Archive: Beth Ryan | Business and Economics

Beth Ryan

CBE Experiences with Morgan Douglas ’23

By Beth Ryan August 3rd 2021

This summer, CBE Fellow Morgan Douglas is working as a Model Risk Intern under the Enterprise Risk Management division of First National Bank in Hermitage, PA. We asked Morgan…

How did you find your internship?

Morgan: I found the internship job posting on Handshake. I applied, went through multiple interviews, and then I got the job offer!

What are your duties?

Morgan: As the Model Risk Intern, I participate in ongoing model validations and model reviews, conduct model risk reviews of models currently in production, analyze results produced by models to determine their accuracy and statistical relevance, and write reports summarizing validation and review findings. Working in Model Risk has allowed me to network with other departments, communicating with other department heads about models that they use and potential new models from in-house departments and vendors. Along with applying statistical, economic, and computer science concepts to my work, I have learned about regulations that banks must follow. These skills combined allow me to explore exciting models such as the bank’s AML model.

Would you recommend this internship to other students?

Morgan: Along with model risk work, FNB provides “lunch and learn” sessions for interns to talk one-on-one with leaders of the bank, such as the CEO and CFO, who are eager to help mentor us! FNB’s core values – Integrity & Honor, Excellence & Passion, Teamwork & Collaboration, Innovation & Creativity, Leadership & Recognition – create a welcoming, educational and motivational workplace, perfect for hard-working and eager students.

Morgan is a third-year student at Allegheny College, majoring in Economics and minoring in Mathematics. Along with her studies, Morgan is the Data and Technology Intern for Residence Life (previously working as a Residential Advisor), a Fellow for the Center for Business and Economics, the Vice President of the Wealth Management Club, Women in Business and Economics Club Treasurer, a Delta Omicron Epsilon International Economics Honor Society member, a member of Bridge Club where she helps teach local high school students how to play, and has worked as a teacher’s assistant/peer mentor for the department in the past. Morgan is eager to spread awareness among peers and local high school students of career opportunities in Economics and Mathematics. She plans to pursue a graduate program for data analytics.

CBE Experiences with Noah Tart ’22

By Beth Ryan July 26th 2021

This summer, CBE Fellow and incoming Student Government President, Noah Tart ’22 is working on a research project with Dr. Kathryn Bender and Katie Nichols investigating industry compliance and food waste management. We asked Noah…

What are your duties?

Noah: We have scheduled in-person research collection in Columbus, OH, but have been compiling literature and drafts for an article that hopefully will be published. In addition, we are preparing letters for politicians to raise the issue of food waste on the federal and state levels.

What are your recommendation for students considering summer research?

Noah: I would most definitely recommend summer research for anyone who is interested in professional ethical research practices and or those who are planning to enter graduate school. On top of that, I have been studying for the GRE and preparing for graduate school applications. Furthermore, during the month of July, I am attending a Summer Data Camp where I am learning skills in Stata, R, and Tableau! All in all, it certainly keeps me busy!

Noah is a Senior at Allegheny College from Delta, PA. As an economics major with a minor in global health studies and (pending) mathematics, he plans to attend graduate school to receive a Ph.D. in economics with a focus on development and policy economics. Noah joined the Fellows in 2019 and is interested in research on poverty traps and prosperity cycles. In addition to being a Center for Business and Economics Fellow, Noah is the Allegheny College Student Government President and the Interfraternal Council Treasurer.

CBE Summer Experiences with Kaylin Tang ’22

By Beth Ryan July 19th 2021

CBE Fellow and Allegheny Navigator, Kaylin Tang is doing a finance and business operations internship this summer at the global headquarters at Leidos. Leidos is an American defense, aviation, information technology, and biomedical research company. We asked Kaylin…

How did you find your summer internship?

Kaylin: I heard about the company because it is right by my hometown and has a good global reputation.

What are your duties?

Kaylin: Within the role, I help my managers with financial analysis and forecasting, dealing with revenue, operating income, fees, and other measures of the contracts that the Health group has. I learn to use the systems within my company to create queries and pull data, conduct data analysis, and then send out reports to division managers. I am also involved in an intern group project where I am working to create a more efficient way to forecast depreciation of capital expenditures for the company.

Would you recommend this internship to other students?

I would recommend it to other students. It’s a great learning experience like any other internships and the intern program in finance is extremely organized and engaging at Leidos!

Kaylin is a senior majoring in Business with a focus in finance and minoring in Global Health Studies. This is her second year as a CBE Fellow and she is excited to continue her role and influence in the Business and Economics department. Outside her involvement in the CBE, Kaylin is also on the softball team at Allegheny and is a Navigator on campus.

Marketing Monday with Kimberly Scochin ’10

By Beth Ryan June 28th 2021

Kim Scochin, GAF World Headquarters, Parsippany, NJ

The Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business & Economics welcomed Kimberly Scochin ’10 on March 15 to present “New Product Commercialization into various Markets through Omni-channel Strategies and Execution.” She shared her career path from Allegheny, giving students a window into the life of a busy, high profile marketing professional.

Kimberly is the Channel Marketing Manager with GAF

She is a creative, data-driven marketer who has spent the past 10 years in the manufacturing industry focusing on product commercialization, branding and channel marketing. She has extensive experience leading new product commercialization into various markets through omni-channel strategies and execution. As Channel Marketing Manager, Kim is focused on curating relationships through the development and execution of channel alignment strategies for both commercial and residential products and services from GAF to the various wholesale and dealer partners across North America.

Kimberly has also worked for companies such as Ingersoll Rand, Alpha Wire, and American Standard Brands in communications, brand marketing, and channel roles. She is a 2010 graduate of Allegheny College, and earned her M.S.B.A. Marketing in 2011 at the University of Rochester, Simon School of Business.

Celebrating Academic Excellence – Honors Convocation 2021

By Beth Ryan May 18th 2021

Each year, the Business & Economics faculty and staff meet to choose the students who will earn these annual awards. Having worked all year with so many excellent students, it is a nearly impossible task.

It is our distinct pleasure as a department to congratulate our 2021 award winners for their hard work and commitment to the study of Business & Economics:

The Prize of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants awarded for excellence in accounting studies: Owen M. Harkins ‘21.
The Economics Senior Project Prize, a monetary gift for the best senior project assigned annually by the Department of Economics to encourage understanding and good scholarship: Alex Abadi ‘21.
The Graduate Student’s Prize in Economics, an annual prize to a senior whose achievement has been outstanding and whose promise as a graduate student is substantial: Kirsten D. Lashbrook ‘21.
The Outstanding Achievement Prize in Economics, awarded to a senior with an outstanding record in economics and for general contributions to the vitality of the department: Alex Abadi ‘21 and Rachel Tobler ‘21.
The John L. Porter Prize, an award jointly assigned by the Department of Political Science and the Department of Economics to recognize a student who has written the best thesis on a topic of political economy: Victoria Vradenburg ‘21.
The Outstanding Junior Major Prize, awarded for exceptional academic achievement, performance in the seminar, and contribution to the general life of the department: Maya Ginter-Frankovitch ‘22

At the Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business and Economics, students may choose to pursue a major in economics or business with each course of study applying the rigor of a strong background in economic theory with the added benefit of interdisciplinary course work that allows students to create a concentration that matches their personal interests. Like many related disciplines in a liberal arts curriculum, Business and Economics emphasizes oral, written, and quantitative methods in courses and seminars.

The Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society for Economics inducts new members for 2021

By Beth Ryan May 13th 2021

The Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society for Economics, Alpha Psi Chapter met both virtually and on campus to induct new members, celebrate scholarship in economics and honor outgoing faculty advisor, Professor John Golden on March 30, 2021.

The incoming advisor, Professor Michael Michaelides was the Master of Ceremony for the annual event with welcoming remarks by Rachel Tobler ‘21, Center for Business & Economics Fellow.

“One of the most interesting aspects of economics is the wide diversity in the interests and backgrounds of its members,” cited Golden. “Many come to the field with a desire for a career in policy that can improve the way people live and work. The problems they tackle are many,” he added. “Our ODE chapter will be in excellent hands with Dr. Michaelides as faculty advisor,” he continued, “I welcome you all to Omicron Delta Epsilon and wish you success now and always.”

Congratulations to the new members for 2021:

Angel (Alyssa) Astaria	Olivia Brophy	Ian Craycroft
Ryan Dayton	Matthew Del Rosso	Morgan Douglas
Brett Heckert	Emily Jones	David Kraus
Grace Lengauer	Christian Lussier	Harley O’Brochta
Jack Parker	Megan Powell	Joseph Silvester
Nicholas Taliani	Noah Tart	Molly Tarvin
Dakchyata Thapa	Thomas Uranga	Victoria Vradenburg

Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Economics Honor Society, is one of the world’s largest academic honor societies. The objectives of Omicron Delta Epsilon are recognition of scholastic attainment and the honoring of outstanding achievements in economics; the establishment of closer ties between students and faculty in economics within colleges and universities, and among colleges and universities; the publication of its official journal, The American Economist ; and sponsoring of panels at professional meetings as well as the Irving Fisher and Frank W. Taussig competitions.

Allegheny Students Rock the 2021 Econ Games!

By Beth Ryan May 11th 2021

Allegheny College joined 18 colleges and universities participating in the 2021 Econ Games on March 12, 2021. The Econ Games are an experiential learning experience frequently referred to as “an internship in a day” for participating students. This year, the competition was held virtually the first week in March with additional networking and development opportunities throughout February. Assistant Professor of Economics and Faculty Advisor, Dr. Kathryn Bender led the way recruiting students from all majors to participate in this data analytics and research event designed to help students solve real-world problems.

Students were challenged by a corporate sponsor to help them solve a business problem. This year’s data collaborator was the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and the theme was “Public Policy.” The event sponsors included StataCorp, Northern Kentucky University Center for Economic Education, and the University of Kentucky Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise. At the end of the final day, the students presented their results. Students also heard presentations from industry leaders about how they use economics and data analysis at their firm. The event included opportunities for students to build lasting personal and professional connections with peers and businesses in the region.

Dr. Bender commented, “I think the important lesson from this experience is that students learned what professional economists do in the real world. They had to not only analyze a complex data set, but they needed to draw conclusions from the data, then link the conclusions to policy implications. This effort required students to draw from all of the classes they have taken while at Allegheny to compete.”

Three Allegheny teams took on the challenge:

Quigleys	StataGators	Investigators
Sarah Schmidt George Ackerman Megan Dennis Clarissa Miller Wonjoon Cho	Morgan Douglas Kyrie Doniz Kaleel Van Voorhees	Adriana Solis Zachary Ioli Kevin Lee Noah Tart Maya Ginter-Frankovitch

For more information or to express interest in future participation or sponsorship, email Professor Kathryn Bender, faculty advisor, kbender@allegheny.edu.

The Wealth Management Club provides a clear understanding of personalized finance

By Beth Ryan April 22nd 2021

During the 2020-2021 school year, the Allegheny College Wealth Management Club was focused on gaining new members. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions in place, the club was unable to participate in many events, and instead turned to planning for the 2021-2022 school year. Current President Rachel Tobler ‘21 and Vice President Alex Abadi ‘21 worked on spreading the news about the club, whose purpose is to provide a simple and clearer understanding of personalized finance and the instruments that it uses.

This involves attending CFA Society events, workshops on personal finance, and any other events members want to see involving investment and personal budgeting. At the end of the spring semester, the officers have been working with incoming President Morgan Libell ‘22 and Vice President Kevin Lee ‘23 to further increase membership and restart regular club meetings and events in the fall. Promotional campaigns, expansion of the board, and event planning have been the focus this year to get the Wealth Management Club running and successful in the fall of 2021!

Interested students can contact Morgan Libell or Kevin Lee.

The Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business & Economics attracts Allegheny’s next generation of business innovators and entrepreneurs by providing a host of co-curricular activities that connect with and deepen their classroom experiences. The Wealth Management Club is designed to give students a collaborative environment in which they can openly discuss and learn about topics relating to personal finance. The club will invite guest speakers, use simulations, and perform individual research in order to educate members about personal finance topics and learn how to get a head start on managing their own money.

Marketing Monday: Storytelling in Marketing

By Beth Ryan April 15th 2021

The Bruce R. Thompsons Center for Business and Economics will present another Marketing Monday on the practical use and benefits of Storytelling in Marketing. This event is open to the Allegheny community via Zoom, please email Beth Ryan at bryan@allegheny.edu for a link to this session, to be held on Monday April 19, at 12:15 pm.

Our speaker is Prof. Payal Trivedi, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Jagdish Sheth School of Management (JAGSOM), in Bengaluru, India. At JAGSOM, she teaches Marketing Management and Consumer Behavior. Her research interests include consumer behavior and digital marketing. She has published and presented her research at various national and international symposiums.

Dr. Trivedi completed her Bachelor and Masters degrees in the field of management from the state university system of India. Her doctoral studies focused on the field of consumer behavior from MICA, Ahmedabad, India. She is a visiting scholar at the State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo. Previously, she worked as an Assistant Professor (Marketing) at the Pune Institute of Business Management (Pune) and as an Academic Associate (Marketing) at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A). In addition to her academic experience, she served as an inbound sales executive with Jindal RHM Interactive Private Ltd., Ahmedabad.

Students Explore International Business Opportunities with the German American Chamber of Commerce

By Beth Ryan March 8th 2021

With the generous support of the Max Kade Foundation, Allegheny World Language & Cultures has partnered with the Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business and Economics to present a virtual tour of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce featuring chapter President, Rachel Mauer on March 2, 2021.

The German American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh Chapter (GACC PIT) was founded in 2015 to promote and support bilateral trade between Germany and the U.S. It is a private, non-profit organization and serves as the official representative of German trade in Western Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Chapter is part of an international network composed of 140 German foreign chambers of commerce and government offices in 92 countries.

Rachel Mauer is the Co-founder and President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce (AHK Pittsburgh Chapter) with the mission to foster trade with Germany and to grow the regional economy. The German American Chamber of Commerce provides educational and network opportunities, hosts international delegations, and formal events. Rachel and her team also launched the German Dual Apprenticeship program. The registered apprenticeship programs are industry-led programs, including Mechatronics, Mechanic in Polymer Technology (plastics), Sales Engineering (technical sales), and (upcoming) CAD Programming. Rachel’s professional history includes serving as the Co-Director of the American Council on Germany’s Pittsburgh Warburg Chapter, Vice Chairman on the Board of Global Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh 40 Under 40 in 2017. Rachel is a graduate from Cornell University with a degree in International Government and has a Leadership Certificate from Leadership Pittsburgh.