Coles College of Business Alumni

Coles College of Business graduates are prepared with the communication skills, business acumen, and professionalism needed to succeed in the world’s most competitive industries. What’s more, our emphasis on entrepreneurship means our alumni aren’t just working for the globe’s top companies, they’re creating them.

Below are just a small sampling of our alumni who are making a mark.

Joyce Bone, MBA ’12

COO and Co-founder of SolMicroGrid, Joyce Bone works with corporations to reduce their impact on the earth through microgrids. Her entrepreneurial journey began at age 28 with the founding of EarthCare, an environmental company that she took public on NASDAQ with revenues of $125 million. She wrote, "Millionaire Moms-The Art of Raising a Business & a Family at The Same Time" to help other women juggle the dual demands of family life and work. She has appeared on CNBC's "The Squawk Box," and in Kiplinger, Money, Women's Day, Forbes, Atlanta Business Chronicle, and CEO magazines. Additionally, she is sought out nationally and internationally for speaking engagements. Joyce was featured in the KSU Magazine. 

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Kerstin Valdes Benden, EMBA ‘02

Kerstin Valdés Benden is an accomplished multi-lingual executive with more than 25 years of success in complex global business environments. She has built a career on her ability to combine strategic vision with practical execution. Benden is the CFO of Altium Packaging, the leading customer-centric packaging solutions provider. A 2002 EMBA graduate of the Coles College of Business, she serves as guest lecturer, career panelist, and mentor to the program and also as a member of the College Advisory Board. In 2013, during her chairmanship of the Coles College Advisory Board, she was honored with the KSU Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2015 she was inducted into the Coles College of Business Hall of Fame.

Brad Kehm, BBA ‘95

Brad Kehm is a Coles College of Business graduate and Director IMC at Nike, Inc. His passion for athletics and strategic leadership have taken him from competing in the 1996 Boston Marathon to his first job with Nike as a technical rep in 1997. Kehm has held various positions in sales for the company, working with product lines ranging from NFL and MLB to women’s footwear. Kehm graduated from Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business with a double major in marketing and professional sales in 1995. He has received the Distinguished Alumni Award and spoken in the Tetley Distinguished Leader Lecture Series. He credits his success with lessons learned at Coles and is committed to giving back to current students.

Brian Pendley, BBA ‘94

Brian Pendley is a partner in the assurance practice of Ernst & Young and has more than 18 years of experience serving clients in the entertainment, service distribution and diversified industrial products sectors. He works with audit clients such as Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., Moxie Interactive, Inc., Latin American Pay TV, and Acuity Brands, Inc. Pendley graduated from Kennesaw State University’s Michael J. Coles College of Business in 1994 with a BBA in accounting. He has continued his connection with Coles by serving as chairman of the Coles College of Business School of Accountancy advisory board and is a Kennesaw State University campus recruiting coordinator. He lives in Acworth with his wife Dawn, also a KSU graduate, and their three children.