"Every week, I find another reason to be thankful for my education at GSU, and last week, I received an accolade at work that never would have happened were it not for my MBA. I think it's a testament to what an EMBA experience can do in the journey to self-actualization." -- Matt Calman, Senior Vice President, Innovation Executive, Bank of America

Bank of America has named Matt Calman of Global Technology & Operations (GT&O) as it first Inventor of the Year. This new award will annually recognize an associate, or team of associates, who have made significant strides in the area of innovations and patents.

"To enable enterprise growth, innovation must continue as an integral part of our work," said Barbara Desoer, GT&O executive. "Breakthrough innovation strengthens our ability to compete and better serve our customers. Recognizing the talented teams and individuals who are pursuing and patenting innovation for our customers, clients and shareholders is part of this overall commitment."

In 2007, more than 500 associates submitted ideas for patent consideration. Calman rose to the top by submitting eight patentable inventions and innovations for imaging and data capture and for his efforts in integrating innovation and intellectual property across the enterprise.

Calman's inventions include:

• Check Image Integrity Improvement-Embedded Data
• Check Image Privacy Improvement for Codeline Data
• Remote Deposit Data Gathering
• Self-Monitoring Resource Consumption - Green Meter
• Uptier and Redirect High-Value Mail
• Business Correspondence Tracking
• Mail Continuity and Event Response