Students and Alumni in the news
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April 17th, 2008
Runner-up not so bad in Business ‘battle’
Four students celebrated their second-place victory, beating Stanford, in the annual Battle of the Bay Undergraduate Case Competition Finals. A celebration was held in the courtyard in front of the Boccardo Business Complex on April 10.
Maryann Cristofi, Kin Liu, Keith Lee and Brian Talarico were the members of the team selected by Cisco Systems, Inc., and Deloitte Consulting representatives to represent SJSU in the Battle of the Bay.

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November 29th, 2007
MBA Student in the News
This Thanksgiving, when some 300 people are served turkey dinners at two InnVision homeless shelters in San Jose, each of them also will get several pairs of warm socks for the winter.
It’s all thanks to Jennifer Knickerbocker, 30, who organized a ‘’sock drive” to collect used and stray socks for the needy. Knickerbocker, an intern at Cisco, came up with the idea for her MBA class at San Jose State. She hooked up with InnVision and enlisted more than 15 local employers to collect workers’ socks.
She also organized volunteers to sort and bundle the socks with gift ribbons. When my family and I went to help, we were astounded at the heaps of socks — about 10,000 pairs — that covered tables and sofas. InnVision plans to distribute the socks throughout the holiday season.
One person can do a world of good by coming up with a simple idea and acting on it. I’m grateful for people like Jennifer Knickerbocker who can turn a simple concept into something powerful that helps the community.
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March 8th, 2007
CoB Students tackle e-Business Cases for Cisco and Deloitte
San Jose State CoB students are participating for the second year in the E-business Case Competition sponsored by Cisco and Deloitte. Established in 2000 at UC Berkeley, the competition challenges students teams to propose to Cisco and Deloitte senior managers their top recommendations for entering new markets, identifying an industry disruption, or deploying an emerging technology. This semester, SJSU participants include students from the MIS Strategy courses taught by Richard Burkhard (Business 119B) and Jeff Gaines (Business 188). Student teams receive mentorship from SJSU faculty (Burkhard, Gaines, Andra), and staff from Cisco and Deloitte. A local competition among SJSU teams will be held at 6pm in King Library 255 on March 20, 2007. One team will be selected in this local competition to go on to the “Battle of the Bay” — involving teams from UC Berkeley, SJSU, and Stanford U — at the Cisco Campus on April 6 starting at 2pm. For more information, please contact MIS instructor and Cisco Market Intelligence Manager Usha Andra at andra_u at cob.sjsu.edu
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August 17th, 2006
Business Journal Features CoB Grad and Entrepreneur Jordana McVey
“As a San Jose State University marketing major, Ms. McVey combined $5,000 from her savings with her entrepreneurial find-it-or-create-it spirit to start Jordana Paige, a handbag company that custom designs, manufacturers, markets and sells a variety of trendy purses and totes for knitting hobbyists.”
Ms. McVey credits the CoB’s Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurship for teaching her how to launch, finance and run a company. Click here to view the article online.
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June 7th, 2006
CoB Grad Rick Holley to Keynote NIRI-Seattle Annual Investor Communications Awards Gala
Source: NIRI Seattle
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 6, 2006–The Seattle chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) announced today that Rick R. Holley, Plum Creek Timber’s President and CEO, will be the keynote speaker for the NIRI-Seattle 2006 Investor Communications Awards Gala. Mr. Holley will provide his perspective on the impact of strategic investor communications on shaping corporate direction and success.
… Holley received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from San Jose State University and completed an advanced education program at Northwestern University. Holley serves on various boards, including the American Forest & Paper Association, American Forest Foundation, World Forestry Center and Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation.
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June 7th, 2006
CoB Marketing Grad Fabio Garcia Selected to Work as Summer Brand Specialist
Source: Alaskan Brewing Company
JUNEAU, Alaska, June 5, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) — From the 16 million college students now out of school and searching for summer employment, six top marketing students on the West Coast have been chosen for the ultimate summer job. Labeled the Alaskan Six Pack, these six students will travel to Alaska to work for Alaskan Brewing Company as Brand Specialists. They will receive hands-on marketing experience in the craft beer segment while also getting a chance to explore the wilds of Alaska.
The 2006 Six Pack consists of the following students:
Fabio Garcia - A student double majoring in International Business and Marketing at San Jose State University, he formerly lived in Zimbabwe as a volunteer teacher at an impoverished primary school
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June 7th, 2006
CoB Grad Hanna Chomiskey Joins Heritage Bank of Commerce as Senior Vice President
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Heritage Commerce Corp, parent company of Heritage Bank of Commerce, today announced Hannah Comiskey joins the Bank as Senior Vice President and Manager of Private Banking….
Formerly, Comiskey served as a Senior Vice President with Comerica / Plaza Bank for 21 years and also worked for Bank of America for more than five years. A long-time South Bay resident, Comiskey earned her Bachelor of Arts degree and her Masters of Business Administration from San Jose State University. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Notre Dame High School.
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June 7th, 2006
CoB Grad Russell Munson Appointed as Pacific State Bancorp Director
STOCKTON, Calif., June 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Pacific State Bancorp, the parent company of Pacific State Bank, today announced that Mr. Russell Munson, a Lodi resident, has been appointed to the Boards of Directors of Pacific State Bancorp and Pacific State Bank….
Mr. Munson is a graduate of San Jose State University and is an accomplished pilot, logging more than 3,000 hours and 300 career landings aboard the carriers USS Roosevelt and USS America during his years of service in the U.S Navy.
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May 16th, 2006
CoB Grad Annette Finsterbusch Named a Kauffman Fellow
Thirty up-and-coming venture capitalists received notice this week that they have won Kauffman fellowships, coveted two-year apprenticeships served under some of the industry’s most prominent professionals. For aspiring venture capitalists, a Kauffman fellowship represents a unique opportunity to learn from some of the most respected professionalsin the business. While each firm designs its own apprenticeship, fellows often accompany their mentors to meetings, work with them on business presentations and assist with new investments. The fellows can also take on more substantial roles, acceleratingtheir paths to prized partnerships.
Annette Finsterbusch, CoB MBA-One graduate, will mentor with Applied Ventures, Santa Clara, CA.
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April 19th, 2006
CoB Alum Elie Goldstein develops aid for diabetics
Hayward nutrition expert develops aid for diabetics
By Ricci Graham, STAFF WRITER
Elie Goldstein is not a chemist, nor is he a doctor. Goldstein, who has spent much of his life working at his mom-and-pop nutrition shop on Foothill Boulevard, said he saw a need to develop a supplement to help lower glucose levels after a number of his diabetic clients asked if there was anything they could take to help control the disease. …
This from a man who graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in marketing and advertising.
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April 19th, 2006
CoB Alum James H. Hogan Joins BlueLithium Board of Directors
SAN JOSE, CA — (MARKET WIRE) — 04/18/2006 — BlueLithium, the company that is reinventing the online ad network, added James H. Hogan as the sixth member of its seasoned board of directors. Mr. Hogan brings over three decades of high-tech experience and currently holds board positions at four other high-growth technology companies.
Mr. Hogan is also on the board of directors of Clear Shape Technologies, CiraNova, Athena Designs and Xpedion Design Systems. He holds a B.A. degree in mathematics, a B.S. degree in computer science and an M.B.A all from San Jose State University. He serves on the Board of Advisors at San Jose State’s School of Engineering.

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