Costello College of Business Alumni

On Thursday, April 9, 2026, students, faculty, alumni, and other stakeholders from across the George Mason University community gathered to cheer on the final teams of entrepreneurs competing in this year’s Patriot Pitch Competition, including those featured in the competition’s newly introduced Regional Showcase.

Hosted by the Costello College of Business Alumni Chapter and presented by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), the 20th Annual Business Celebration was held on Thursday, March 26, at Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington, Virginia. An evening of networking, fundraising, and recognition of everything accomplished at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University over the past year, it culminated with the presentation of the 2026 Distinguished Patriot Awardees.

With more than 300 members and growing, the Women in Business at Mason student organization at the Costello College of Business, empowers women who are majoring, minoring, or interested in the world of business. Through networking and personal and professional development events, they aim to expand upon members’ skillsets as well as their networks inside and outside of George Mason University. 

Adopting the risk‑taking mentality of his immigrant parents, Jason Howell, BS Accounting ’97, has never put limitations on himself. As an Independent candidate, he ran for a seat in the United States Congress. He authored a book titled Joy of Financial Planning: 7 Strategies for Transforming Your Finances and Reclaiming Your American Dream and has been featured as a financial expert and political strategist on a wide array of major networks and publications. He also teaches personal finance at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University. Most recently, he celebrated ten years of Jason Howell Company.

Rayan Rahman, BS Management ’17, has achieved an impressive amount in a short period of time. Now a senior recruiter at Amazon, he has founded two companies—Changing Bangladesh Foundation and Airposted—the latter of which he sold during the COVID pandemic when it had reached a gross merchandise value of approximately one million dollars.

As a recent graduate of the Costello MBA program, Kayla Smith, MBA ’25, has built a strong foundation in project management, recently earning a promotion to project manager at State Employees Credit Union. With nearly four years of experience in the field, she enjoys the versatility of project management and the opportunity to collaborate with many different people.

For the past few years, Jerry Pierce, MBA ’92, has been teaching Accounting 203 at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University. A course largely attended by sophomores, Pierce relishes the opportunity to impart his wisdom and teach students about the accounting profession and about life in general.

The Costello College of Business at George Mason University announced a significant increase in scholarship money awarded to students—$1.3 million for the 2024-2025 academic year—$500,000 of which went to named scholarships. Over the past five years, both the total amount of scholarship funding and the number of students who have received Costello scholarships have more than doubled.

Scott Hine, BS Decision Science ’85, exemplifies the spirit of a true George Mason Patriot. As the current president of the George Mason University Alumni Association and former president of the Costello Alumni Chapter, Hine’s connection to the university runs deep.

As president of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, which represents more than 1,200 technology companies and owns and produces CES®—the most powerful tech event in the world, Kinsey Fabrizio, BA Government and International Politics; Spanish ’04, is a force in the tech world.