MBA grad named to the Marquis Who's Who

To support and enhance his life and work, Joseph Ponnoly said he decided to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Ashland University while he was working at Nationwide Financial in Columbus as an information and technology risk manager.

“It is one of the best MBA programs in the country for working executives and entrepreneurs,” said Ponnoly, who received his MBA in finance and investments from AU in 2006.

Ponnoly said what he learned at AU has helped him throughout his career in management consulting, technology risk management, technology management and business analytics, as well as helped him later earn a doctorate in business administration (DBA) through another university.

The Marquis Who’s Who, which profiles individuals based on noteworthy accomplishments, visibility and prominence in a field, recently recognized Ponnoly, a management consultant and researcher with Cinfodens Consulting in Houston, where he has been since 2007.

Working toward and interviewing for the honor in early August, inspired him to strive for excellence and gain expertise in management consulting and technology management, to strive to be a better human being and to make his own little contributions to make this a better world around him, Ponnoly said.

“It may give me more visibility and perhaps open up more opportunities for continued service to society,” Ponnoly added about the advantages of being named to the Marquis Who’s Who.  

According to a news release from the Marquis Who’s Who organization:

• Ponnoly has established himself as an expert in IT cybersecurity and data analytics. His professional journey began in law enforcement, where he held various investigative roles with the Central Bureau of Investigation from 1976 to 1998. During this period, he handled high-profile cases, such as the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, significant white-collar corruption, economic and commercial crimes, as well as fraud.
• In 1998, Ponnoly co-founded JS IndSoft Systems Consultants Ltd., an information systems consulting company, serving as director until 2000. He also worked for Youngsoft Inc/H2H Solutions as a program manager and project manager from 2000 to 2001. From 2001 to 2007, he was affiliated with Nationwide.
• Ponnoly's career also has flourished in roles with Resources Global Professionals, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., MD Anderson Cancer Center, Commerzbank AG, Corning Inc. and Chevron, along with being an active member of several industry-related organizations.

Some of the things, Ponnoly has had published include:

• The book "Gateway to the Quantum Age: Managing Disruptive Technologies in Globalized Knowledge Economies” in 2018.
• His doctoral dissertation “Sensing and Sensemaking of Early Warning Signs of Cyber Disasters in the Information Technology Sector” was published by ProQuest in 2023.
• In February 2024, IEEE published a research paper co-authored by him titled “Prescriptive analytics-based robust decision-making approaches for cyber disaster risk reduction.”

Well organized, flexible schedules and the content of both the core and concentration courses were a few of the many things Ponnoly liked about AU’s MBA program. The faculty was another.

“The faculty members were excellent, well informed, professionally competent and were friendly and helpful,” Ponnoly said.

Each day, Ponnoly said he learns something new because there is so much to explore and learn. He hopes to make contributions through writings, books, professional consulting, teaching and mentoring in his own small way to the body of knowledge in his area of work, which is now focused on cybersecurity and technology management.

“Ashland University has provided me with a lot of support and inspiration in this regard,” Ponnoly added.