Costello College of Business News

Video recordings of the three-part virtual discussion on Resellers and Value-Added Resellers (VARS) in federal IT acquisition. Traditionally, these intermediaries have provided more than hardware and software distribution, adding integration, configuration, compliance, and lifecycle support. Yet policymakers continue to question whether reseller markups reflect genuine value or simply increase costs through pass-through pricing. The discussion focuses on the question: What does “value added” mean when government buys capability instead of products?

Given today’s short attention spans, how much could it really hurt a business to get caught attempting to manipulate their reputation on a platform like Yelp? George Mason University accounting professor Yi Cao has done the math, and it isn’t pretty for businesses willing to cross ethical lines.

What is the role of professional judgment and oversight in AI-assisted audits? How is private equity investment altering the management and strategic direction of accounting firms? Can regulators close the tax gap for cryptocurrencies and borderless digital assets and ensure enforcement? The 2026 Accounting Horizons Conference, hosted by the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, provided a platform to examine answers to questions shaping the accounting industry’s future.

Gift from Northern Virginia entrepreneur and 22nd Century Technologies CEO Anil Sharma and his wife, Anupama, will expand opportunities for students, entrepreneurs, and the region’s innovation community.

Gabriella Lemus, a sophomore accounting major, came into the Costello College of Business with a head start. Now she's tackling her first summer internship.

This session focuses on how the RFO will affect industry as they grapple with changing terminology, regulation vs. guidance, and how they should be thinking differently about market signals coming from the new policy

When crowdfunding platform Kickstarter started allowing creators to put environmental pledges front and center, George Mason University accounting professor Yi Cao saw a unique opportunity. His co-authored research shows how “going green” turned out to be an impactful business choice with financial, operational and, yes, environmental implications for entrepreneurs and customers.

At the beginning of 2026, Mike Derrios, MBA ’06, returned home to the Costello College of Business at George Mason University as the executive director of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting.

When Q Miceli saw that the Costello College of Business at George Mason University was offering the Executive Mentoring Program as part of the Costello MBA, she was all in. “I had just hit a point in my career where I started supervising more people and really wanted to get some perspective,” she says.

Each month, the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting highlights federal acquisition policy signals GovCon practitioners should not miss. This is a practical readout on how policy movement may affect the way agencies buy, how contractors compete, and where acquisition judgment matters. This brief covers July 2026.