Trustee Diversity Statement and Commitment

As the Trustees of Emerson College, we commit to persistent inquiry, due attention, and substantive investment to advance human dignity and respect within the College and the wider world. Equity, access, and social justice are core values of Emerson and essential to the execution of our mission—the betterment of society through communication and the arts.

Emerson is a vibrant community of creators, communication specialists, and storytellers who possess and share distinct and varied perspectives, backgrounds, life experiences, languages, and goals. We believe optimum student success, staff development, and faculty scholarship and creativity are linked to our collective, intentional, and ongoing engagement with matters of structural inequity and diversity of thought that impact our society.

As Trustees, therefore, we fully support and expect:

  • Emerson’s dedication to fostering meaningful, open, and respectful dialogue within and beyond the Emerson community, grounded in shared experience and empathy.
  • Emerson’s obligation to infuse the Emerson experience with an understanding of both structural inequity and diversity of thought.
  • Emerson’s commitment to being at the forefront of productive civic engagement and addressing injustice when and where it occurs within our institution.

Officers

  • Eric Alexander, BSSp ’78, Chair,
    Co-Founder and President, Compitium, New York, NY
  • Kevin S. Bright, BA '76, LHD'11, Co-Vice Chair,
    Founding Director, Emerson Los Angeles, Producer/Director, Los Angeles, CA and Boston, MA
  • Ellen S. Calmas, BS, Treasurer,
    Co-Founder & Executive Vice President, Neighborhood Pay Services, Chestnut Hill, MA
  • Douglas Holloway, BS ’76, MBA, Co-Vice Chair,
    New York, NY
  • Robert A. Miller, MS, MA, Secretary,
    Principal, Miller-Pomerantz Insurance & Financial Services, New York, NY

Members

  • Vivian C. Beard, MEd,
    President, Vivian Male Productions, Boston, MA
  • Traci Blackwell, MA '14,
    Scripted Television Executive, Los Angeles, CA
  • Dena S. Davis, Ph.D, JD 
    Professor Emerita, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
  • Vincent J. Di Bona, BS ’66, MFA, LHD ’94,
    Executive Producer, Vin Di Bona Productions, Los Angeles, CA   
  • Lorenzo di Bonaventura, MBA,
    President, Di Bonaventura Pictures Television and Di Bonaventura Pictures, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
  • Robert Friend, BS ’79,
    President, Live Entertainment Solutions Group, Madison, CT
  • Jay Bernhardt, Ph.D., MPH
    President, Emerson College, Boston, MA
  • Scott Goldenberg, MBA
    Senior Vice President for Finance, TJX Companies, Framingham MA
  • Ira Goldstone, BS '71,
    Executive Engineer, Fox Networks Engineering and Operations, Los Angeles, CA
  • Jeffrey D. Greenhawt, BS ’68
    Vice President/Partner, Sunshine Wireless Company, Inc., Boca Raton, FL
  • Doug A. Herzog, BS ’81, LHD ’08,
    Los Angeles, CA
  • Albert M. Jaffe, BS ’68,
    Old Saybrook, CT
  • Michael MacWade, M’84,
    Andover, MA
  • G. Michael Mara, Jr., BS '81,
    President Boenning & Scattergood, West Conshohocken, PA
  • Andrea M. Montoni, BS '78,
    Marketing Communications, Washington DC
  • Susan (Hammel) Namm Spencer, BS '61,
    New York, NY and Jupiter, FL
  • Patricia Peyton, BS '84,
    Leadership and Sales Consultant, Scottsdale, AZ
  • Nate Pusey, BS,
    Northeast Market Executive, First Citizens Bank, Boston, MA
  • Sheila Robinson, MBA,
    Former CFO, New York State Homes and Community Renewal, New York, NY
  • Steven Samuels, BA, LHD '22,
    Chairman & Principal, Samuels & Associates, Boston, MA
  • Raj Sharma, MA ’83,
    Managing Director, Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch, Boston, MA
  • Cathy M. Weiss, BA,
    Philanthropic Advisor, New York, NY
  • Marillyn Zacharis, MA, LHD'11,
    Weston, MA
  • Peter H. Zamore, JD,
    South Hero, VT

Trustees Emeriti

  • James Coppersmith, BS, LHD, LLD ’98
  • Judy Huret, MA ’69, MBA
  • Richard Janssen, BA, CPA