On behalf of the Bryant University Board of Trustees, Board Chair David Beirne ’85 and Bryant President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., are pleased to announce that Bryant’s Board has appointed four alumni as new members of the Board. They include P. James (Jim) Brady ’81, CEO of alliantgroup India Talent; Eric Handa ’97, president and CEO of AP Telecom; Cynthia Schmitt-Sprinkle ’81, multi-division CFO of Pitney Bowes Inc. (retired); and Skye Hazel ’21, joining the Board as Recent Alumni Trustee.
“Bryant alumni are exceptional leaders who drive success in organizations around the world,” said Chair Beirne. “With the added perspectives of three accomplished industry leaders and a recent graduate with incredible potential, the four alumni joining Bryant’s Board of Trustees expand the expertise and global outlook of our Board and will further accelerate Bryant’s ascent to national prominence.”
“Bryant University’s Board of Trustees has an outstanding range of visionary leadership talent,” said President Gittell. “The three alumni joining the Board from industry all share experience leading and developing thriving multinational organizations. With their expertise, and the perspective of our Recent Alumni Trustee, we have enhanced the Board’s very strong resources to guide Bryant’s path to continued growth and success.”
P. James “Jim” Brady ’81 is CEO at alliantgroup India Talent and Vice Chairman of Advisory Services alliantgroup in Houston, TX. Prior to alliantgroup, he served as Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer at Grant Thornton, overseeing all office operations. Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Mr. Brady was employed by Deloitte & Touche for 27 years, serving as Deloitte LLP’s National Managing Partner for U.S. Government Affairs & Public Policy. In addition, he served for nine years as Audit Regional Managing Partner for Central Atlantic and Southeast regions, and seven years launching and building audit & advisory practices in Russia and India.
Mr. Brady is the Founding Chair of the Bryant University College of Business Dean’s Council and received Bryant’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2017.
Eric Handa ’97 is co-founder, president and CEO of AP Telecom, a privately held international telecommunications carrier and consultancy business headquartered in NJ. Since launching the firm in 2009, Mr. Handa has grown APTelecom from a start-up business to an award-winning global organization which has generated over $315 million in sales for its clients. He has been instrumental in helping APTelecom achieve representation in every continent on the globe. Prior to co-founding APTelecom, Mr. Handa worked for AT&T, Tyco Electronics. He is a member of Bryant’s College of Business Dean’s Council and received the Young Alumni Leadership Award in 2013.
Prior to retiring, Cynthia Schmitt-Sprinkle ’81 served as multi-division CFO North America Mailing/Financial Services at Pitney Bowes Inc., reporting to both CEOs of North America Mailing and Financial Services and the Corporate CFO. In this role, she was a strategic advisor on business planning and transformation while managing costs for the nearly $3 billion business and led a finance team based in the U.S. and Canada. Previous roles at Pitney Bowes were CFO and Vice President Enterprise Finance and Risk Management. Prior to Pitney Bowes, Ms. Schmitt-Sprinkle held senior roles at multinational organizations including Vice President Finance, International at Revlon, Vice President and CFO - North and South America, and Vice President and CFO - Pacific Rim for Sara Lee Personal Products, and Director of Planning and Analysis at Diageo North America. She is a member of Bryant’s College of Business Dean’s Council and the author of articles for publications including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Week, and Compliance Week.
Skye Hazel ’21, a Software Engineer at Dell Technologies, joins the Bryant University Board of Trustees as Recent Alumni Trustee. She earned her Bryant degree with a major in Business Administration and double concentrations in Information Systems Analytics and Entrepreneurship, with a minor in Spanish. She is active in College Leadership Rhode Island and, as a student, was a mentor to her peers and active in many organizations, serving as the Student Manager at Bryant’s PwC Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Resident Assistant, and Orientation Leader.
The Bryant University Board of Trustees welcomes these dedicated and talented new members to their positions on the Board effective July 1, 2021.
