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In the workplace, relationships equal reality

Nilesh Patel — Wed, 28 May 2025 15:18:36 +0000

In the workplace, relationships equal reality Nilesh Patel Wed, 05/28/2025 - 11:18

In This Story

Kevin Rockmann

Most managers measure success in outputs: bottom lines, quarterly gains, performance metrics, and incentives. But the forces that shape those outcomes are often invisible — rooted in relationships, communication, and how people support one another. Many management models overlook these dynamics, treating them as background noise rather than essential systems.

Kevin Rockmann, professor of management at �� and CGI corporate partner faculty fellow, argues that managers often lack a nuanced understanding of how employees actually work with and through one another, not just one-on-one with their supervisors.

“We're really trying to get both researchers and practitioners to think about relationships in a different way,” Rockmann says. “And really, the movement we're working on here is to think more broadly about what relationships do in organizations.’’

For example, Rockmann’s paper in Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior—co-authored by Caroline A. Bartel of the University of Texas—draws on established research concepts of Pipes and Prisms to help managers better understand the often-overlooked importance of interpersonal relationships at work.

The Pipes metaphor captures the channels through which the work gets done. They are conduits through which these central processes, like communication and coordination, keep the organization running smoothly.

“We can’t really understand organizational effectiveness unless we understand how relationships serve as pipes,” Rockmann says. “To extend the metaphor, managers need to ask if their pipes are clogged? Or whether the pipes are even there?”

This might occur, for example, when a new hire joins an organization and their relationship with an incumbent employee helps them navigate team dynamics, answers all their questions efficiently, and ultimately enables work to get done in a timely manner.

Rockmann’s research shows that leaders should move beyond focusing solely on their own one-on-one relationships with their subordinates and view how relationships function across teams or units of employees.

Rockmann says, “My relationship as a manager with my employees matters, but it also involves looking at the Pipes—how are people connected with one another? Is each person getting the support and the help that they need? How well are we communicating and working together as a unit? So, it’s not just about my relationships, but about the relationships of the people I’m managing.”

The Prisms metaphor builds on the idea that relationships don’t just get things done more efficiently and produce results—they also impact how subordinates interpret and respond to events and information. For example, when a manager communicates openly with their subordinates about challenges like limited resources or budget cuts, subordinates are more likely to respond with empathy, seeing the situation as a shared problem rather than a failure by their manager.

“This is why we're talking about relationships as a prism or as the most understudied contextual variable in organizations,” Rockmann says. “It’s untapped potential for not only researchers, but also practitioners to think about why things are working or why things aren't working.” Prisms are the next stage of evolution in sensemaking for managers to recognize how their employees interpret workplace policies or changes, depending not just on what they are told, but also by whom and how. However, most managers still struggle to manage the “pipes,” let alone the more nuanced dynamics of how information is interpreted and processed across teams.

Rockmann believes many managers overemphasize tangible incentives — like bonuses — and underestimate the importance of high-quality day-to-day relationships. Such relationships are a lens by which employees view everything in an organization: organizational changes, opportunities, technology, and so on. When the organization becomes a hub for relational support and positive relational interactions, so many other issues organizations face become easier.

So, what can managers do? Across his work, Rockmann emphasizes making the cultivating of relationships part of the job itself, fostering collaboration in the KPIs on which employees are evaluated. Infusing such criteria into job descriptions, hiring processes, socialization experiences, and evaluation systems are all ways company leaders and line managers can signal to their subordinates that interpersonal relationships truly matter. When infused in this way relationships become more of a strategic priority, not just a “nice to have” for the organization.

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Residency trip to New York City inspires Impact Fellows

Greg Johnson — Tue, 27 May 2025 15:00:28 +0000

Residency trip to New York City inspires Impact Fellows Greg Johnson Tue, 05/27/2025 - 11:00

While many of their peers were spending spring break catching sun at the beach, members of the Impact Fellows Program were busy engaging with organizations and professionals in New York City to see how they run their operations while being dedicated to social impact, sustainability, and community service. 

Impact Fellows visit New York City. Photo provided

Using the United Nations’ sustainable development goals as their framework, the Impact Fellows Program is a competitive two-year program for students in the Costello College of Business at �� who want to foster their leadership abilities and personal development.

The Costello students in the Impact Fellows Program come from different backgrounds and have different interests, but they are united in the belief that business should be a force for good in the world.

“At the Costello College of Business, we believe deeply in learning that extends beyond the classroom,” said Yena Kim, director of academic achievement and innovative learning at the Costello College of Business. “The Impact Fellows residency trip is a powerful example of our commitment to student experience and career readiness—giving students the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned, explore their purpose, and connect with professionals making a difference in the world. Experiences like this are where leadership is forged and career paths come into focus.”

Along with being plugged into a network of mentors and participating in a variety of co-curricular activities, the four-day residency trip is a requirement of the program to give the students hands-on experience away from campus.

“We had learned about the UN sustainable development goals, and we had done other co-curricular trips that were almost like steppingstones into this experience,” said Camila Rosales, a junior studying supply chain and operations management. “This residency trip almost felt like a final exam situation.”

But rather than sitting in a classroom and filling out exam sheets, they joined several organizations who are making a real difference.

High Line Tour. Photo provided

Leaving on Tuesday and returning on Friday, the Impact Fellows had many places to see and people to meet during their residency trip to the Big Apple. Touring the High Line, they saw a clear illustration of sustainability for all who walk along or around it. Formerly part of the New York Central Railroad, the High Line was transformed into a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park. “When you go to a city like New York, you really experience the interconnectedness, the history, all of the fundamental values of community,” said Mike Van Dyken, a senior studying business analytics and management information systems.

God's Love We Deliver. Photo provided

At God’s Love We Deliver, the group learned how the nonprofit cooks and delivers specialized meals to people suffering from chronic illnesses. “Getting to help those people hands-on and seeing how my work had an impact on people’s lives definitely inspired me to create my own nonprofit organization one day,” said Shriganesh Sivakumar, a sophomore studying finance.

Leticia Nunez Nova, a senior studying marketing and business analytics, also has a passion for nonprofit work, and this was the first time she was able to speak with the operations team of a nonprofit. “I love nonprofit work, especially marketing it,” she said, “So, that would be like my dream job. Maybe work for a social enterprise.”

International WELL Building Institute. Photo provided

At the International WELL Building Institute, the Impact Fellows had the opportunity to engage directly with leaders in sustainable finance and workplace innovation. During a dynamic conversation with Minjia Yang, vice president and head of sustainable finance, students gained insights into how companies are designing spaces that prioritize human well-being, environmental responsibility, and innovation. The visit not only deepened the students’ understanding of sustainability in business but also provided valuable networking opportunities with a global leader in the field—an experience many described as inspiring and eye-opening.

The Impact Fellows had a full itinerary on their trip, also touring the Tenement Museum and the United Nations Headquarters.

Tenement Museum. Photo provided

“I really do owe a lot to the residency trip because I was on the fence of what to pursue, but having a week of experiencing what it’s like to be in spaces that are focused on sustainability and helping the community made me realize how much I want to do it,” said Rosales.

Their experiences showed the students that profitability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. “It opened my eyes to the fact that there are businesses that have made it possible to get revenue and also do good,” said Nunez Nova.

Besides seeing how everything operates, the Impact Fellows learned how to communicate and work effectively with professionals and volunteers from a wide variety of backgrounds.

“The Impact Fellows Program teaches you not only cross-cultural communication but also how to implement and communicate with professionals that work in the industry,” said Sivakumar. For several of the Impact Fellows, the trip confirmed career goals. “Just overall, this program helped me stick with my original vision of how I could use business to have a positive impact,” said Van Dyken.

United Nations Headquarters. Photo provided

For the Impact Fellows, the residency trip to New York City brought their program experience full circle. When they graduate, they will be entering the workforce with connections, leadership skills, and the inspiration to make the world a better place through business and innovation.

If you are interested in learning more about the Impact Fellows Program and how you can get involved, visit us online.

Topics

Business for a Better World Impact Fellows Program

Sustainability

Learn more about the Impact Fellows Program

An inspiring internship resume for a blossoming entrepreneur

Sarah Holland — Tue, 13 May 2025 19:45:18 +0000

An inspiring internship resume for a blossoming entrepreneur Sarah Holland Tue, 05/13/2025 - 15:45

One could say that student Leticia Nunez Nova’s path to business was predestined. Genetic, even.

Photo provided

Her maternal grandfather owned numerous businesses around the Dominican Republic—from real estate to auto shops to hardware stores—and her paternal grandmother used business to support her family after her husband’s passing.

“I grew up hearing these stories about how entrepreneurship has helped people out of difficult situations,” she said. Nunez Nova is studying business at �� with concentrations in marketing and business analytics. “I was inspired. I wanted to build something from scratch myself.”

Nunez Nova’s desire to nurture a business from the ground up paved the way for a series of internships with start-up companies. In her freshman year, she landed a position with the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) in the Costello College of Business. Her work included supporting the SOAR Initiative for aspiring entrepreneurs and the student venture program The Depot, which she said helped create a strong foundation for her future career.

“Supporting student entrepreneurship and the local business ecosystem aligned with my reasons for studying business,” she said.

Her work at CIE became a foundational experience. “CIE associate director Crystal Fickers helped me build core soft and technical skills, and CIE director of operations and engagement Rebecca Howick taught me how to use kindness strategically to help others and manage challenges in the workplace,” she said.

That interest in local businesses continued with her second and third internships. While continuing her work with the CIE, Nunez Nova worked for the start-up company HomeCook, a platform to connect commercial kitchen owners with food entrepreneurs. Then, she interned with WISE Cities LLC, a student-up developing an app to encourage senior community engagement, social participation, and physical activity with citizens over the age of 65.

Now, she’s trying something a little different: gaining experience working for growing telecommunications start-up Raycom. She’s learning the intricacies of office culture and procedures, something that she says is perhaps the most valuable for students to learn.

“Those basic workplace skills are transferable,” she said. “Working in an office is a unique experience, and it will give you an edge if you can say you’ve done it and done it well.”

While each internship has given her the opportunity to grow in unique skills, all of them have built onto the foundation she’s gained from her classes at George Mason.

“I learn by doing, so I think it’s so important that you apply whatever you’re learning in the classroom. It helps you understand the reality of the world that you’ll be going into once you graduate,” she said. “It gives you the chance to determine if this is really the path you want.”

Nunez Nova will graduate in spring 2025. She hopes her future continues to be one of discovery and exploration while pursuing her goal of making an impact.

“The more I explore, the more I learn, and the more I find to love about marketing,” she said. “I want to work in a place where I really believe in the mission.”

2025 Spring Commencement

Explore more internships

Topics

Costello College of Business

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Internship

Senior of the Year champions kindness

Katarina Benson — Tue, 13 May 2025 18:36:17 +0000

Senior of the Year champions kindness Katarina Benson Tue, 05/13/2025 - 14:36

Senior of the Year Haley White said double majoring in business and art history was one of the best decisions she made during her time at ��. Her second best decision was joining the Mason Chooses Kindness initiative.

White, who is from Lynchburg, Virginia, has been a driving force behind Mason Chooses Kindness since 2023. “The idea behind the initiative really spoke to me,” she said. “I was raised to be polite, give back, and be kind, and I feel like we can always benefit from more kindness to ourselves and others. It’s not always about giving a compliment or holding a door—though those things are great, sometimes it’s about doing hard things, and Mason Chooses Kindness really seemed to understand this.”

Haley White. Photo provided.

For her dedication to kindness in both her personal and professional life, White was named Senior of the Year by the �� Alumni Association. She will be recognized at the association’s annual Celebration of Distinction this fall.

During her four years at George Mason, White has been very active with the Costello College of Business, where she works as a business engagement assistant. She was one of the main contributors and design lead on Costello's 47-page handbook on implementing well-being projects and co-authored an article on Costello’s introduction of kindness into their course curriculum.

“We do not know what we will do without her [when she graduates],” said Gretchen Hendricks, term instructor at Costello. “Haley has been an instrumental part of the ‘goodwill team’ within the Costello College of Business.”

In November 2024, White led 75 students, faculty, staff, and alumni volunteers and helped organize the largest Day of Service event in Costello’s history, resulting in 3,000 lbs. of food packed to support the Patriot Pantry.

“Haley embodies the best of George Mason students,” said Christine Landoll, BS Accounting ’89, MS Taxation ’92, director of business engagement at Costello and White’s mentor. “She is strong academically, strong civically, strong philanthropically, and a kind and compassionate human.”

White said she fell in love with art history when she enrolled in ARTH 101 Introduction to Visual Arts to meet a Mason Core requirement. First, she added art history to her coursework as a minor and then realized she needed to just add it as a second major.

Looking forward to where the road after graduation takes her, White said she hopes to travel more and “be happy with what I am doing. I have a lot more to learn, and I hope in 10 years I can look back and be proud of myself for all it took to get me there.”

And of course, kindness will be a part of that future. “I have become more intentional and more aware of what kindness looks like, and it is something that I am going to take into my future work and continue being an ‘ambassador’ for in my personal life,” she said.

Being kind to oneself is a core piece of White’s advice for incoming freshmen.

“It can be easy to beat yourself up when you get a question wrong or feel like you are behind others or not doing ‘enough,’” she said. “You don't have to be perfect every day or even do as much as you did yesterday—focus on being kind to yourself, doing the best you can each day, and even if you are afraid, reach out for help when you need it. Extending yourself kindness every day is a worthwhile practice.”

In This Story

Christine Landoll

Learn about Mason Chooses Kindness

Why it doesn’t—and shouldn’t—always pay to be a super-successful CEO

Jennifer Anzaldi — Wed, 07 May 2025 12:46:40 +0000

Why it doesn’t—and shouldn’t—always pay to be a super-successful CEO Jennifer Anzaldi Wed, 05/07/2025 - 08:46

In This Story

JK Aier

Are corporate boards acting as stabilizing forces for their firms, or enablers of extreme greed? That’s one of the questions implied by current debates about so-called “runaway CEO pay.” It’s not entirely clear how the CEO incentives set by the board can be squared with its fiduciary duty to safeguard long-term shareholder value. That’s largely due to the mystery surrounding how CEO compensation is determined in the first place.

“It’s a black box,” says JK Aier, senior associate dean for academic affairs and global engagement and associate professor of accounting at the Donald G. Costello College of Business at ��. “We don’t know why boards give bonuses, why CEOs get a raise—in other words, what goes on behind the scenes.”

JK Aier

Aier’s academic paper, forthcoming in Accounting and Business Research, circumvents this problem by focusing on cases posing stark contrasts between short- and long-term value. (Jian Cao of Florida Atlantic University, Zhanel DeVides of Penn State Abington and Ki Kyung Song of West Chester University co-authored.) When a company reports increased earnings year after year, a short-sighted board would raise CEO compensation in line with that performance, incentivizing the CEO to keep up the good work. To cooler heads, however, such a long “earnings string” would raise red flags, prompting a more cautious stance toward compensation.

“Continuous growth or expectations of continuous growth create adverse incentives and challenges because it’s not possible, given how business cycles work,” says Aier. “It may create undue pressure on CEOs to maintain growth somehow if it is strongly tied to compensation.” A strict pay-for-performance approach could induce CEOs to take risks that endanger long-term firm value, such as engaging in managerial manipulation. But how religiously do boards adhere to pay-for-performance?

The researchers examined earnings patterns and CEO compensation for thousands of firms during the period 1999-2018 (11,197 firm-year observations in all). About two-thirds of the firm-years saw an increase in earnings; of those, fewer than 20 percent were in their sixth year or later in an unbroken earnings string.

Across the sample, CEO compensation over time was responsive to earnings patterns. For the first few years of the string, boards lavished their outperforming CEOs with expanding pay packets. But rewards tapered off in subsequent years, indicating that boards may be aware of the risks of over-incentivizing long patterns of increased earnings.

A similar relationship existed for firms with negative earnings strings. After sharply reducing compensation in the first two years of losses, boards stopped penalizing struggling CEOs and kept compensation fairly flat.

“If a company continues to have losses, will directors keep penalizing the CEO? If they do, no one will want to work for that company,” Aier says. “Instead, giving CEOs a runway during a string of continuous losses provides them the opportunity to turn things around.”

The researchers also looked at the probability of CEO turnover as it related to earnings patterns. Surprisingly, CEOs who presided over uncommonly long upward strings faced increased odds of turnover, which Aier attributes in part to board suspicions. “On the profit side, there seems to be a loss of trust that this is even possible,” he says. “Boards are willing to look at changing the CEO because they believe these strings may be unsustainable. In other words, something smells fishy to them.”

The opposite dynamic held true for poorly performing firms. CEO turnover risk declined over the longer downward strings, presumably reflecting broader concerns about retaining talent during prolonged periods of financial difficulty.

In sum, board compensation committees seem highly attentive to earnings patterns, monitoring them for long-term risks and adjusting CEO pay packets accordingly. This cuts against the idea that directors may be complicit in a CEO money grab that imperils firms’ long-term standing.

Moreover, the researchers found that the above-mentioned relationship between earnings patterns and CEO compensation was much stronger for firms experiencing lower competition and higher earnings persistence. This suggests that where market discipline is lacking, directors will pay even closer attention to earnings strings in order to keep CEOs honest.

“Our research suggests that boards pay attention to their monitoring role,” Aier concludes. “Boards are proactive; they care not only about whether the company is doing well, but also how performance is achieved.”

Hedging long-term risks by changing CEO compensation is one way directors can prevent misaligned incentives from forming. “The board’s role goes beyond making sure things go smoothly. It is also looking into the future in terms of what’s needed for the company and its stakeholders, and making sure the operations and the management of the company are also looking at performance from that perspective,” Aier says.

Topics

Costello College of Business Faculty Research

Accounting Faculty Research

Costello College of Business Announces Spring 2025 Degree Celebration Speakers

Jennifer Anzaldi — Tue, 06 May 2025 21:34:57 +0000

Costello College of Business Announces Spring 2025 Degree Celebration Speakers Jennifer Anzaldi Tue, 05/06/2025 - 17:34

The Costello College of Business at �� will be holding its Spring 2025 Degree Celebration on Friday evening, May 16, 2025. This year’s degree celebration will include remarks from the President and CEO of NABA Inc., Guylaine Saint Juste, BA International Relations ’94.

Guylaine Saint Juste, BA International Relations ’94

NABA Inc. is the premier organization dedicated to advancing professionals in accounting, finance, business, and entrepreneurship. With a dynamic network of more than 25,000 members, NABA champions the development of exceptional talent, drives innovation across industries, and cultivates a culture of excellence. Through education, access to opportunity, and strategic career connections, NABA empowers its members to lead boldly today while inspiring the next generation of leaders. The NABA-George Mason chapter holds a high interest in students who possess a strong sense of civic responsibility, a desire for excellence both inside and outside of the classroom, as well as those who are interested in promoting opportunities for all in the fields of accounting, finance, and other business-related professions.

Guylaine Saint Juste is a globally recognized transformational leader who delivers measurable impact by reimagining systems, expanding opportunity, and catalyzing growth. As President and CEO of NABA, Inc., she has led a bold transformation of the organization—modernizing its infrastructure, embracing digital innovation, and embedding strategic focus throughout its operations. Under her leadership, NABA has experienced explosive growth, expanding its membership fivefold—from 5,000 to over 25,000—and increasing annual revenue from $4 million to $18 million. Today, NABA is recognized as a high-performing, mission-driven organization with a national footprint and growing influence across sectors.

Guylaine has been recognized as one of Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting for four consecutive years. She has also been named one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the AICPA and CPA Practice Advisor for three consecutive years, including 2024—a testament to her far-reaching impact. With over two decades of experience driving organizational growth and fostering equity, Guylaine’s career reflects her unwavering commitment to closing opportunity gaps and building inclusive systems that create lasting change.

Before joining NABA, Guylaine served as Executive Director of the National Capital Region for Year Up, where she connected more than 2,000 young adults with life-changing career opportunities. Her earlier career includes a successful tenure as Virginia Market Executive and Senior Vice President at Capital One, where she led market expansion and oversaw a $1.1 billion deposit base.

During her degree celebration address, Ms. Juste will speak to undergraduate and graduate degree recipients on their responsibility to lead in a complicated world—and how AI, Generative AI, and Agent AI tools will help them to focus on strategy, innovation, and human connections. And, as a George Mason alumna, her remarks on the importance of human connections in leadership are also expected to echo her alma mater’s definition of kindness: “intentionally engage in positive action that is friendly, caring, and compassionate towards self and others.”

Following Ms. Saint Juste’s remarks, Sarah Oulton, BS Criminology, Law and Society ’21, MS Accounting, Graduate Certificate in Forensic Accounting ’25, will deliver the graduating student address.

Costello College of Business Alumni Chapter President Kevin Connor, MBA ’22, will deliver the alumni address prior to the recognition of graduating students.

The Spring 2025 Business Degree Celebration will begin at 6:30 p.m. in EagleBank Area on the Fairfax campus of ��. Tickets are required for each guest over the age of two years. Visit the �� Degree Celebrations website for more information.

Topics

Alumni

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS, MBA

From public health to the boardroom: Dean Melissa Perry’s MBA journey reflects the future of higher education

Greg Johnson — Mon, 05 May 2025 18:41:18 +0000

From public health to the boardroom: Dean Melissa Perry’s MBA journey reflects the future of higher education Greg Johnson Mon, 05/05/2025 - 14:41

In This Story

Melissa Perry, ScD, MHS, Dean of ��’s College of Public Health, will graduate this spring with her Costello MBA—her third graduate degree, earned while serving as a full-time dean, raising two children, and leading one of the largest and fastest-growing public health programs in the region.

Dean Melissa Perry

On its face, it’s a personal milestone—a story of resilience, grit, and lifelong learning. But it’s also something more: a symbol of the evolving nature of higher education leadership and the power of cross-disciplinary collaboration in a complex and rapidly changing world.

At 54, with decades of academic leadership under her belt, Perry didn’t need another degree. But she wanted one. Specifically, she wanted the tools to amplify the mission of public health through a deeper understanding of business strategy, finance, and systems thinking. And she wanted to walk in the shoes of her students—to experience the intensity, vulnerability, and growth that comes with sitting on the other side of the classroom.

“I pursued an MBA not because I was preparing to leave public health,” Perry said, “but because I wanted to lead it better.”

A Student by Night, a Dean by Day

Perry began her MBA in 2019 at George Washington University, taking synchronous online courses while working full time as a department chair. The demands of remote learning were immediate and intense. Asynchronous coursework—where material is delivered without live instruction—proved especially challenging.

“I discovered quickly that I learn best through discussion and connection,” she said. “Asynchronous formats made it harder to stay engaged, and with everything else I was juggling, I knew I needed a structure that mirrored a traditional classroom experience.”

When Perry transferred into George Mason’s MBA program in the Costello College of Business, she opted for in-person courses whenever possible. She found herself immersed in lively evening classes that offered the structure, energy, and peer interaction she craved—after full days spent leading faculty meetings, mentoring students, and managing the complex operations of a growing college.

Her children were just 7 and 12 when she began the program. And while her days stretched from early morning to late night, she credits her husband’s steadfast support with helping her stay focused and grounded. “He was my rock,” she said. “He kept everything running smoothly at home and made sure I had the space and encouragement to keep going.”

The tech demands were also no small feat. Leading a college through pandemic-era digital transformations while simultaneously keeping up with group chats, shared documents, Zoom sessions, and collaborative MBA tools made multitasking a full-time art form. “I was toggling between college-wide dashboards and team Slack messages,” Perry recalled. “There were moments I wondered how many tabs one person could have open at once.”

But through it all, she stayed present—and determined.

Training the Next Generation of Public Health Leaders

While navigating her Costello MBA, Perry brought to the classroom more than just executive experience—she brought the insight of someone who has trained thousands of students over the course of a 35-year career. As a professor, mentor, and principal investigator, she has led a successful public health laboratory that has served as a training ground for cadres of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students.

Her passion for mentorship and education has been central to her career. From the laboratory bench to the lecture hall to the boardroom, Perry has devoted her professional life to building up others, equipping them with the skills and confidence to lead in the public health field.

“Watching students evolve into independent thinkers and leaders has always been the most rewarding part of my work,” she said. “Taking on the role of student again reminded me just how transformative that experience can be.”

Blending Mission and Metrics

A scientist by training—with a Doctor of Science and Master of Health Science from Johns Hopkins—Perry has long been grounded in data, rigor, and public service. But as she stepped into broader leadership roles, she saw firsthand the gaps that emerge when great ideas meet operational realities.

“Public health professionals are exceptional at solving complex problems,” she said. “But we need fluency in the language of business to scale those solutions—whether we’re running health departments, nonprofits, academic institutions, or startups.”

Her MBA program provided the missing pieces: advanced financial modeling, strategic planning, operational systems, marketing frameworks. It wasn’t about abandoning her mission—it was about making it sustainable. It also pushed her to think differently about impact.

“In business school, you learn how to think in terms of value creation,” she said. “In public health, we think in terms of lives improved. When you combine those perspectives, you unlock entirely new ways of approaching social good.”

Forging Cross-College Collaboration at George Mason

Perry brought that mindset with her to �� when she was named the inaugural dean of the College of Public Health. Almost immediately, she began building bridges—not just between faculty and students, but across disciplines and colleges.

One of her earliest initiatives was to host the leadership team from George Mason’s Costello College of Business. She invited them into public health classrooms and simulation labs, not just to showcase what the College of Public Health was building, but to spark conversations about shared purpose, complementary strengths, and collaborative potential.

“There’s no real daylight between our missions,” Perry said. “The business of health—workforce, sustainability, innovation—requires both of us at the table.”

That cross-college partnership is emblematic of Perry’s approach to leadership: not siloed, but integrated; not transactional, but transformational. As she often notes, the great challenges of our time—mental health, health equity, workforce development, aging populations—demand new models of education and action that cross traditional academic boundaries.

The Full Circle Moment

In a meaningful twist, Perry’s MBA will be conferred by the dean of the Costello College of Business, Ajay Vinzé—her colleague, collaborator, and friend. It’s more than ceremonial. It’s a symbol of the university’s vision for a more collaborative future and a celebration of the value that comes from interdisciplinary leadership.

It’s also deeply personal. Perry began her MBA not to prove anything to anyone, but because she believed it would stretch her—and it did. Now, as she returns to her students, faculty, and staff with fresh skills and a wider lens, she does so with renewed energy and imagination.

Redefining What a Student—and a Leader—Looks Like

There’s power in this story for students, faculty, alumni, and staff. Perry’s path redefines what it means to be a student—not someone just beginning their journey, but someone who is always learning. And it reframes what it means to be a leader—not someone who has all the answers, but someone willing to ask new questions.

It also reminds us that careers, like learning, are nonlinear. They loop, stretch, and evolve. They make space for change. They’re allowed to be audacious.

Perry’s story is a George Mason story: grounded in access, elevated by ambition, and fueled by the belief that knowledge and community are transformative forces.

Looking Ahead

Now equipped with the perspectives of both scientist and strategist, Perry is turning her attention to what’s next. Her goals include advancing immersive technologies in public health education, strengthening interdisciplinary research, and positioning George Mason’s College of Public Health among the nation’s top programs.

But one thing will remain constant: her belief in people—students, colleagues, and communities—as the drivers of health and change.

“At the end of the day,” she says, “what matters most is that we’re helping others find their path, live with purpose, and grow into the leaders the world needs. That’s what this degree was about for me. And that’s what Mason is all about.”

Topics

Costello College of Business

MBA Program

This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master’s

Sarah Holland — Fri, 02 May 2025 18:40:51 +0000

This former rower is racing toward the finish of her accelerated master’s Sarah Holland Fri, 05/02/2025 - 14:40

Monika Blakely, BS Information Technology ’24, has lived all over the world, but her time at �� has been particularly special. From rowing with the women’s rowing team to working as an influencer with ShopMason, this soon-to-be double George Mason graduate has left her mark on Fairfax ��.

Photo provided

Blakely plans to graduate in spring 2025 with a master’s in management from Costello College of Business, completed through the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program.

What inspired you to combine information technology and management?

My long-term goal is to be a project manager, and I think it’s useful to know both the technical side and the management side to understand how to be effective as a project manager. It also gives me the flexibility to do what I want in a different career path, if that ends up being right for me. I had extra spaces in my undergraduate classes, so I added the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program for management.

Tell me about your internships.

Currently I have two internships. The first is with Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED). I started there in fall 2023 as a social media intern. I thought local government was interesting. I’d never been involved in that industry before and wanted to learn more about who’s involved and what they do for the city. I figured I’d try it and see if I liked it, and I did! I became a marketing fellow with FCED in spring 2024, and I am now a part-time programs associate.

My second internship is with General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT). I’ve been a public relations intern there since summer 2024.

What classes would you say have set you up for success at your internships?

Senior Capstone, for one, because I think that’s been the most similar to real-world problem solving. We worked with different concentrations in the IT department. We had people doing web development, programming, cybersecurity, and so on, seeing how those different skill sets can contribute to that one broad end goal.

GBUS 653 Organizational Behavior has also been helpful, just learning about different learning styles, how your learning style can fit in with others, and so on.

How have your extracurriculars impacted your work in the classroom?

Teamwork and communication are probably the biggest things. In rowing, you have different parts of the boat, different strengths coming together, and you have to work to stay in sync. Sometimes when you work in a team, it’s not always ideal for you. You have to learn how to work with other people, how to adjust your learning style to fit with theirs, and how to make compromises with decisions that won’t be agreed on.

My roles at FCED and GDIT helped me improve my communication skills. Even if you don’t work within your team, you’re working with other sections, and you always have to cross-collaborate. So, with FCED and GDIT, you have people from different backgrounds and different departments, which taught me how to collaborate effectively across teams to deliver a clear, unified message.

ShopMason also helped strengthen my communication skills, because you’re constantly collaborating with students and departments across the university and you have to come together to share a clear and engaging message. That experience has helped me better contribute in classroom discussions, group projects, and presentations.

Blakely, 6th from left, with the staff of FCED. Photo provided.

What are you most proud of from your time at George Mason?

Being involved in different organizations and meeting a bunch of people I probably wouldn’t have connected with otherwise. I’ve been involved in organizations that reflect my culture and my studies, like the Japanese Student Association, the National Society for Black Engineers, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. Connecting with students similar to me has made the university experience worth it.

What makes George Mason special?

As the daughter of military service members, I’ve lived on different military bases around the world, and I think what makes George Mason special is that it has a space for everyone. There are cultural organizations, religious groups, interest groups...everyone can find a place to belong here, and that’s not the case everywhere.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

If there’s a skill you want to develop or an interest you have, pursue it in undergrad when you have the time and space to do so. You never know when those skills will be useful, and if you’re passionate about your work, people will notice.

2025 Spring Commencement

Topics

Costello College of Business

Master's in Management Program

Study: Left-handed CEOs are more innovative

Jennifer Anzaldi — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 02:32:28 +0000

Study: Left-handed CEOs are more innovative Jennifer Anzaldi Tue, 04/29/2025 - 22:32

In This Story

Long Chen

June Woo Park

Q: What do Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have in common (besides the obvious)?
A: All three belong to a community comprising about 10% of the population—the community of the left-handed.

And they’re far from the only business luminaries who are members. Steve Forbes, Oprah Winfrey and Lou Gerstner (of IBM fame) are left-handed, as were John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford and Ratan Tata.

Of course, this could be a mere coincidence—but perhaps not. The popular belief that left-handers think more creatively—and hence may enjoy an innovative edge in business—has been supported by cognitive neuroscience research, which shows that the left hand is controlled by the brain’s right hemisphere, a region closely associated with creative thinking. However, conflicting findings and limited research evidence prevent broad conclusions about the correlation between creativity and handedness, let alone its potential implications for business leadership.

A forthcoming research publication by Long Chen and June Woo Park, two accounting professors at the Costello College of Business at ��, constitutes the first rigorous scholarly investigation into whether—and how—handedness plays a role in business innovation.

June Woo Park and Long Chen

The paper was co-authored by Albert Tsang of Southern University of Science and Technology and Xiaofang Xu of Beijing Technology and Business University.

The researchers searched Google for photos and videos of S&P 500 CEOs engaged in activities like writing, throwing, drawing, and eating to determine their dominant hand, if wasn’t already disclosed in published sources. “We looked at pictures of them on the golf course to see how they held their clubs,” Park explains. “We also noted which wrist they wore their watch on; left-handed people often wear it on the right.” When in doubt, they followed up with calls or emails to the respective companies. All in all, they were able to identify the handedness of 1,008 CEOs across 472 companies: 91.4 percent were right-handed, 7.9 percent left-handed, and 0.7 percent mixed.

The researchers then looked at the numbers of patents and citations received by the firms from 1992 to 2015. They controlled for firm and industry characteristics, as well as other personal traits known to affect CEO innovativeness (such as age, education, risk preference shaped by experience, birth order, and founder status).

In addition, they performed several follow-up tests, including one focused on a narrow subset of firms that unexpectedly switched from a right-handed CEO to a left-handed one due to unforeseeable circumstances such as death or illness.

Every variation of the study produced essentially the same result: Firms led by left-handed CEOs demonstrate significantly higher innovative output. The differences were qualitative as well as quantitative. Patents under left-handed leadership were more likely to represent something new under the sun, rather than a spin-off from established technology.

The researchers hypothesized that the left-handers’ creative orientation would impact the way they ran their firms, including hiring decisions. Indeed, they found that companies applied for more H-1B and STEM visas when left-handers were at the helm. This emphasis on talent acquisition was not only a key indicator of innovation commitment, but may have also contributed to the firms’ creative advantage.

“We find that left-handed CEOs are more likely to hire immigrant inventors in STEM fields, and are also more likely to be inventors themselves,” Chen says. “These findings strengthen our argument by highlighting specific ways in which left-handed CEOs may directly enhance firm innovation.”

Still, piling up patents doesn’t automatically produce outcomes that will make customers and shareholders happy. Ultimately, firm performance is what matters in evaluating business success. As additional analyses in the study suggest, firms led by left-handers had higher return on assets and stronger buy-and-hold returns than peers with a right-handed leader.

“They outperformed their counterparts,” Park summarizes. “Investors are drawn to innovative firms, and left-handedness is one of the factors investors could use in their stock-picking.”

Yet innovative success is complex and multifaceted. Left-handedness is only one potentially meaningful trait among many—a lot more are yet to be explored.

“Our results are based on a large sample. But investors should not assume a CEO that is not left-handed lacks innovative potential,” Chen says.

For their ongoing and future research projects, Chen and Park are looking beyond left-handedness to explore other deeply personal CEO traits that may have business implications.

“We find it fascinating to draw on insights from disciplines outside accounting and finance,” Chen says. “CEO decisions may be shaped by factors like family experiences, genetics, academic background, career paths, and more—really, the full range of experiences that makes them who they are. Understanding that can help market participants better interpret and predict CEOs’ decision-making.”

Topics

Costello College of Business Faculty Research

Accounting Faculty Research