Board of Directors

Susan S. Braddock | Chair

Susan Braddock is Board Chair of America Media and most recently served as Board Chair for Cristo Rey New York High School. She held the position of tenth President of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, Inc., for eleven years and currently serves as the Managing Director for the Metropolitan Opera and is chairman of major gifts. Some of her other former board commitments include the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the New York Historical Society, Aspen Music Festival and School, American Beethoven Society at Hunter College, and Council of I Tatti-Fiesole in Italy.

Susan earned a B.A. from Manhattanville College in 1972. She also studied at the Department of Music at Hunter College from 1991 to 1993 as well as at the School of Decorative Arts at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1979

Susan is married to Richard S. Braddock. He currently serves on the board of The Aspen Institute, several private companies, and has served on the board of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Cristo Rey Network. He is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations.

Together the Braddock family has six children and thirteen grandchildren.

Peter W. Howe | Vice Chair

Peter W. Howe, C.P.A., is a retired partner of Ernst & Young and serves as the Vice Chair of America Media’s Board of Directors.

In addition to his over 35+ years of professional experience with Ernst & Young, Peter is a Trustee Fellow of Fordham University, where he served as a Trustee for several years, and serves on other commercial boards.

Peter holds a B.S. degree from Fordham University, an M. B. A. from Pace University, and was an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia University Business School. Outside of his professional life, Peter enjoys participating in marathons, having completed the New York Marathon (5 times), the Chicago Marathon (6 times) and the Marine Corps Marathon.

Traug Keller | President, COO

Traug Keller is the President and Chief Operating Officer of America Media. Prior to joining America, in March 2020, Mr. Keller served as Senior Vice President of ESPN.

As ESPN senior vice president, Mr. Keller led ESPN Audio and the ESPN Talent Office. For ESPN Audio, he oversaw all aspects of the business including talent, staffing, national programming content, scheduling and event production. ESPN Audio is comprised of ESPN Radio, the country’s largest sports radio network, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPNRadio.com, and ESPN Audio On Demand. ESPN Radio offers more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content annually, reaching nearly 24 million listeners per week on more than 500 stations, including ESPN owned and operated stations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and more than 375 full-time affiliates. Under Mr. Keller’s leadership ESPNRadio.com became the most listened to live stream of any terrestrial broadcaster in the world.

Prior to joining ESPN, Mr. Keller served as president of ABC Radio Networks, leading all aspects of network programming, affiliate relations, engineering, finance, research, IT, international programming, and marketing. Prior to ABC, Mr. Keller was New York sales manager of the CBS Radio Networks and held marketing and sales positions with the New York Times Company. Mr. Keller is a graduate of Fairfield Prep in Connecticut and Boston College. Traug and his wife, Connie, live in Connecticut and have three grown children.

Bonnie Brennan

Bonnie Brennan is President of Christie’s, Americas. In this role, Bonnie oversees Christie’s strategic business opportunities and client engagement efforts in the United States. She leads their team in the Americas and is focused on driving new growth and building on Christie’s innovations while always maintaining the firm’s steadfast commitment to serving clients and meeting their needs in a fast-paced and evolving art world.

Bonnie has 24+ years of experience in the auction business – the past eleven at Christie’s, most recently serving as Chairman of Business Development in the Americas. She brings a history of successes in client development and enjoys strong relationships with both clients and their advisors. Bonnie has played a critical role in securing and managing the highly successful sales of The Barney A. Ebsworth Collection, The Jayne Wrightsman Collection, and Property from Cleveland Clinic, among many others. Prior to her career at Christie’s Bonnie worked in business development roles at Sotheby’s New York for 15 years. Bonnie is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she was a double-major in Art History and Communications. She speaks frequently on the art market nationwide and serves as a board member for various non-profits throughout the tri-state area.

Binta Niambi Brown

Binta Niambi Brown is a music executive at Keep Cool/RCA Records and founder of omalilly projects, an artist management and production company. Most recently, she led Chance the Rapper's recorded music & publishing operations. On Chance’s behalf, Binta successfully released three Billboard charting albums. She was an executive producer on Tank & the Bangas EP “Friend Goals” and is a co-producer of the forthcoming Mandela Musical. She is a producer of the documentary film "Fly Like A Girl." Binta manages GRAMMY Award winning producer and artist Peter CottonTale. She is Co-Chair and Co-Founder of the Black Music Action Coalition. Prior to her career in music, Binta was an international corporate lawyer and human rights advocate, who began her career at Cravath, Swaine and Moore and was a partner in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She holds leadership roles in the SummerStage Music Festival (New York), the American Theatre Wing and the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, and is a trustee of the American Theatre Wing, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Merit School of Music and Music Managers Forum (US). She also serves on the Leadership Council of the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective. Binta previously served on the boards of the New York City Parks Foundation, Barnard College, Columbia University, and a board committee of the New York Philharmonic.

Binta is on Billboards 2021 Change Agents List, Billboards 2020 Hip-Hop & R&B Power Players list, Billboards 2020 Women in Music List, and has been recognized by emPOWER/Financial Times as #8 on its list of the 100 most prominent minority business executives globally, as a Fortune 40 Under 40 Business Leader, the Root’s 100 Most Influential African-Americans, Crain’s New York 40 under 40, JET Magazine 40 under 40, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. She has been featured in Billboard, Variety, Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, on CNN, the BBC and on NPR. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. A graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University, and the Columbia University School of Law, Binta was also a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Business and Government, Executive in Residence for the New Orleans Startup Fund, and has certificates from Harvard and Yale.

Binta is a frequent lecturer at colleges and universities, and speaks and writes regularly about culture, politics and policy, the movement for Black life, women's issues and of course, music and the creative industries.

Benjamin Denihan

Benjamin “Patrick” Denihan, CEO of Denihan Hospitality, leads the real estate and investment arm of his family’s 57-year old hospitality business. With a lifetime of experience in the business, he has led many of Denihan’s key milestone initiatives including several acquisitions and recapitalizations and the profitable conversion of numerous assets.

Today, he focuses on financial investments for Denihan in collaboration with other partners and secures new management contracts for Denihan Hospitality that fit within the Company’s overall business growth strategy. Patrick is a sought-after industry leader, often sourced for quotes, profiles, and opinions in key forums such as National Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Investor and FOX Business.

He was an advisory board member of the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research and is a former board member of the Hotel Association of New York City. He also serves as an advisory board member of the Convent of the Sacred Heart School in New York City, and on the board of highly respected educational institution, The Benedictine School for Exceptional Children, where he has served in various positions including past President of the Benedictine Board of Directors.

Michael Feeley

Michael Feeley was born in 1961 and is married to Janet Feeley. Michael received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College from the years 1979-1983. He then went on to study Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University from 1983-1984, before he moved on to Harvard Law School for his JD. After his law school graduation in 1987, he went to Oxford for a master’s degree in Church History. In 1988, he started working at Latham and Watkins LLP focusing on environmental law eventually becoming a partner. He retired from the law firm In December 2021 a partner at the law firm, Latham and Watkins, LLP where he practiced environmental law.and continues to work there from the LA office. He has published countless legal articles on environmental law, and he has previously lectured at USC and the Southwestern University School of Law. For his exemplary pro bono work, Michael received the California State Bar Wiley M. Manuel Award.Michael and Janet have two sons, Declan and Brogan. They graduated from Notre Dame and Boston College, respectfully. Janet also attended Boston College. The Feeley family currently splits their time between LA and Utah. Michael and his family are incredibly dedicated and active members of the Catholic organizations in Los Angeles. These include the Catholic Schools Collaborative, the LA Cathedral Finance Council, and many more.He serves as the Vice Chair of the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation, and is the President Emeritus of the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick (Los Angeles) as well as the Chair Emeritus of the California Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. In 2020 he completed his service as the Lieutenant for the Western USA Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. He is a Knight of Magisterial Grace, Order of Malta and Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. Michael has a fondness for art, especially religious artistic expression. For 12 years he chaired the California Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.

Rev. Peter M. Folan, S.J.

Peter M. Folan, S.J., is a native of Massapequa Park on Long Island, New York. A 1996 graduate of Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, Father Folan attended the University of Notre Dame and earned a bachelor’s degree in the Program of Liberal Studies and German in 2000. Following graduation, Notre Dame nominated Father Folan for a job with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C., where he served for one year as a research associate in education and public policy.

Although Father Folan had considered a vocation to the priesthood earlier in his life, he began actively discerning again during his time in Washington, where he came to know and work with Jesuit priests. His discernment led him next to a teaching position at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland, and in 2003 he entered the Society of Jesus. Following two years at the Jesuit novitiate, Father Folan was missioned to Fordham University in New York, where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy in 2008.

For his regency assignment, Father Folan taught philosophy for two years at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. In 2010, he was missioned to the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree as well as a Licentiate in Sacred Theology. During his years of formation, Father Folan spent a summer in India, helped run the “Six Weeks a Jesuit” program for men considering a vocation, and served as a liaison to Jesuit Volunteer Corps communities in New York City and Boston.

Following his ordination to the priesthood in 2013, Father Folan served as an associate pastor at Holy Trinity Church in Washington, D.C. for one year, after which he began doctoral studies in systematic theology at Boston College's Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. Father Folan earned his Ph.D. in 2019.

Currently, Father Folan is a faculty member in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University.

John Hanwell, S.J.

John Hanwell, S.J. was appointed by Father Arturo Sosa, S.J. to serve as the Socius to the Provincial of the East Coast Province of Society of Jesus, which formed when the Northeast Province and the Maryland Province united on July 31, 2020. He was the former Socius to the Provincial of the Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus from September 2015 to July 2020.

Father Hanwell is a native of Milton, MA. He graduated from Boston College High School in 1974 and then graduated from Boston College with a degree in Marketing in 1978. Following graduation, he worked for one year in the Mutual Funds department of the New England Merchant Bank in Boston, MA.

He entered the New England Province of Society of Jesus on August 28, 1979. His formation as a Jesuit included philosophy studies at Loyola University in Chicago; a Masters’ degree in French from Middlebury College in Paris, France; taught French at Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine for his regency assignment; theology studies at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, MA. where he obtained a Master of Divinity degree as well as Masters’ degree in Theology.

Following his June 15, 1991 priestly ordination, he returned to Cheverus High School where he taught both French and Spanish and served as the Chair of the Classical and Modern Languages department for six years. In 1997, he was missioned to his alma mater, Boston College High School, to teach French. In 1998, he was named Rector of the Boston College High Jesuit Community and served six years in addition to teaching French. Upon completing a sabbatical in 2005, he joined the New England Provincial staff as Associate Director of Advancement. In 2006, he served as President of Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, CT for nine years.

He is a member of the Loyola School Board (NYC). In past years he has served on the boards at Boston College High School, Boston College Alumni, Nativity Prep Boston, Regis High School (NYC), Fairfield Prep and Fairfield University. He is Currently a member of the America House Jesuit Community.

Mary Beth Ostendorf Harvey

A native Ohioan, Mary Beth began her career as a first-grade teacher at The Brearley School in New York City.

She graduated cum laude from Wheaton College and holds a Master of Science in Education and Early Child Development from Bank Street College of Education. She has worked with and behalf of hundreds of children in private and public settings.

Her passion for understanding how young children learn and for inspiring lifelong learning led her to the Families and Work Institute, where, as founding staff member, she worked on various national, state, and local childcare and education reforms and initiatives, in addition to advising several Fortune 100 companies. She has consulted to the National Center of Children in Poverty at Columbia University’s School of Public Health.

Most recently she worked on Mind in the Making, a national initiative that brings science of early learning to parents, educators and the public through an engaged learning experience for educators and programs for parents.

In addition to her work in education. Mary Beth has served on the New York Women’s Agenda; The Children’s Defense Fund; The Harlem Day Charter School; as an Advisory Board Member of Hearts of Gold and as Vice President for Strategic Planning of The Junior League of New York. She is also a past president of NYC Parents-in-Action, and currently serves on the Campaign Executive Committee of Davidson College, as well as the International Advisory Committee for the Global Health Program at Columbia University and is a Trustee of the JED Foundation.

Peter Kellner

Peter Kellner is the founder and CEO of Richmond Global LLC, a holding company composed of alternative investments. Mr. Kellner focuses on the convergence of sustainable investing, fintech, national security, and data science. He has invested in and lived on five continents over three decades, building some of the largest platform technology companies from Brazil to China. After university, as a Fulbright Scholar in Hungary, he founded the Environmental Management & Law Association (EMLA), Central Europe’s most influential NGO in environmental policy to this day and originally backed by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 1996, Mr. Kellner co-founded Endeavor Global. Endeavor’s mission is to build ecosystems of entrepreneurship throughout the 49-country network where the organization is operating. Mr. Kellner has served on the boards of Endeavor Chile, Endeavor Global, Endeavor Jordan, Endeavor Louisville, and Endeavor Miami. Mr. Kellner served for thirteen years as a trustee of The Allen-Stevenson School in New York where he created and participated in the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, in addition to the finance, admissions, and development committees. He served for five years as a trustee of the International College in Beirut, Lebanon. Mr. Kellner is a trustee of America Media | The Jesuit Review, where he chairs the investment committee. He is a 2009 Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and 2003 Crown Fellow at The Aspen Institute. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Pacific Council on International Policy, and International Institute for Strategic Studies. Mr. Kellner received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He co-endowed Princeton's first professorship in entrepreneurship with three members of the Class of 1963, provided the funding to create Princeton’s E-Lab for student entrepreneurship, and lectured in the Engineering Department for thirteen years. In 2014, Mr. Kellner was invested by Cardinal Dolan in the Knights of Malta and has participated in the pilgrimage to Lourdes. He and his wife Meredith live in Chestnut Hill, MA, with their children Morgan Catherine and Grayson Bicknell.

Karl Kiser, S.J.

Karl Kiser, S.J. is a provincial of the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus. Father Kiser has served a variety of leadership positions as a Jesuit, including extensive board experience. He was a superior of the Jesuit novitiate in Berkley, MI, then briefly taught at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy in Detroit, MI, before being named its president in 2002, a position he held for 14 years. Since 2016, Father Kiser has been the pastor of Gesu Parish in University Heights, OH.

He studied Theology at Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, MA (1993-1997), at Comillas University in Madrid, Spain, and also at University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1977, at Gesu Parish in University Heights, OH.

After ordination, Father Kiser was superior of Loyola House, the Jesuit novitiate in Berkley, MI (1998-2002), and served at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy (UDJHS&A). He worked in Campus Ministry for one year (2001-2002) before becoming the president of the school (2002-2016).

Father Kiser has extensive board experience including service at UDJHS, John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH, St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo, OH, and Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL. He has also served on the boards of St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, OH, University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, MI, Marian High School in Bloomfield Hills, MI, Boys Hope Girls Hope in Detroit, MI and the Honduran Children Rescue Fund in University Heights, OH.

Robert McCarthy, Esq.

Bob McCarthy is a partner in the Capital Markets Practice Group of Dentons, the largest global law firm and he currently serves as the Managing Partner of Dentons’ New York office. Bob previously served on the Policy and Planning Board and the Global Advisory Committee at Dentons. Prior to joining Dentons, Bob was a partner in the law firm Thacher Proffitt & Wood, where he served on the Firm’s Executive Committee.

Bob represents banks and other financial institutions in connection with the purchase, sale and servicing of financial assets and the financing of assets through repurchase, warehousing, and other financing arrangements.

Bob is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Africa-America Institute and is the chair of its Finance, Investment Advisory and Audit Committee. He is a deacon in the Diocese of Rockville Centre and is currently serving the people of the Church of Saint Anne in Garden City, N.Y. where his family members have been active parishioners over the last twenty years.

Bob received a B.A. in Political and Social Thought from the University of Virginia, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned an M.A. in Pastoral Studies from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception.

Bob is married to Mary Jean McCarthy, a Clinical Associate Professor of Education at Adelphi University. They have four children, Ellen, Bridget, Katherine and Robert.

Tom McGinn, M.D., M.P.H.

Thomas McGinn, M.D., M.P.H., is Executive Vice President, Physician Enterprise, at CommonSpirit. Tom’s accountabilities include physician integration strategy, physician enterprise operations, population health management and clinical integration. In addition to the leading physician enterprise, Tom is a nationally recognized researcher and Professor of Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine. Tom previously served as Deputy Physician-in-Chief and Senior Vice President of Physician Network Operations at Northwell Health. Tim received a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska; a medical degree from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, New York City; and a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University, New York City.

Joseph O’Keefe, S.J.

Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J. was appointed by Father General Arturo Sosa, S.J. to serve Provincial of the USA East Province, which formed when the Northeast and Maryland provinces untied on July 31, 2020.

Born and raised in Salem, Mass., Father O’Keefe entered the Jesuits through the New England Province at the Newbury Street novitiate in Boston, Mass. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and received a master’s degree in French from Fordham University. He also earned a Master of Divinity and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Weston School of Theology and Ministry as well as both a master’s and doctorate in Education from Harvard.

He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1986. Father O’Keefe spent 25 years teaching Education at Boston College, including time serving as dean of the Lynch School of Education. He also taught briefly at Georgetown University.

Most recently has served as rector at Ciszek Hall and superior of Spellman Hall, both at Fordham University, overseeing and mentoring the Jesuit scholastics who live and study on campus. During that time, he also taught at Fordham’s Graduation School of Education.

Brian Paulson, S.J.

Brian Paulson, S.J., is president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Father Paulson has served in a variety of leadership positions as a Jesuit. From 1993 to 1998 he was the vocations director for the Chicago Province (now the USA Midwest Province). After 11 years as president of Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago (1999 to 2010), he was named rector of the Loyola University Jesuit Community in Chicago before becoming provincial of the Chicago-Detroit Province (now the USA Midwest Province).

Father Paulson entered the Society of Jesus at Loyola House Jesuit Novitiate in Berkley, Michigan, on September 12, 1981. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1992, and professed final vows on March 25, 2001. A native of Waukegan, Ill., he attended St. Anastasia Grade School and Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. When the school closed in 1975, he finished his high school education at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill., and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

After graduating from Georgetown, he entered the Society. “Anything else I thought about doing in life would have felt like I was playing house or running away,” Father Paulson says of his vocation. “I feel like I’ve been blessed from a very young age of a lively sense of who God is. God’s presence has been very real and accessible to me, so if I could help share that gift with other people, I would love to be able to do that.”

Since joining the Jesuits he has earned a master’s degree in political philosophy from Loyola University Chicago, a bachelor of sacred theology degree (STB) from Centre Sèvres in Paris, a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a licentiate in sacred theology (STL) from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. He has served on the board of trustees at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School, the Lumen Christi Institute of Chicago, and was a trustee associate at Boston College after 16 years of service on the board of trustees.

Luis Perez, Esq.

Luis J Perez is consistently ranked among Florida’s premier corporate lawyers. His practice focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters, including international transactions. His client base is a blend of domestic and international businesses operating in the United States and Latin America. Luis is a Partner at Reed Smith, an international law firm. He is a member of The Florida Bar. Throughout his professional career, Luis has been involved in multiple pro bono projects, including serving as guardian ad litem for abused or abandoned children. Luis has also led programs to improve conditions for economically disadvantaged communities in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Cuba. Luis is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on its Membership Committee. He is also a member of the Cuban Association of the Knights of Malta. He is an Advanced Leadership Initiative Senior Fellow at Harvard University and Senior Editor for Climate and Environmental Solutions for the Harvard ALI Social Impact Review. Luis graduated from Rollins College and The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. He is married to his law school classmate, Linda Orth Perez. Their daughter, Elizabeth, is a graduate student at Boston College.

Grace Cotter Regan

Grace Cotter Regan is a lifelong learner and leader committed to Jesuit and Catholic Education. In 2017 she was named the first female President of Boston College High School, an all-boys Jesuit school. Grace was missioned as the 28th President of the high school in 2018.

Grace is mission driven, a change agent and results oriented. She brings a lifetime of knowledge and a commitment to social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion to BC High. Prior to her appointment at BC High, Grace served as Head of School at St Mary’s High School in Lynn, MA. During her six years there, she focused on academic quality and operational vitality, creating an operational business model focused on enrollment, fundraising and long-ranging sustainability. Grace successfully completed a $20 Million fundraising campaign at St. Mary’s before she concluded her tenure there in December 2018.

From 20025-2012 Grace served as the Executive Director and Provincial Assistant for Advancement for the New England Province of Jesuits. From 2000-2005, she served as the Executive Director of the Boston College Alumni Association. The loin-share of her career has been in non-profit board, communications, philanthropy and stewardship with the Boston Public Library Foundation, the College of the Holy Cross, Simmons University, Mount Alvernia Academy and Notre Dame Academy. She also served as a Jesuit International Volunteer in Belize, Central America and has traveled extensively through that area.

Grace is a graduation of the Emmaus Prinicipal’s Cohort of the Roche Center for Catholic Leadership at Boston College. She earned a certificate in Catholic Leadership from the Mendoza School of Business at the University of Notre Dame; a Master of Arts in pastoral ministry from the Boston College School of Ministry and Theology; a Master of Education in student affairs and higher education administration form the University of Vermont; and graduation cum laude from Boston College in 1982 with a BA in theology and sociology.

Grace lives in West Roxbury, Mass., with her husband Bernie, a retired produce broker and Boston College alumnus, and their Wheaton Terrier Seamus. They have two incredible sons. Bartley is a 2012 graduate of BC High and Stonehill College, Class of ‘16, where he played quarterback on the football team. He currently works in partnership development at Shields Healthcare Solutions. Luke, her older son, graduated from St. Sebastian’s in 2009 and Bowdoin College in 2013 where he was captain of the baseball team. Luke is a safety manager with Suffolk Construction and is working on the Montage Spanish Peaks Development in Big Sky Montana.

Thomas A. Roberts

Tom Roberts is a strategic advisor and consultant to public and private companies, individuals and philanthropies. He also serves as the Lead Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of MGM Growth Properties, a REIT listed on the NYSE and as an Advisory Director of M. Klein and Company, a leading global strategic advisory firm providing financial, transactional, strategic, reputational and global guidance to its clients. During 2015, Tom retired as a Senior Partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a major international firm, where he was a partner for over 20 years.

He served as Chairman of the Corporate Department from 2000 through 2012 and was a member of the Firm’s governing body from 1994 through 2014. Tom’s practice primarily involved domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, contested takeovers and private equity. He also regularly advised companies and their Board of Directors with respect to complex, high profile strategic, crisis management and corporate governance matters. He was twice elected by The American Lawyer as Dealmaker of the Year.

From 1998 to 2010 Mr. Roberts served on the Board of Directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York and from 2006 to 2010 served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. He also served, for many years, as a member of the Board of Visitors of the Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Roberts is a graduate of both the Georgetown University College of Arts and Sciences and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Jeffrey Smulyan

Jeffrey H. Smulyan serves as Founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Emmis Corporation, an Indianapolis-based publicly traded diversified holding company.

Jeff is a former director of the National Association of Broadcasters, and a member of numerous civic boards and committees. As principal shareholder, he led a group that purchased the Seattle Mariners baseball team in 1989. In 1994, Jeff was named by the White House to head the U.S. Delegation to the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications Union. As a U.S. ambassador, he helped negotiate a landmark agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Jeff has been recognized as a Giant of Broadcasting by the Library of American Broadcasting, received the National Association of Broadcasters National Radio Award, and was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame as well as the Indiana Business Hall of Fame. The Broadcasters Foundation honored him with its Golden Mike Award. In 2017, he received the Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award from the Broadcasters Foundation of America. Emmis Corporation was named one of Fortune magazines’ 100 Best Companies to Work For due to its vibrant, collaborative culture. Recently, he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.

A cum laude graduate of USC with a B.A. in history and telecommunications, Jeff earned a J.D. from the USC Gould School of Law, where he served as note and comment editor of the Southern California Law Review. He has served on the USC Board of Trustees since 2001.

Smulyan resides in suburban Indianapolis with his wife, Heather, and they have three children; Samantha, Cari, Bradley and two grandchildren.

Smulyan’s first book, How to Ride a Roller Coaster Upside Down, will be released November 2022.

Peter H. Smyth

Peter H. Smyth is President of the Hundred Club of Massachusetts and the retired Chairman and CEO of the former Greater Media, Inc. He adds significant value to organizations that seek to innovate, drive results, achieve growth, and improve interactions both internally and externally.

Mr. Smyth is an innovator and thought leader in the radio broadcasting industry, and is also a highly active philanthropist and source of guidance and expertise for large charitable organizations. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2017 following a 30-year career with Greater Media, Inc.

As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Greater Media, Mr. Smyth oversaw all strategic initiatives and operations for twenty-one AM and FM radio stations in Boston, Charlotte, N.C. Detroit, Philadelphia and New Jersey, as well as other media properties. He helped revolutionize the broadcasting industry by advocating for and adopting new technologies such as HD Radio and internet streaming, and by developing innovative content to meet the emerging demands of the industry and its advertisers.

He was named a “Giant of American Broadcasting” by the Library of American Broadcasting in 2014. Radio Ink Magazine twice selected Mr. Smyth as “America’s Best Broadcaster” – in 2005 and 2011.

In addition, he has been recognized as one of Radio Ink’s “40 Most Powerful People in Radio,” ranking among the top ten. In 2007, Radio Ink named him “Radio Executive of the Year,” while he also received the “Humanitarian of the Year” Award from the Hundred Club of Massachusetts and the Golden Mike Award from the Broadcasters Foundation of America.

Among his achievements, Mr. Smyth was largely credited with creating the concept of “FM Talk” radio - with the establishment of the all-talk 96.9 FM WTKK in 1999; while also being unafraid to exit the format after a 14-year successful run to take advantage of changing market tastes and opportunity. Mr. Smyth is highly sought across multiple industries as a Director, Board member, adviser and consultant, and has served in corporate governance leadership positions for some of New England’s most prestigious institutions.

In addition to serving on the board of America Media, Mr. Smyth is also serving on the Boards of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Radio Advertising Bureau, and as Chairman of the Home Base Media Labs. Mr. Smyth is also an emeritus Trustee of New England Baptist Hospital and served for nine years as chair of that Board’s Finance Committee.

He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA and in 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Commerce degree from Suffolk University in Boston.

Michael Zink

Michael Zink is a retired Citigroup Managing Director who spent his 28-year career overseas. Starting as a corporate banker in West Africa, Mr. Zink held roles in corporate and investment banking and in country management. He worked for Citi in nine countries - Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Tunisia, Russia, Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, China, and Singapore. His last role was chief executive of Citi's eight-country Southeast Asia business, the largest Citi business in Asia. Mr. Zink retired from the bank in May 2016, and now resides in Boulder Colorado. Since retiring he has focused on community service, including service on the finance council for his local parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus, and its K-8 school.

Originally from Cincinnati, Mr. Zink was raised in a family of six sons. He met his wife Betsy, a New Englander, while they were both serving as Peace Corps volunteers in Kenya in the 1980s. Betsy is a doula and a CNA, currently working with elderly homebound patients. Together they have raised their four children while on their overseas odyssey. Their two oldest children, Emily and Katherine, are married and live in Colorado. Emily works as an environmental scientist for Invenergy. Katherine is a research scientist with Enveda Biosciences. Their two younger children, Alexandra and Gabriel, live in New York City. Alexandra works as a campus recruiter for D.E. Shaw and Company. Gabriel is an analyst with the JPMorgan Private Bank.

Mr. Zink earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, and spent his junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh. After returning from the Peace Corps he earned an MBA from the Kellogg school at Northwestern University.

Carol Zuegner, Ph.D.

Carol Zuegner, Ph.D., is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Journalism, Media and Computing in the College of Arts and Sciences at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She also is the inaugural holder of the Joella Cohen Endowed Chair in Journalism. She worked as a reporter and editor for The Associated Press for more than a decade.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Creighton; a master’s from The Ohio State University and a doctorate from the University of Tennessee. She teaches writing, editing, social media and entrepreneurial media courses at Creighton and is one of the leaders of Backpack Journalism, a project where students and faculty produce documentary films about people on the margins. Her research interests are how news organizations and professionals use social media, data journalism, solutions journalism and new ways of telling stories.