and enjoys outdoors activities with her family. She also participates as a lifeline sponsor in the Child Sponsorship Program established by The Save the Children Fund and is currently sponsoring 3 children through monthly donations.