Alumni Success Stories

Providing the Professional Advantage

The Gabelli School of Business M.S. in Strategic Marketing Communications (Online) provides the knowledge, skills, and confidence to launch a career in this rapidly changing industry or take your career to the next level. The success of our alumni speaks to the personalized attention we provide and the supportive community you will join. Below, and on our alumni testimonials page, you will hear directly from those who have graduated about the ways in which the MSSMC has played an instrumental role in their success.

Ebonique Edwards (GABELLI '20)

Global Head of Talent Attraction, Engagement, and Employer Brand, Colgate-Palmolive

Ebonique Edwards is the global head of talent attraction, engagement, and employer brand at Colgate-Palmolive. In this position, Edwards is responsible for the company’s global talent branding strategy, leading campaigns that showcase culture, attract global talent, and strengthen Colgate-Palmolive’s reputation as an employer of choice. She also has played a key role in shaping the company’s overall brand identity, including the launch of its new corporate logo and tagline.

A graduate of the M.S. in Strategic Marketing Communications program at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, Edwards credits the program with sharpening her ability to connect brand strategy with audience insight and shaping her holistic approach to communications. “The degree equipped me to merge creativity, analytics, and strategy to deliver campaigns that resonate worldwide,” she shared.

Edwards began her career at Verizon, where she developed a second-chance program to expand employment pathways for individuals re-entering the workforce, and later served as global head of talent attraction and inclusive recruitment programs at X (formerly Twitter), where she guided EVP initiatives and embedded data-driven storytelling into the company’s talent brand during a period of transformation.

At X, Edwards drew on the lessons she learned in Professor John Fortunato’s crisis communications course. “When Twitter turned into X, I was in charge of a lot of those communications. I really tapped into that crisis communications class, and I thought about the case studies that we looked at,” she recalled. “I was able to apply what I took from the class to real life.” At the time, she also sought Fortunato’s counsel, and he was happy to share his insights with her.

The MSSMC program was Edwards’ first experience with online education, and she was pleasantly surprised by the level of connection between students, “I thought it was going to be hard connecting, but I still talk to my classmates to this day. I think Fordham did a really good job fostering those connections,” she said. “And people were bringing their real-life work experiences into class, which added to our understanding of what we were learning.” Edwards believes that her Fordham education continues to inform her work with different aspects of her studies proving useful over time. “I couldn't predict my career trajectory when I enrolled, but looking back, the program definitely prepared me in more ways than I expected.”

Justin Suarez (GABELLI '21)

Senior Curator, Talent & Artists, Secret Level

A pioneer in AI-assisted filmmaking, Justin Suarez serves as senior curator for talent and artists at Secret Level, a global AI-native entertainment studio that works with brands like Google, Coca-Cola, Kalshi, and eToro, and creates music videos, feature films, television shows, and more.

Suarez took an unusual path to his current role. Melding his passions for filmmaking and fishing, he produced a fishing series and related programming before joining a marketing company that catered to the fishing industry. While he enjoyed certain aspects of the work, he found a brutal travel schedule and the prospect of little room for advancement to be motivating factors for moving on. “I felt stagnant and kind of trapped,” he recalled. When Suarez realized his bachelor’s degree wouldn’t be enough to change his career trajectory, he enrolled in the M.S. in Strategic Marketing Communications.

The program’s online format enabled him to balance live virtual classes with his work responsibilities. Suarez soon discovered that his studies had immediate value. “Within weeks, I was using the things I was learning in class at my job,” he said, noting that the courses in crisis communications were especially applicable to his daily work.

Suarez feels he benefited not only from the guidance of his professors, who brought a wealth of experience to their lessons, but also from his relationships with his classmates. “You network with the people in your cohort and you learn from them. Because you’re on this journey together, there’s an exchange of knowledge,” he explained.

After Suarez completed the program, he spent two years in a senior role in physician marketing at Penn Medicine before deciding to make a “100% jump into the pool” of AI, eventually assuming the role of CCO at Mirsive Media.

Suarez also became involved in community building with Machine Cinema, organizing “Gen Jam” events, including one he recently conducted with the Gabelli School Marketing Area, to bring AI enthusiasts together with newcomers to AI. “In four hours, we’d take them from start to finish on a project,” he explained. “It was kind of my segue into education.”

Suarez now teaches as an adjunct professor in the M.S. in Strategic Marketing Communications program. His classes combine film theory, ethical analysis of AI applications, and hands-on skill building with digital tools. “I tell my students, ‘When they commissioned the artwork for the Sistine Chapel, they didn’t hire a paintbrush,” he said. “They hired the artist who knew how to use the paintbrush.’”

Nadiya Afzal (GABELLI '20)

Human Capital Management, Strategic Marketing Communications

Nadiya Afzal is an M.S. in Strategic Marketing Communications alumna who pursued this degree after taking time off from her studies at Fordham Law School to care for her mother, who was battling stage 4 cancer. Always committed to pursuing a graduate degree, she decided the MSSMC would help her to gain the skills she needed to shift her career from operational risk management to communications in financial services. Classwork deepened her understanding of marketing communications strategy, enhancing her ability to craft communications for wide audiences, leverage metrics to drive results, and execute complex initiatives.

The fully online program allowed her to balance work and study while building lasting connections with professors and classmates. Although COVID restrictions that were in place as she earned her degree prohibited her from completing an in-person residency, she participated in workshops held online. “The program gave me a deep sense of community,” she noted. “My professors were very interactive and encouraged us all to engage and participate during class. And they were always available to us virtually and by email.” Her capstone project with a client in Ireland helped to build her confidence while providing real-world consulting experience with a global company. More than an academic credential, the Gabelli School M.S. in Strategic Marketing and Communications provided a supportive community and value-driven mentorship that has shaped her career and inspired her growth as a leader.

Tiffany D'Angelo (GABELLI '20)

Director of Digital Partnerships, Cumulus Media

After earning her bachelor’s degree and beginning a career in marketing, Tiffany D’Angelo recognized there was a gap in her data analysis skills and sought a program that would strengthen her expertise and prepare her for leadership roles in strategic marketing while expanding her professional network. She was drawn to the Gabelli School’s M.S. in Strategic Marketing Communications not only for its data-driven focus, but also for the intimate cohort it provided and opportunities to collaborate closely with peers.

Although the program was delivered fully online, D’Angelo found the experience highly interactive with many opportunities to connect with faculty members and other students in breakout rooms, on group projects, and through ongoing chats, fostering dialogue and establishing a network of peers that she still benefits from today.

One highlight of her MSSMC experience was her applied project working with an Irish startup to build its first digital marketing strategy. Leveraging her own background in media and digital sales, her team developed a comprehensive plan to increase engagement and improve the company’s social media presence. The project proved personally fulfilling, blending her professional skills with a chance to make a meaningful impact on a fledgling business in its early stages.

“The M.S. in Strategic Marketing Communications program gave me so much more than new skills. I developed the confidence to build my career towards a position of leadership, and I’ve had a supportive network along the way.” Now thriving as the director of digital partnerships for Cumulus Media, she enjoys building systems that enable sales teams to excel and credits the MSSMC program for shaping both her professional growth and her approach to team building and leadership.