Barney Inducts Two Alumni Into its Hall of Fame

Barney Dean James Fairfield-Sonn (center) congratulates Joxel Garcia (left) and Evaristo Stanziale (right) on their induction into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

(L-R) Barney Dean James Fairfield-Sonn, honoree Joxel Garcia, scholarship winner William Rodriguez, Provost Sharon L. Vasquez, scholarship winner Samuel McGee, Jr., honoree Evaristo Stanziale, and President Walter Harrison. Photos courtesy Robert Thiesfield.

The Barney School of Business welcomed two new members into its Alumni Hall of Fame during an induction ceremony in the 1877 Club on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Joxel J. Garcia (MBA 1999), president and dean of the Ponce School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and Evaristo F. Stanziale (BS, BSBA 1987), founding partner and vice president of SCS Commodities Corporation, were selected from among more than 18,000 Barney alumni. They were chosen for achievements that reflect Barney’s mission to "prepare leaders and decision-makers who are globally aware and socially responsible." 

Barney School Dean James Fairfield-Sonn presented Garcia and Stanziale with commemorative plaques. Framed photographs of the two men will hang alongside photos of the other six members of the Hall of Fame in one of Barney’s executive classrooms.

The two new inductees were also recognized with the establishment of Alumni Hall of Fame Scholarships in their honor. Garcia presented a scholarship to William Rodriguez, a 2004 graduate and current MBA student. Samuel D. McGee, Jr., also an MBA student, received his scholarship from Stanziale.

Garcia and Stanziale used their acceptance speeches to talk to the large crowd of students in the audience.

“Everything you put into your mind, you are going to be able to achieve if you work hard,” Garcia said. “You have a guy who is on TV all the time (speaking of Stanziale) and he’s changing Wall Street with his comments and his thoughts. Then you have one person working in health. We can impact the entire world.” (Watch an excerpt of Garcia's speech).

“You come here and you get this independence,” said Stanziale. “The most important thing when you have this independence is the responsibility that comes with it." (Watch an excerpt of Stanziale's speech).

Garcia, an obstetrician and gynecologist, began his career as a resident at Mount Sinai Hospital in Hartford. He went on to hold several high-ranking jobs in Connecticut hospitals before becoming the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health in 1999, a few months after receiving his Executive MBA from Barney. He also has served in the World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Stanziale has been founding partner of SCS Commodities Corporation in New York since 1991. SCS is the largest independent floor broker and OTC energy broker. It executes millions of dollars of energy commodities each day. Stanziale is also a frequent commentator on CNBC.