Alumni Highlights
Graduates of the Carl H. Lindner College of Business provide job updates, share how the college has impacted them and offer wisdom from their professional careers.
Shashank Saxena, Bus ’08 (MBA)
Saxena is an entrepreneur and a member of Lindner’s Executive Cabinet. Saxena was previously the co-founder and CEO of VNDLY, which helps companies manage external workforce personnel.
VNDLY was bought by Workday for $510 million in late 2021. Prior to founding VNDLY in 2017, Saxena held multiple executive positions at Kroger and Citibank.
Etosha Thurman, Bus ’01 (MBA)
After spending a little under two years as Capital One’s Treasury Management’s Head of Sales and Client Engagement, Thurman returned to SAP — where she previously worked for nearly six years — in 2021 as the company’s first-ever Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer for Intelligent Spend and Business Network.
“There is value in having a different background, different perspective, and different needs. It is important to lean into that and bring that to bear in your interactions.”
Damien Lass, Bus ’01
Lass, a Managing Director in Accenture’s Consumer Goods and Retail practice, works closely with Fortune 500 companies and is responsible for leading large-scale transformation programs leveraging digital technologies in the cloud and powering organizations with data and analytics.
Lass also actively leads recruiting efforts on behalf of Accenture at UC, reflecting his commitment to connect high-performing Lindner students with opportunities post-graduation.
Molly North, Bus ’97
North has led Al. Neyer as CEO since 2015. She started with the company in 2007 as a real estate development manager and has also served as CFO.
She provides leadership to several local boards, including ArtWorks, Cincinnati Park Board and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.
Brandon Reynolds, Bus ’15
As the founder and CEO of B the Keeper, Reynolds works with businesses and landowners to install pollinator habitats across the city.
“My favorite part is putting my sales background to work by helping others build more mindful connections with the environment, one step at a time.”
Diane P. Weidner, Bus ’90
Weidner, Vice President, Investor & Media Relations for American Financial Group (AFG), is celebrating her 35th anniversary with AFG this year after working for the company as a co-op student at Lindner.
She is a member of Lindner’s Business Advisory Council and is passionate about giving back to UC and the Greater Cincinnati community. Weidner is also the president of the Southern and Central Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and a proud parent of three children — a pair of Lindner graduates and another who will start at UC in fall 2022.
Myron L. Hughes, Bus ’86
Hughes is chair of the Hoxworth Blood Center’s Board of Advisers and is also Managing Director of Blue Rose Supply. A former UC basketball player, Hughes enjoys the versatility of his current positions.
“It gives me the opportunity and flexibility to spend more time with my wife and family and get more involved with the community — locally and nationally — as well as to give back as much as possible. I don’t have much to give, but the little that I can, I hope it can enrich someone else in a tremendous manner for them and their family.”
Adrienne Taylor, Bus ’13 (MBA)
Taylor began her role as President-Elect of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in January. Next year, she will be the first Black female president of the chapter. Taylor enjoys fundraising because it is “truly a feel-good occupation.”
“I get to wake up every day passionate about gender equity and I am empowered to invite others to join the movement through giving — the same way I was passionate about inviting our alumni to support our Bearcats through giving during my tenure at the UC Foundation.”
Brian Hill, Bus ’07
After working at Instagram as a Finance Manager, Hill moved to YouTube as a Strategy and Operations lead for YouTube Operations. In his work, Hill enjoys proposing solutions to “complicated operational and financial problems.”
“The technology world is always growing and evolving, so there is a lot of white space to create and make your mark. When I go to work, I have a lot of autonomy, which is liberating.”
Pam Beigh, Bus ’82
Beigh, President of SalesCORE, is a longtime member of The Goering Center for Family and Private Business’s Board of Directors. Beigh took advantage of Lindner’s top-ranked co-op program and enjoys seeing others doing the same.
“This gives graduates a leg up, not only in the marketplace, but in their decisions on what they want to do. Being involved at the level where I can give input on what the marketplace is requiring gives me great satisfaction in helping Lindner continue to lead the way.”
Sean Lee, Bus ’09
Lee recently co-founded Cincy Brands, a consumer products company of better-for-you brands that raised capital from San Francisco-based startup studio Wilbur Labs.
Lee, who was previously employed at Amify and Procter & Gamble, said some of his closest friends are fellow Lindner graduates. “A large group of us went to the Cotton Bowl to cheer on the Bearcats!”