AlumniNews by Topic: Business

Valerie Horn believes accessibility should be at the forefront of entrepreneurs’ minds when developing their businesses. This belief pushed her to co-found Zestability, a consultation firm that advocates for prioritizing accessibility and inclusive business practices.

RIT/NTID alum Jon Mosholder ’09 (business) has a strong entrepreneurial spirit, putting his business degree to work running Bumbleberry Farms, which was founded by his mother, Karen, in 2011. 

Michael Rizzolo didn’t plan on learning American Sign Language when he came to RIT as a student, but he grew interested and eventually became an interpreter. Today, he is founder and CEO of the interpreting agency Interpretek.

Michelle Giterman ’14 (finance) grew up in a Deaf immigrant family that owns Crepe Crazy, a restaurant in Austin, Texas, where Giterman is the general manager. With a strong family background in entrepreneurship, Giterman was always fascinated by how the business world works. Eventually, she attended RIT/NTID to major in finance with an emphasis in communication. She says her time at RIT/NTID and her involvement in the entrepreneurship programs led her to a successful career in finance.

Alexander Van Hook has been named to the board of the Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf’s Alumni Association. A staff attorney at the National Association of the Deaf, and admitted to the District of Columbia Bar, he self-identifies as a person with cross-disabilities (deaf wheelchair user).

Ebony Watson ’04 (applied computer technology) shattered accessibility barriers in the footwear industry, becoming the first deaf footwear designer to earn recognition for her work. Watson has loved footwear since childhood, but she says her journey into fashion was far from easy.  

The Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented annually by each of RIT’s nine colleges, the School of Individualized Study, and the RIT Graduate School to alumni who have performed at the highest levels of their profession or who have contributed to the advancement and leadership of civic, philanthropic, or service organizations.

RIT/NTID alumna Edie Wilson, ’21, B.S. in Business (Supply Chain Management) and ’22, M.S. in Business (Global Supply Chain Management) credits her career success in the supply chain management field to the skills, knowledge, and confidence she gained during her time at RIT. 

Thousands of visitors converged on the RIT campus April 29 to experience the future through multimedia presentations, exhibits, hand-on demonstrations, research projects, performing arts, and more at the annual Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival. RIT/NTID alumni enjoyed the experience of attending the festival and discovering amazing things. 

Recent RIT/NTID graduates or soon-to-be graduates who qualify for NTID support are eligible for 45-50 percent off the graduate tuition rate for any master’s degree program they choose.

More than 30 employers returned to the RIT/NTID campus since the start of the pandemic to recruit a new cohort of talented deaf and hard-of-hearing students and alumni for open co-op or full-time positions.

Eleven Rochester Institute of Technology alumni have been awarded Distinguished Alumni Awards for the 2022-2023 year.