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Sawyer Business School Welcomes New Faculty and Staff for 2021

Sawyer Business School Welcomes New Faculty and Staff for 2021

Group brings a range of academic and real-world experience to the University

New Faculty
	Maria Lapeira Assistant Professor, Strategy and International Business Lapeira earned her PhD in business administration and master’s in international business at Florida International University. As an instructor there for more than three years, she taught courses in international business and management. Her research focuses on family businesses, emerging market firms, and internationalization strategies. She has presented at several conferences, including the Academy of Management conference and the Academy of International Business conference. PhD, MIB: Florida International University MBA, Bachelor’s of International Business: Universidad del Norte (Colombia) Fun Fact: Lapeira is a cinephile and a theater enthusiast.
	Shari Worthington Associate Professor of Practice, Management and Entrepreneurship Worthington’s interests lie in both research and practice. She is a serial entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in management and marketing in the technology industries. She works with startups as well as Fortune 500 firms, including Apple, Raytheon, Rogers Corp., Honeywell, and MKS Instruments. She is an international speaker on such topics as business model strategy, commercialization strategies, product management, search marketing, social media, and B2B marketing. Her academic research focuses on entrepreneurial decision-making at the intersection of strategy, entrepreneurship, and psychology. Specific interests include business model innovation, founder identity, and entrepreneurial marketing. PhD in business administration with a specialty in entrepreneurship: Worcester Polytechnic Institute MBA: Babson College MA in psychology: Framingham State University BS in biology and psychology: St. Lawrence University Fun fact: Worthington is working through her travel bucket list with her daughter. Next up: Norway, to see the aurora borealis.
New Staff
	Matt DiPietro Graduate Programs Coordinator, Sawyer Business School Graduate Dean’s Office DiPietro earned his BS in communication studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Since then, he has worked in promotions for iHeartMedia, Inc. as a brand ambassador, as well as in marketing at Harpoon Brewery as their festival coordinator. Most recently, he was as an admissions counselor at Southern New Hampshire University for graduate online programs. He joins Suffolk with a passion to help students succeed. Fun Fact: DiPietro sings and plays guitar in an alternative-rock band called “bloom.” that has toured across the U.S.
	Matt Parillo Director of Marketing and Communications, Sawyer Business School Before joining SBS, Parillo served as assistant vice president of communications for the Institutional Advancement division at Brandeis University. There he oversaw all communications activities to enhance institutional visibility, drive audience engagement, and support fundraising for the division. Before that, he served as executive director of marketing and communications for Brandeis International Business School. Parillo has held leadership positions at The Walt Disney Company, WarnerMedia, Yahoo!, and various venture-backed startups. A native of Massachusetts, he began his career in the consulting arm of Bain and Company in Boston after graduating from Bowdoin College. He also attended the University of Chicago Booth School of Business on a summer fellowship program, where he studied marketing management and organizational structure and process. Fun Fact: Parillo served as a character (for one hour) at Disneyland as the culmination of the Disney Way executive training program.
	Kevin Sweeney Director of Strategic Partnerships for Experiential Education, Sawyer Business School Dean’s Office Sweeney has served in a variety of senior executive roles in the financial, legal, and social sectors. In addition to his new administrative role with the Sawyer Business School, he will also be a lecturer affiliated with the Finance and Management and Entrepreneurship Departments. He also continues to teach finance and entrepreneurship at Columbia University, Babson College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His areas of academic interest include experiential education, corporate and entrepreneurial finance, fintech, social and community impact, and small business and corporate strategy. He also continues to assist community organizations in linking finance and social entrepreneurship to increase access to capital for critical needs in underserved communities (e.g., for small businesses and first-time homeownership). Sweeney previously served as president and CEO of a nonprofit economic and real estate development firm, and he spent nearly 20 years in a variety of senior roles with MassMutual Financial Group.
	Brooke Webster, BA ’15 Senior Administrative Associate, Sawyer Business School Dean’s Office Webster joins the Business School as a senior administrative associate, where she supports the Dean’s Office, including Amy Zeng, dean of the Sawyer Business School. She brings experience from telecommunications and banking. Fun Fact: In her free time, Webster enjoys hiking in the Blue Hills Reservation, reading, and cooking.