Costello College of Business News

A native of Northern Virginia, Yvonne Demory has long considered George Mason University to be a beacon of impact to the region.

If you imagine that commercial real estate development would be a classic male-dominated profession, you’d be right. “When I started in commercial real estate in 2001, I worked a commercial brokerage firm,” says Kat Grimsley, PhD, former director of the Master of Science in Real Estate Development program at the George Mason University School of Business.

Earlier this month, ten George Mason University School of Business Finance students competed in the CFA Washington Ethics Challenge, with one team taking first prize.

Even among the most well-intentioned organizations, traditional assumptions about gender roles and personal choices tend to invade the rhetoric, and therefore attitudes and policies, surrounding compensation and benefits in the work environment.

Texas-born and raised Gabrielle Webster, BA Integrative Studies ’14, MS in Management ’16, first learned about George Mason University through her high school debate team. Now, as a double alumna, Webster is equipped to forge her ascending career in management while also giving back to the School of Business through serving on alumni advisory boards.

If there’s one thing that stuck with Ola Sage, MS Technology Management ’99, from her time studying at the School of Business, it is the importance of preparation. Preparation is what her intensive workload came down to—preparation for her career, preparation for each class, preparation for any possible scenario. More than two decades later, she continues to prepare herself, her clients, and the next generation. As a business leader strongly invested in the community, Sage hopes that underrepresented demographics, especially African Americans and women, feel encouraged by seeing her as a role model and that they too prepare to prosper.

Mason’s online master’s of science in accounting was ranked first in Virginia, 26th among public universities, and 38th overall. The online MBA program also rose in the rankings, from 123 in 2020 to 111. Mason's online MBA was also ranked #63 for veterans.

Karen Crosswhite had already served in international corporate tax roles with three of the four leading accounting firms before starting her own. She decided to enroll at Mason to take her career to the next level and be the best possible accountant for her clients.

Many individuals speak of their time attending university as being their formative years. Coming from China, Yingjun Chen, MS Management ’18, not only grew as a business graduate student, but she also had to adjust to an entirely new country and culture.