2023 Gabelli School of Business Achievement in Belonging Award Winners
Featured Events | May 01, 2023 | Gabelli School of Business

Gabelli School of Business Dean Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D. delivers welcome remarks.
Photo by Bruce Gilbert
On Tuesday, April 25, the Fordham University Gabelli School of Business Office of the Dean and DEI Board hosted the 2023 Achievement in Belonging Awards Ceremony. The award ceremony was a powerful reminder of the importance of fostering a sense of belonging and inclusivity within our community. We want to extend a huge thank you to Gabelli School of Business Dean Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D.; Gabelli School of Business Director of DEI Clarence E. Ball III; Wanpeng Xu, GABELLI ’23, Belonging Awards coordinator; and the entire DEI Board for their hard work and dedication to making this event such a success.
Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees who were recognized for their outstanding contributions in this area. We can’t wait to see what amazing things the future holds for our community!
List of Winners:
NYC Community Partner Award
Dr. Julian Best
Brianne O’Hare, guidance counselor, Mount St. Ursula
Fortune 500 Corporate Award
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Fordham University Office Award
Center for Community Engaged Learning, Fordham University
Administrator of the Year Award
Hope Ogletree, senior director of development, Gabelli School of Business
Outstanding Faculty Award (Curriculum & Teaching)
Professor Robert Hurley, Ph.D., Gabelli School of Business
Outstanding Faculty Award (Research)
Professor Sertan Kabadayi, Ph.D., director of Professional MBA program, Gabelli School of Business
Jesuit Values in Service Award
Kate Kennon, Ed.D., assistant dean for graduate advising and engagement, Gabelli School of Business
Jesuit Values in Leadership Award
Josefina Kocovic, director of faculty administrative support, Gabelli School of Business
Associate Professor, Mohammad Nejad, Ph.D., area chair of marketing, Gabelli School of Business
Alumni of the Year Award
Linda Dunham, PCS ’82, owner & operator, TCB Management Corp.

Members of the Gabelli School of Business DEI Board.
Photo by Bruce Gilbert
Outstanding DEI Graduate Student Award
Abhidith Shetty, GABELLI ’23
Mohit Kumar, GABELLI ’24
Bearose Beltran, GABELLI ’23
Outstanding DEI Undergraduate Award – Rose Hill
Om Bhosale, GABELLI ’26
Outstanding DEI Undergraduate Award – Lincoln Center
Mitchell B. Hyneman, GABELLI ’24

Gabelli School of Business Director of DEI Clarence Ball III with members of the South Asian Business Association.
Photo by Bruce Gilbert
Jesuit Service in the Community Award
Luz Perez-Arias, GABELLI ’25
Andres Cintron, GABELLI ’25
Aarushi Sharma, GABELLI ’23
DEI Innovative Leadership Award
Wanpeng Xu, GABELLI ’23
Graduate Student Affinity Group Award
South Asian Business Association, Gabelli School of Business
Undergraduate Student Affinity Group Award
USG Diversity Action Coalition, Fordham University