Greg Johnson

The business school’s SOAR Initiative is a critical building block in George Mason University’s efforts to advance social mobility, or an individual’s ability to improve their socio-economic status.

The RISE (Refugee and Immigrant Success through Entrepreneurship) Program as a cohort of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's SOAR Initiative. SOAR provides a holistic model for startups and empowers individuals who do not currently have adequate access to entrepreneurship training opportunities. RISE focuses its support on aspiring entrepreneurs from refugee and immigrant backgrounds.

Mason alum Alaleh Jenkins, acting assistant secretary for the United States Navy, shared her keys for success in a fireside chat with School of Business Dean Ajay Vinzé.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Alaleh Jenkins, BS Accounting ’97, immigrated to the United States as a teenager without speaking any English. As a student at George Mason University, she enrolled in basic English classes and quickly became fluent in English while also excelling in her other courses. Focused on academics as well as adjusting to and succeeding in a new country, she took advantage of Mason’s job fairs, landing a job at a major CPA firm after graduation.  “I got a lot of tough love at my first job and I will be forever grateful to my employer for pushing me out of my comfort zone,” Jenkins says.

Despite living and working in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Michael VanPatten, MBA ’90, never lost touch with Mason. Immediately receptive to post-graduation calls from the alumni relations team, he was eager to connect with alumni and assist students in attaining an MBA. The positive experience he had at Mason, with instructors who had working knowledge in the areas they were teaching, encouraged his continued engagement.

Reflecting on his career path in the three decades following his graduation from George Mason University, George Cabalu, BA Economics ’92, is grateful that he chose the green and gold. In fact, with the university rapidly climbing ranks across the board, his degree has never been more valuable. Cabalu, who is now a Managing Director at Wells Fargo Advisors, is extending a helping hand to students by establishing the Cabalu Scholarship Endowment, geared toward School of Business students of Asian descent and from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

In her quest to gain a better understanding of people, the mechanisms of the world around her, and advances in science and technology, Prachi Vakharia has taken on many roles simultaneously. Presently, she is a transportation and innovation specialist at Amazon, associate partner at European boutique investment bank ImprovedCF, and co-founder of Womanium. She does all this while also serving on several advisory boards, including as chairperson of the Business for a Better World Center (B4BW) Advisory Board at George Mason University’s School of Business. 

With the daytime dedicated to her nine-to-five job and evenings occupied with coursework, the financial support that Kaylene Green, BS Accounting & Legal Studies ’87, received from her employer was integral to her success. Now the president and CEO of Flagship Government Relations, Inc., she makes sure to return the favor, supporting the business students of her alma mater.

To overcome the challenges of running a business during the pandemic, Craftsman Auto Care’s Matt and Judy Curry demonstrated exceptional skill as innovators and entrepreneurs, taking extensive measures to make the vehicle maintenance process as safe and easy as possible for their customers. Following COVID restrictions, the couple has parlayed their company’s successes into a sixth location. Their significant presence and established business expertise in the Northern Virginia community has made them valued partners of the School of Business at George Mason University, most specifically the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).  

Since the Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship’s (CREE) inception a dozen years ago, its advisory board, comprised of the region’s senior leaders from across the real estate industry, has been a staunch supporter of developing the next generation. As both the center and the master’s in real estate development program (MRED) mature, former students who have advanced in the careers and become industry leaders themselves, are coming back to support the program that helped them along their way.