George Mason’s Alumna of the Year champions education and opportunity

Katarina Benson — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:41:45 +0000

George Mason’s Alumna of the Year champions education and opportunity Katarina Benson Wed, 10/14/2026 - 17:41

Guylaine Saint Juste, BA International Studies ’94, understands education’s power.

Raised in Haiti and the first in her family to attend college, Saint Juste put herself through college while working full-time, attending class two nights a week. It took her seven years to graduate. One generation later, she was able to give her daughters a very different experience—the opportunity to attend college full time with their education paid for.

“This is the power of education, and the power of what George Mason does,” she said.

Today, Saint Juste is a globally recognized transformational leader and president and CEO of NABA Inc., a business leadership organization representing more than 200,000 accounting, finance, and business professionals. This October the 91�� Alumni Association recognized her as the 2026 Alumna of the Year.

With more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Saint Juste has been repeatedly named among the Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and CPA Practice Advisor, and as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today for five consecutive years. The accolades reflect her leadership in advancing access, opportunity, and representation across the accounting and finance professions.

Guylaine Saint Juste. Photo provided

Saint Juste said, George Mason was preparing students for the “workforce of tomorrow” before that phrase was commonplace and that the university taught her “to think about things differently, to explore other opportunities, to encourage the hearing out of people—even if I have a different view or set of data.”

These skills have served her throughout her career.

“There’s no playbook for CEO,” she said. “You have to figure it out.”

She credits her time at George Mason—and specifically the university’s Robinson Professors—for teaching her fundamentals that have served her in the fast growth and impact of NABA.

“So much of how I lead, learn, and play has [grown from] those [George Mason] experiences,” she said. “I care deeply about this institution. I love that [George Mason is] proving that providing wide access does not dilute the outcome or the quality of the talent.”

After graduating from George Mason, Saint Juste completed graduate studies in retail banking management at the University of Virginia. Before joining NABA, her distinguished career included serving in leadership positions at Capital One and as a regional executive director of Year Up, a nonprofit organization that provides students the opportunity to pursue careers in business and technology.

In 2014, Saint Juste cofounded the George Mason Women in Business Initiative, which provides scholarships, mentorship, and networking opportunities to students. She is also proud to support scholarships and research at George Mason and wants people to think differently about philanthropy.

“Don't give—invest,” she said. “I want people to think about the importance of investing in institutions. I want people to ask, ‘What have you received?’ And how do you ensure that it is there for generations to come?”

So much of the power in attending George Mason is intangible, Saint Juste said. “George Mason is the institution, but the relationships that we form, the communities around which we gather—that's the magic of it.”

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George Mason’s Alumna of the Year champions education and opportunity

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