Alumni News

Florida State University unveiled its 2021 Seminole 100 Feb. 18 during a virtual ceremony hosted by the FSU College of Business Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship. Fifty-seven of the Seminole 100 companies are owned or led by 67 business alumni.

Two College of Business alumni are among five FSU graduates recognized by the FSU Alumni Association with this year’s Circle of Gold Award, which is presented to individuals who, through their service and achievements, personify the university’s tradition of excellence.

Deserving students from diverse demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds will have an equal opportunity to pursue a real estate education thanks to the generosity of Florida State University College of Business alumnus John Crossman (B.S. ’93).

The college’s nine department and center advisory boards, comprising accomplished alumni and industry leaders, are essential to helping our curriculum remain relevant, enabling the exchange of ideas from many perspectives and providing students networking opportunities with influential executives.

For nearly six decades, Henry Herzing and Robert Doherty maintained a close friendship based on mutual admiration for each other’s intellectual and professional accomplishments.

Faced with a new mask requirement campuswide, the university turned to alumna Melode Floyd Smelko (B.S. Marketing ’85), co-owner and CEO of Tallahassee-based Altrua Global Solutions. In mid-July, her company made its final delivery of 35,000 garnet-colored, triple-ply, hand-sewn cloth masks, which FSU is distributing free to faculty and staff members. 

The newly appointed chairman of the College of Business Recent Alumni Board (RAB) and fellow members of the board’s executive committee have been busy mapping out a strategy to rally alumni to expand and strengthen the “Nole Network” across the country.

College of Business alumnus Colin O’Connor credits his passion and supportive colleagues for helping him rise steadily through the ranks to the post of chief operating officer at ReliaQuest, the Tampa-based global cybersecurity firm.

During her nearly three decades as a management and marketing professor in Florida State University’s College of Business, Persis Emmett Rockwood left an indelible mark on scores of students. Two of them – Meg Gilbert Crofton and Lamar Rowe – say they can trace their career and personal success to her influence.

Diahann Lassus can name countless ways for alumni to engage with the College of Business and its students. The 1976 management graduate has done most of them – from mentoring undergraduates, speaking at events and assisting graduates looking for jobs, to serving on the college’s Board of Governors and contributing financial support – like her recent $250,000 gift to create the Diahann W. Lassus Classroom in Legacy Hall.