Patti Gentry (BS Business Administration ’72) joined commercial real estate services company JLL in Phoenix with three decades of commercial real estate experience, including specific expertise in the health care and medical office space. As the senior vice president, she’ll guide the expansion of the company’s local health care platform. Gentry is also president of the Burns Family Foundation, chairperson of the St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center Community Board, and the first-ever female chairperson at Barrow Neurological Institute. Additionally, she’s a member of Scottsdale Leadership, Women Business Leaders of Healthcare, the ASU W. P. Carey School of Business Dean’s Council, and a lifetime member of the Sun Angel Foundation, supporting academic and athletic excellence within ASU’s women’s sports.
Ira Ehrlich (BS Accountancy ’81), an elementary STEM instructor at Quarry Lane School in Dublin, Calif., says he enjoys empowering young and talented individuals who may become tomorrow’s leaders and help change the world.
Rick Dircks (MBA ’87) is the executive vice president of Dircks Moving & Logistics, Arizona’s largest and most diversified moving company and the fourth-largest agent in the U.S. for Mayflower Van Lines. Dircks is actively involved in the community and, in addition to sitting on numerous boards, was named the Small Business Person of the Year by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and is a recipient of ASU’s Arizona Business Leadership Award. As a passionate Sun Devil, Dircks has been a longtime member of the ASU President’s Club and a sponsor of Sun Devil Athletics. “My goal is to let Sun Devils know about ASU’s success in rankings of excellence and the accomplishments of its students who continue to earn prestigious national and international scholarships,” Dircks says.
Laurie South (BS Economics ’93) brings more than two decades of experience leading human resources divisions, primarily for tribal casinos throughout the West Coast, to her role as vice president of human resources at Jamul Casino in San Diego County, Calif.
David Turner (BS Management ’93) is the president of Kincannon & Reed, an executive search firm headquartered in Waynesboro, Va., that serves the food and agribusiness industries. Previously, Turner served grain and food clients in North and South America for eight years, led Kincannon & Reed’s global practice in crop processing and trading, and guided the firm’s Latin America team.
Sandra Vincent (BS Management ’93, MBA ’01) is senior director of human resources at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, Miss. She provides leadership and direction to the talent acquisition, workforce readiness, performance management, and employee relations teams. Vincent joined Memorial in 2017 from Dignity Health System.
Aaron Zeper (BS Finance ’95) is the CEO of DMD Systems Recovery in Tempe, Ariz., which provides some of the world’s largest organizations with secure IT asset disposal services. Previously, Zeper was vice president of customer demand at MDSL in Phoenix, a provider of technology expense and market data management solutions. He’s also currently serving on the Arizona Technology Council’s board of directors.
MaryAnn Miller (MBA ’97) was named to the 2020 Phoenix Business Journal Outstanding Women in Business list. She’s the senior vice president and chief administrative officer of Phoenix-based Fortune 500 company Avnet, one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products, and embedded technology in the world. Miller was inducted into the W. P. Carey Alumni Hall of Fame in 2013 for significant contributions to her profession, the community, and the W. P. Carey School of Business.
Mark Davies (MBA ’98) is the CFO of Automattic in Utah, the parent company of WordPress, WooCommerce, and Tumblr, among other products. Previously, Davies served as CFO at smart home technology company Vivint in Provo, Utah.
Frank Clyburn (MBA ’00) was featured as one of 10 prominent African-American life sciences leaders on the BioSpace website, a digital hub for news and careers in the life sciences industry. In November, Clyburn will celebrate 11 years at Merck in Freehold, N.J., where he’s the executive vice president and chief commercial officer. Before joining Merck’s executive committee, he was president of the health care company’s global oncology business and president of its primary care women’s health business line and market access. Before joining Merck in 2009, Clyburn was vice president of oncology and internal medicine at French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi Aventis in New York City.
Milton Dellosier (BS Management ‘01) is a global diversity and inclusion practice leader at Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer in Los Angeles. Previously, he was vice president of diversity and inclusion at Morgan Stanley in Los Angeles.
Scott Larson (MBA ’01) is celebrating more than eight years at Lubbock Christian University in Texas. Now the interim director of athletics, Larson has several years of experience in intercollegiate athletics administration.
Bryan Beseler (BS Global Business ’02) is the co-owner of Auto+Rehab in Phoenix. “Everything starts with the customer experience when they walk through the door,” Beseler says. “We leverage technology at every step. We have a super-fast check-in process. We communicate mostly via text messaging, if preferred, from the time customers drop off their vehicles to the time they pick them up. Clients get digital vehicle inspections on every aspect of their car, from the front to back, with pictures and videos to understand what is important now and what can be worked into the budget over time. Our technology and transparency are better than any dealership in the nation.” Beseler is also the president of nSite Design+Build, a commercial real estate development, construction, and management company in Phoenix.
Rebecca Clyde (MBA ’02) redefines intelligent chat for marketing through her company Botco.ai. As CEO and co-founder, she leads the development of this intelligent chat nurturing tool that scales to the demands of enterprises. In addition to Botco.ai, Clyde founded and exited Ideas Collide, an award-winning marketing agency. She’s an Athena Award recipient and is often asked to speak at prestigious marketing conferences around the world, including SXSW Frankfurt, Oracle Marketing Experience, and Digital Summit. Read about how Clyde’s intelligent chat business solves some of COVID-19’s most significant stressors at news.wpcarey.asu.edu/intelligent-chat.
Cliff Schertz (MBA ’03) is the founder, CEO, and president of Tiempo Development in Tempe, Ariz. The software engineering company has been named to the Inc. 5000 list seven times. “Very few companies ever make the Inc. 5000 list once; to have made the list seven times is confirmation that we’re doing something special,” Schertz says. “I’m proud that so many leading companies trust us to solve their most complex technical challenges and they stay with us year-in and year-out.”
Russel Scibetti (MBA ’08) is an honoree on the 2020 Sports Business Journal Class of Forty Under 40 list. Scibetti is the vice president of strategy and business intelligence for the New York Giants. He has extensive experience working in the sports field, including roles with the New York Jets, Arizona State University Athletics, and as a lecturer at Columbia University School of Professional Studies.
Grayson Stephens (BS Finance ’09) is celebrating four years at Big Machine Music in Nashville, Tenn. He was recently promoted to the senior director of royalties and finance at the well-known country music record label that represents bands like Sugarland, Tim McGraw, and Rascal Flatts.
Gail Sharps Myers (MBA ’10) is general counsel at Denny’s, the franchisor and operator of one of America’s largest franchised full-service restaurant chains. In this role, Myers heads the company’s legal functions, reporting to the CEO. Before joining Denny’s, she was the executive vice president, general counsel, secretary, and chief compliance officer for American Tire Distributors. In that role, she led the company’s corporate governance and compliance functions and handled matters relating to financial reporting, M&A, labor and employment, real estate, litigation, data privacy, and government affairs.
Nicole Wood (BS Finance/Supply Chain Management ’11) is the 2020 recipient of the Early Career Achievement Award from Barrett, The Honors College. The award recognizes alumni for their professional achievements, contributions to society, and university support. After Wood graduated from ASU, she worked in management consulting at PricewaterhouseCoopers. In 2016, she co-founded Ama la Vida and currently serves as the CEO of the career, leadership, health, and life-coaching company, which has been featured in business magazines such as Money, Inc., and Fortune. Wood has also contributed to Barrett, The Honors College to present at professional development workshops to share her expertise with honors students.
Josh Valdez-Elizetxe (BS Computer Information Systems ’13) is the founder and CEO of Phoenix-based Snow, a leader in premium oral care products. The company sells at-home teeth-whitening systems.
Chase Johnson (BS Finance ’13), now Army Chief Warrant Officer Johnson, regularly finds himself at the controls of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Before beginning his military career, Johnson recalls those who helped him get his business education — including Professor Christopher Neck. “(Neck) was just a reflection of Arizona State as a whole,” says Johnson. “He has thousands and thousands of students, but took the time to get to know me, too.”
Karen Lewis DeLong (PhD ’14) recently accepted a tenure-track position as associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She also received two teaching awards this year, including the W.F. & Golda Moss Outstanding Teaching Award given to faculty who’ve served fewer than 10 years and the W.S. Overton Faculty Merit Award.
Dr. Jared Muenzer (MBA ’14) is celebrating more than eight years at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. He began his career at the pediatric acute care facility as associate director of clinical operations and emergency services. Muenzer has also held the roles of medical director of the Phoenix Children’s Medical Group and program director of the pediatric emergency medicine fellowship. He’s the physician in chief at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and senior vice president and chief operations officer at Phoenix Children’s Medical Group.
Kevin Shoemaker (BS Management ‘14) and Skylar Bennett (BS Accountancy ’14) founded Tough Ties in 2017. The apparel company, based in Gilbert, Ariz., that was featured on Shark Tank sells machine-washable ties, socks, belts, and face masks.
Mohit Bharti (MS-BA ’18) is celebrating two years as a senior data analyst at Footlocker in Tampa, Fla.
Derrick Osei (MiM ’19) is a funding specialist at Peoples Mortgage Co. in Tempe, Ariz. “My degree equipped me with the needed tools and skills that have made me a top performer in my company funding mortgage loans. Courses such as project management, business communication, financial accounting, and finance have been very useful in my career as a funding specialist.”