George Mason University - Costello College of Business

Dress for success this summer.

Because at the George Mason University - Costello College of Business, your success is our business.

Students studying business at George Mason University are matriculating at Virginia’s leading public university for value, upward mobility, and salary outcomes. George Mason’s top ranking for upward mobility reflects its commitment to helping students from all backgrounds succeed. Find out more about how George Mason University is powering student success: https://ow.ly/N1Jf50ZbQjk

And, while you’re at it, be sure to visit our online store to get your Costello merch: https://ow.ly/tvQe50ZbSzU

“How tough decisions made right can produce extraordinary results” is a case study under development and a fascinating story that needs to be told.

George Mason University - Costello College of Business Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Global Engagement JK Aier shared this message on stage during the Deloitte Opening Plenary: Stewardship at Scale – Leading with Values in a High Performance World at NABA's Insight 2026: WIN National Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada last week.

During his talk, he described how the idea for this case study was born during a dinner conversation with Sherry Ann Mohan, Chief Financial Officer for Chase Consumer Banking and vice chair of NABA board of directors. Together, they are working to develop a case study on NABA that will result in a course of experiential learning that can help business students understand how leaders can effectively balance risks, weigh alternatives, and attempt a new and innovative approach to drive organizational transformation and growth.

One university partner, two continents, one pipeline.

George Mason University, along with the George Mason University - Costello College of Business and George Mason University Korea, operates an integrated pipeline for organizations like LG to bring their R&D and manufacturing in Asia to the U.S. East Coast:
➡️ Costello’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Songdo incubates early-stage founders and
➡️ NISA, the Northern Virginia International Soft-Landing Accelerator in the U.S. federal market corridor, lands them in the Washington, D.C. area with a six-month program, free lab/office space, and access to George Mason’s regional business and government network within the Nexus234 ecosystem.

The future of global innovation and entrepreneurship is now and George Mason is leading the way.

That’s why George Mason University President Gregory Washington; George Mason Associate Vice President, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Lauren Bird; Interim Costello Dean Cheryl Druehl; Costello Associate Dean for Outreach and Strategic Engagement Patrick Soleymani, BS '07, MBA '09; and George Mason Korea Campus Dean Joshua Park traveled to Silicon Valley to meet with LG Technology Ventures CEO Dong-Su Kim and VP/Head of Investments Taejoon Park to discuss how this soft-landing pipeline can be utilized to bring Korean founders to the U.S. while creating portfolio-company access for George Mason University student capstones, internships, and talent pipelines in both Fairfax and Incheon, South Korea.

George Mason University - Costello College of Business Dean Ajay Vinzé, currently on assignment as interim provost and executive vice president at George Mason University, recently participated in an executive plenary discussion with distinguished business leaders from Meta Platforms, Inc. and EY before a packed house of over 800 attendees at the 2026 NABA National Convention and Expo in Las Vegas, titled, “Insight 2026: WIN.”

The plenary discussion, “The Future of Work: How Digital Platforms and Leadership Choice Are Redefining Performance,” also included EY Americas and U.S. Inclusiveness Leader Leslie Patterson, CPA, and Meta Chief Accounting Officer Aaron Anderson.

During his conversation with NABA Chief Operating Officer Catherine Foca, Vinzé spoke about the changing expectations of students and employers and the need for flexibility in meeting both. With a mindset that “everything is business,” he shared how he developed a strategic vision where students could chart their own courses and timelines, combining disciplines that complement business and providing them with the skills they need to lead and thrive in the rapidly changing future of work.

Of course, as Vinzé likes to note, the key toward moving students toward longer-term and more rewarding relationships with their current and future employers is building and investing in collaborative relationships with members of the business community. That’s why he and Costello Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Global Engagement JK Aier were thrilled to connect with Costco CEO Ron Vachris, former National Basketball Association (NBA) star Jerome Williams (aka “Junkyard Dog” or “JYD”), and Pledge 1% CEO Amy Lesnick during the conference.

George Mason University is proud of its role as a corporate contributor to this event – and the only university among a prestigious list of leading business organizations in the country who sponsored or contributed to this event.

George Mason University’s “Patriots on the Pacific” regional tour is off and running in San Francisco!

On Saturday, George Mason University President Gregory Washington, George Mason Vice President of Advancement Trishana Bowden, George Mason University Korea Campus Dean Joshua Park, and George Mason University - Costello College of Business Associate Dean for Outreach and Strategic Engagement Patrick Soleymani, BS Management '07, MBA '09, met over lunch with Jong Gil Kim, Board Chair, San Francisco Chapter of the World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Association (World-OKTA) and Chong S*k Hwang, 12th Chair, San Francisco Chapter of World-OKTA and Founder & President of C.H. Trading Company, an international grain and food import-export company headquartered in the Bay Area.

The meeting was an opportunity for the George Mason team to introduce George Mason University and George Mason University Korea leadership to the San Francisco Korean business community through World-OKTA leadership, explore collaboration opportunities, and strengthen institutional relationships with overseas Korean business networks in Northern California – with the goal of bridging the gap between the South Korean and Northern California startup ecosystems through future collaboration opportunities in entrepreneurship, executive education, and innovation initiatives connected to Costello’s centers for innovation and entrepreneurship in South Korea and the U.S.

The conversation showcased the collective impact of George Mason global engagement initiatives like the launch of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at the Mason Korea campus in Songdo, which is an extension of the Costello College of Business CIE in Fairfax, Virginia.

CIE Korea supports both student-led startups and global soft-landing programs for Korean businesses. George Mason University Korea students will be participating in the center’s inaugural Patriot Pitch Competition Korea and the Incheon University Startup Academy this fall.

This collaboration with World-OKTA is an integral part of George Mason’s global engagement strategy to provide students with real-world, hands-on experiences that shape not only what they study, but where they study. Global internships, career networking, mentorship programs with overseas business leaders are opportunities for lifelong learners, George Mason faculty and staff, George Mason alumni, and Korean business leaders to create positive career outcomes that build and strengthen the startup ecosystems here in the U.S. and in South Korea.