A woman with five degrees from UCF, a chief financial officer in Silicon Valley, and the founder of a successful restaurant chain are the latest alumni from the UCF College of Business Administration to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Merrell Bailey, who earned undergraduate degrees in both accounting and finance, also earned an MBA and graduate degrees in both Taxation and Accounting. Additionally, she received a law degree from Barry University. She is the managing partner at Bailey Zobel Pilcher, and specializes in probate, wills, trusts and planning.
Jonathan Kennedy earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Accounting. He began working at Harris Corporation as a student and held management positions there and at Alcon Laboratories before joining Intersil Corporation. He is currently the senior vice president and chief financial officer of the company which specializes in the manufacturing of high-performance analog semiconductor and is located in California.
The final member of the Class of 2012 is Brian Wheeler, founder and chief executive officer of Tijuana Flats. He opened his first restaurant upon graduation in 1995. Today, the restaurant chain has 85 locations in five states and is in the process of opening more. He has also launched a new Cajun-style restaurant brand – Tibby’s New Orleans Kitchen. While Brian has enjoyed his success, he believes in giving back and created the “Just In Queso” Foundation which provides aid to individuals, organizations and communities in need.
“These three distinguished alumni are truly deserving of this honor. I congratulate them on their successful careers and hope they will continue to support UCF and serve as mentors and role-models to our students,” said Paul Jarley, dean of the college.
The Hall of Fame was established in 1999 to recognize graduates from the College of Business Administration. With the addition of the latest class, 62 alumni have been inducted. If you wish to nominate someone to be a member of the Class of 2013, please contact Bridget Downes, assistant director of Alumni Relations at (407) 823-3899 or bridget.downes@ucf.edu.