Bryant | ICGN Launch

Professor Ascioglu earned her doctorate degree from University of Memphis. Her research interests have been focused on market microstructure such as market liquidity, information asymmetry, order execution quality, and more recently on the integration of ESG metrics in portfolios. She has published papers in academic and practitioner journals such as the Financial Review, Journal of Financial Research, Journal of Banking and Finance, the Journal of Trading and Journal of Accounting and Public Policy. She has presented her work at over 25 national and international conferences.

At Bryant University, Ascioglu has taught courses in investments, trading, corporate finance and social finance areas at the graduate and undergraduate level, including in the honors program. She also taught in the Ph.D. program at Bogazici University, Istanbul. Her advising to honors students’ thesis includes investments and trading areas such as an analysis of the flash crash of 2010, the announcement impact of companies going green on their stock prices, and the change in the mission of microfinance companies that go public. She has given numerous lectures and workshops around the world, including the Executive MBA Program at Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey and at Universidad del Pacifico, Lima, Peru.

George Dallas serves as an advisor for ICGN’s training program and as a faculty member for ICGN’s education courses. He served as ICGN Policy Director at ICGN from 2014-2022, where he coordinated ICGN’s governance policies and committees, and led ICGN’s policy development and regulatory outreach. He is now Head of Content at the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI), a global network of leading law and finance scholars focusing on corporate governance research. Previously he was director of corporate governance for the UK asset manager F&C, and prior to that was a Managing Director at S&P Global.

Dallas is published widely in the fields of finance, corporate governance and responsible investment, including the books “Governance, Stewardship and Sustainability” (Routledge, 2022) and “Governance and Risk”, (McGraw-Hill, 2004).

Dallas holds a BA degree, with distinction, from Stanford University and an MBA from the Haas School of the University of California at Berkeley.

Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa will be participating in the morning session, “How important are governance, stewardship & sustainability for companies, governments, and investors?”

Diossa was elected Rhode Island General Treasurer in November 2022 and sworn in on January 3, 2023. Diossa is committed to serving as a responsible and active steward, protecting the livelihoods of our current and future pensioners, and promoting economic growth by expanding opportunities for all Rhode Islanders through thoughtful, transparent, and equity-focused leadership.

Throughout his years in public service, Diossa demonstrated his commitment to giving residents the tools and opportunities for creating sustainable wealth. This commitment continues by making information readily available - and easy to access - to current and future pensioners as well as the general public and providing assistance to municipal governments requiring pension-related guidance. In addition, he is a key champion for expanded financial literacy in our schools to further help individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency.

Raised and educated in Central Falls, Rhode Island, Diossa served as a member of the City Council and Mayor of Central Falls, becoming the youngest mayor to date in our state’s long history. During his tenure as mayor, he helped Central Falls recover from the effects of bankruptcy and prior years of mismanagement. After completing two terms as mayor, he went on to serve as a Senior Advisor at Brown University’s Policy Lab. Diossa is a graduate of Becker College. He lives in Pawtucket with his fiancée, Sandra Cano, their daughter, Arianna, and their newborn son, Alessandro.

Carol Nolan Drake supports the Global Governance and Global Stewardship Committees and serves as a Faculty Member of the ICGN’s Education and Training programmes.

Carol is the CEO & Founder of Carlow Consulting, LLC, a business she started in January 2017 to provide consulting on corporate governance, ESG programs and reporting, and federal legislative and regulatory matters. She is a licensed attorney.

She received four resolutions from Governors for excellence in public service and nominations for the Neil V. Toth Leadership Award. Carol received two Catalyst Team Awards, the Business and Professional Women’s Outstanding Woman in the Legal Profession award, and the Governor’s All-Star Award for participation on the Joint Health Care Committee.

Carol is a cum laude graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Claude W. Pettit College of Law, Ohio Northern University.

Ross Gittell, Ph.D., is the ninth president of Bryant University. Under his leadership, Bryant is ascending in rankings and national recognition that affirm the superior value of a Bryant education. Drawing on his expertise in strategic management and as an economist and economic development scholar, President Gittell is leading Bryant through the development and implementation of the Vision 2030 campaign.

Vision 2030 charts a bold path for the university, building on Bryant’s foundational strength in business education and integrated liberal arts and its new strengths in health and behavioral sciences. With a focus on academic excellence; a vibrant student experience; premiere Division 1 and recreational athletics; and economic mobility, Vision 2030 will take Bryant University to the next level of recognition and accomplishment.

President Gittell previously served as Chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire. Highly regarded for his economic analysis and forecasting, he has frequently served as an expert resource for government, non-profit, and business leaders. With an extensive background in university teaching, strategic planning, and management, Dr. Gittell’s focus has been on applying economic, organizational, and management theory to regional, state, and community economic development issues.

Dr. Gittell’s teaching career in management and economics spans more than 20 years. He is extensively published, including books, numerous articles, and professional studies. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University, a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Peter J. Nigro is currently the Sarkisian Chair in Financial Services at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Prior to joining Bryant, he served as a Senior Financial Economist in the Policy Analysis Division at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for over a decade. His research interests include small business finance, credit risk modeling, and bank compliance issues.

Nigro received a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross, an M.A. in economics from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. in economics from Boston College.

He has published articles in journals such as the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Journal of Financial Research, Journal of Financial Services Research, Journal of Small Business Finance, Managerial Finance, and Managerial and Decision Economics. Sarkisian Chair and Professor, Finance, B.A. College of the Holy Cross; M.A. University of Southern California; Ph.D. Boston College

Rupendra Paliwal, Ph.D., joined Bryant University in June 2022 as Provost and Chief Academic Officer following a national search. Dr. Paliwal comes to Bryant from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, where he guided academic affairs and strategic planning to achieve significant institutional growth. At Bryant, he will be engaged with all aspects of the University’s Vision 2030 Strategic Plan and its commitment to real-world ready education for critical 21st century skills, knowledge, and emerging career opportunities.

During his 17 years at Sacred Heart University, Dr. Paliwal served as Sacred Heart’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2016-May 2021 and was previously Acting Provost/VPAA, Vice President for Strategic Planning, Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning, and Interim Dean and Associate Dean of the Jack Welch College of Business and Technology. Prior to these senior administrative positions, Dr. Paliwal held teaching roles as a faculty member in Sacred Heart’s Finance Department. Before Sacred Heart, he was Senior Officer at the National Stock Exchange of India.

Provost Paliwal holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, from Rani Durgawati University (Jabalpur, India); a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and Chartered Financial Analyst from ICFAI Business School (India) and earned his Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Connecticut.

Joshua Paton is a senior analyst at Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors (KOCAA). In his role, he analyzes and recommends public and private investment-grade bonds for various KOCAA accounts. His main focus is the consumer cyclical, consumer non-cyclical, technology, and communications sectors. Additionally, Paton helps manage the alternative investment portfolio for the Knights of Columbus Insurance Company general account and sits on the KOCAA ESG committee.

Paton graduated from Bryant University with a B.S. in Applied Economics with a minor in Applied Statistics and a B.S.B.A in Finance in 2018. In 2019 he received his MBA from Bryant University concentrating in Global Finance. Paton holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Scott Tibert is an Investment Director in Cambridge Associates' Boston office. Scott works with a variety of clients on issues such as asset allocation, investment program evaluation, and manager selection, with a particular focus on private investment strategies. He works with clients ranging in size from $40 million to over $1 billion.

Tibert joined Cambridge Associates as an Investment Analyst in 2018, following his undergraduate education at Bryant University. Scott works with several non-profit, foundation, and university clients at CA.

Education:
BSBA, Finance, Bryant University 

Scott Voss joined HarbourVest in 1999. He focuses on global primary partnership investments in the US, Asia, and emerging markets. Scott has worked out of both HarbourVest’s Boston and Hong Kong offices. Scott is also the Chair of the Firm’s Primary Investment Committee and he serves on several advisory boards for funds based in the US, Asia, and Latin America.

His prior experience includes managing international sales and distribution for Cannondale Corporation, a leading manufacturer of bicycles and cycling accessories, where he had direct oversight of the company’s wholly-owned Asia subsidiaries and its network of independent distributors in the region.

Scott received a BS (cum laude) in Marketing from Bryant College in 1992 and an MBA (cum laude) from Babson College in 1999.