Davis College Connections Land Leadership Roles in Nation’s Oldest, Prestigious Honor Society
Three connections—two graduates and one faculty member—to the Davis College of Business and Technology at Jacksonville University were elected to leadership roles for The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nations’ oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.
JU MBA graduate Sharhonda Rush, optimization consulting manager at BlackLine; Dr. Jim Mirabella, JU professor of Decision Sciences; and Taylor Ruiz, a recent JU graduate and Master of Business Administration student; were recently elected immediately following the Phi Kappa Phi Biennial Convention held virtually early last month.
“This is an amazing accomplishment at the national level, and it has certainly shined a light on the quality of our faculty, students and alumni in the Davis College of Business and Technology,” said Dr. Barbara Ritter, dean of JU’s College of Business. “Each of these individuals are leaders in their own right and will be a great addition to the Phi Kappa Phi leadership team.”
At BlackLine, a leading provider of cloud accounting software, Rush collaborates with finance and accounting professionals to optimize processes and enhance efficiency through the strategic use of technology.
She earned a master’s in public policy and a master’s of Business Administration from Jacksonville University. As president of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi for the 2024-2026 biennium, Rush will work with the board and executive leadership team offering valuable insights and implementing meaningful solutions to develop and implement a new strategic and fundraising plan for the Society and further enhance governance and strategic oversight.
"My election as the first female African American president is personally huge, humbling, and inspirational all at once. I'm ready and excited to serve and look forward to all the future holds for us as an organization and the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy,” she said.
As the first president who works outside of academia, Rush was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi as a graduate student by the Jacksonville University chapter in 2016. Wanting to make a difference and eager to drive change, she became involved at the national level in 2020, when she was elected as a director on the 2020-2022 Society Board of Directors and chaired the Finance and Budget Committee.
During the 2022-2024 biennium as Society President-Elect and as chair of the Finance and Budget Committee, she witnessed the power of collective thinking and transformation through creative and innovative strategies that will benefit the Society in the years ahead. Rush also served as an ex-officio member on all other standing committees.
Rush is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and has volunteered as a “Big” with Big Brothers Big Sisters and JTA Cares programs as well as serving homeless individuals and families transitioning from homelessness. She is a board member of the Jacksonville University Black Alumni and a member of the NABA, where she provides mentoring to college students majoring in accounting. Rush is also a board member of the North Florida UNCF Leadership Council, reflecting her strong commitment to education and leadership development.
Mirabella has been elected for a second term as Vice President for Division IV of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. He also has been serving as the President of JU’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi for the past six years. Since taking over as President, the JU chapter has consistently been given the Platinum Award, which is the society’s highest honor bestowed on about 15 chapters per year.
“I’m excited to serve for another two-year term,” said Mirabella. “My role as Division Vice President is more about serving the 75-plus colleges and universities in Division IV. I’ll also be helping the chapters in my division that are struggling, and I will work collectively with the other Division VPs on suggested policies and practices.”
Mirabella also served at the national level on the Fellowship Award committee, where he helped guide two Davis College graduates toward earning fellowships in the past three years. He also serves as faculty advisor for JU’s provisional chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an honor society for accounting, finance and analytics students. Additionally, he serves on the university’s Academic Integrity committee.
As the graduate student representative on the Society’s national board, Ruiz will represent the student membership of Phi Kappa Phi while also working to support the mission and goals of the 127-year-old organization. She will serve a two-year term during the 2024-2026 biennium. She was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi at JU in 2024 and serves as a student vice president for the chapter.
“I’m honored be elected as the Graduate Student Representative on the National Board of Directors for The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi,” said Ruiz. “This role presents a unique opportunity to advocate for graduate students and contribute to our shared mission of recognizing and promoting academic excellence.”
She obtained a bachelor’s in Business Administration from Jacksonville University, with a triple major in finance, management and marketing. She is currently pursuing an MBA at in the Davis College through its exclusive Grad2Grad program.
At JU, Ruiz has been honored as a Top 25 student in the Davis College of Business as well as a Top 1 percent of students through the Green Key Honor Society. Additionally, Ruiz was a member of the Dean’s Fellow Program, the Zimmerman Scholars Program and the Panhellenic Council. She’s the Academic Success Coordinator in the Davis College of Business and an intern of club operations at Ocean Casino Resort. Ruiz is actively involved with Pink Ribbon Jax and Ronald McDonald House Charities.