A major initiative of the Pamplin Society is the Pamplin alumni awards program. As Pamplin has a long-standing tradition of honoring its outstanding alumni, the society will capitalize on this custom in the growing alumni awards program. At present, Pamplin has established 5 awards: the Ut Prosim Service Award, Rising Young Alumni Award, Mentorship Award, the Philanthropy Award and the Corporate Ambassador Award. 

Mike Cartwright

Mike Cartwright is a two-time graduate of Virginia Tech’s Pamplin School of Business, earning a BS in Management Science in 1988 and an MBA in Marketing in 1992.

Professionally, Mike has spent his career in project management and has led large Project Management Offices at Nextel, Sprint and Mckesson. He spent a decade delivering projects and programs in the Professional Services consulting space focused on data science, analytics and data platforms at both Teradata and Snowflake.

Mike represents Ut Prosim in his service focused on helping young people who need a hand-up. In Blacksburg, he is part of the leadership team of the Epsilon vs Hexaton Golf tournament, an annual event of the alumni of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity, that has donated nearly $200,000 to Special Olympics of SW Virginia.

Closer to home in Atlanta, GA, Mike is now in his fifth year on the board and second year as Board Chairman for Family Promise of Forsyth County – an organization dedicated to the support of families and children experiencing homelessness. As a hands-on leader, Mike can be just as frequently found building furniture, spending time with families in the program, representing the organization at community events or speaking on behalf of Family Promise.

Mike is also a member of the Rotary Club of Lanier Forsyth, an organization that donates to and supports more than a dozen local non-profits, and is a former Vice Chair of Peachtree Parkway Improvement District. Mike’s wife, Nancy, is also a Pamplin graduate, earning her BS in Finance in 1988. Mike and Nancy supported Pamplin’s Center for Business Intelligence and Analytics and are partners in Virginia Tech’s Beyond Boundaries Scholarship program. While Mike and Nancy both grew up in Springfield, VA, they have lived in Atlanta, GA with their family for more than 30 years.

Stacie Castro

Controller
Hurt and Profitt

Stacie (Coates) Castro is a 1999 graduate of the Pamplin College of Business, earning a degree in Accounting. Originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, Stacie started her career in Bethesda, MD, and moved to Los Angeles, California soon thereafter to work as an assistant controller for the Australian Company Westfield Shoppingtowns. While in LA, Stacie also volunteered to do accounting and work with local middle schoolers for a church plant in Hollywood and West LA called Kairos.

Stacie and her husband felt the draw back to Blacksburg and returned home in 2005. She is currently the Controller at Hurt and Profitt, an engineering and survey company in Blacksburg. She has been with Hurt and Profitt and their affiliate companies since 2006.

No matter where she has lived it has always been important to Stacie to find ways to invest in her community and help out where she can. She has volunteered with local non-profits including the Montgomery County Christmas Store and Mosaic Blacksburg, and was a member of the board of Christiansburg Institute. She currently sits on the board of Micah’s Caring Initiative and Sequoia Housing Partnership.

In what little free time she has, Stacie wants to see as much of the world as possible, and pack in as many musicals as she can along the way.

Chris Shean

Chris Shean is a retired executive of Liberty Media Corporation where he oversaw accounting and treasury functions for numerous media and entertainment holdings, including Sirius XM Radio, QVC, and the Atlanta Braves Baseball Club.

Shean received a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1987. Upon graduation, he began his career with KPMG in Norfolk. He became a partner in the assurance practice before joining Liberty Media Corporation in 2000.

Shean, who lives in Castle Rock, Colorado, is a prominent university leader. Shean has been a strong advocate and foremost benefactor with outright capital support for the Global Business and Analytics Complex initiative. Shean serves on the Pamplin Advisory Council Cabinet and the Virginia Tech Foundation Board. He has hosted events to help strengthen relationships with college senior administrators and prominent alumni.

Robert Cummings

Former Managing Director & Chief Technology Officer
Falfurrias Capital Partners

Before retiring in 2023, Rob was formerly a Managing Director & Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Falfurrias Capital Partners, a Charlotte-based private equity firm that acquires or invests in middle-market businesses. As an MD at Falfurrias Capital, he provided management oversight and guidance to Falfurrias’ portfolio companies, as well as led various strategic technology initiatives for the businesses. Rob also co-founded DealCloud, a software-as-a-service deal management platform that is now in use at over 2,000 firms participating in merger and acquisition transactions. Rob built and led DealCloud over an 8-year period before selling to strategic acquirer and public company, Intapp, in 2018.

Rob remains active in the early stage venture community in Charlotte serving as both an investor and advisor. He is deeply passionate about mentoring college students and serves as the Executive in Residence (EIR) at the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs at Virginia Tech, as well as an Adjunct Professor at UNC Charlotte, where he teaches an Entrepreneur MBA class. He also guest speaks at various local Universities including UNC Chapel Hill, Queens University, Wake Forest, and Johnson & Wales.

In addition to serving as the EIR of the Apex Center at Virginia Tech, Rob is an active member of the Pamplin Advisory Council where he channels his passion for mentoring students through the Student Experience Committee. On July 1st, aligning with the start of the University’s new academic year, he will assume the role of Board Chairman for the Apex Center.

Rob graduated from Virginia Tech (Pamplin, Management Science) in 1990 and later earned an MBA from Seton Hall University in 1996.

Philip Brown

Senior Manager of Analytics Products
Hilton

Philip is a distinguished product leader and data strategist, recognized for his innovative contributions to the hospitality industry. As a Senior Manager of Analytics Products at Hilton, Philip has led the development of data-driven product lines, generating over $150 million in business value within his first year. His achievements earned him Hilton’s Global Innovation Team Summit Award, reflecting his exceptional ability to bridge the gap between advanced analytics and practical business implementation.

Philip’s journey exemplifies the innovative Hokie spirit. While serving overseas on Active Duty in the U.S. Air Force, he simultaneously earned his Master’s in Information Technology at Virginia Tech along with a Graduate Certificate in Data Mining and Business Analytics. His visionary leadership modernized the Air Force’s analytics infrastructure, introducing Tableau as a primary platform and revolutionizing data accessibility for operational decision-making Air Force-wide, demonstrating his ability to drive systematic change in one of the world’s largest organizations.

A proud second-generation Hokie following in the footsteps of his mother, Linda Pincham (EdD, Virginia Tech), Philip’s commitment to Ut Prosim extends beyond professional success. After returning from overseas, he eagerly reconnected with the Virginia Tech community, volunteering at Pamplin’s Hospitality Career Fair and Belonging in Business night. He finds genuine joy in mentoring students, sharing real lessons from his journey, and helping young professionals shape their career paths.

Philip’s influence extends beyond his professional achievements. His unwavering pursuit of excellence and innovation inspired his spouse to pursue her own educational journey at Virginia Tech, continuing a meaningful family legacy of Hokie pride. Today, he remains passionate about supporting the next generation of leaders and making a lasting impact through innovation and service.

For Philip, “The journey is the goal,” reflecting his belief in continuous learning and innovation. Now back in the United States, he looks forward to finding more ways to engage with Pamplin’s College of Business and sharing his Hokie Pride with the world.

Kashi Nikore

Technical Success Manager
Qualtrics

Kashi Nikore graduated from Virginia Tech in 2022 with a degree in Marketing Management (Digital Marketing Strategy). She began her professional career working for Chef José Andrés, managing digital marketing for his 35+ restaurants worldwide. She is currently a Technical Success Manager at Qualtrics, specializing in enhancing customer experience. As an alumna, Kashi immediately after graduation served as the Marketing Chair for the DC Young Alumni Committee. She now serves as Chair of the committee, continuing to inspire and engage local alumni. Kashi also returns to Blacksburg for Homecoming and Alumni Weekends, managing Virginia Tech’s social media channels to showcase how much the university has to offer even after graduation.

Sudharsan Sriram

Vice President
Stonepeak

Suddy Sriram is the child of immigrants from India who came to the U.S. in their early 20’s. He grew up in Northern Virginia just outside Washington, D.C., inspired by his parents’ work ethic and careers, his mother launching a top-rated dental practice and his father leading a dynamic tenure as an economist at the IMF. This led Suddy to pursue his passion for business at Virginia Tech, graduating in 2018 with a double degree in Finance and Accounting and a minor in Psychology. At Virginia Tech, he helped lead Commodity Investing by Students (COINS) as Professional Development Chair and senior analyst for cocoa and sugar.

Suddy began his career as an investment banker on Wall Street for Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he specialized in debt origination - highlighted by a $13bn offering for Occidental Petroleum, the largest energy bond deal of all-time. There, he led the Virginia Tech recruitment team, hiring 20+ Hokies and elevating the college’s status to target school.

Currently, Suddy is a Vice President at Stonepeak, a leading global infrastructure investment firm with $70bn+ in AUM. Suddy was hired to help build the Capital Markets group at Stonepeak, responsible for the debt structuring and capital needs for the firm’s new and existing investments. In January 2025, he transitioned to the London office to help spearhead the firm’s capital markets efforts for EMEA and APAC.

As a proud, lifelong Hokie, he currently serves on the Pamplin Finance and COINS advisory boards.