Johnson leads MLK memorial event

Brian C. Johnson, director of BU’s Frederick Douglass Institute for Academic Excellence and academic advisor for BU’s Act 101/EOP, brought his anti-bullying message, with a Hollywood spin, to Clarkson University (NY). Standing in the university’s Student Forum, Johnson gave some humor to a very serious issue Monday during his presentation, “Reel Big Bullies,” as part of the university’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day memorial events. Anti-bullying messages like Johnson’s have gained national attention in recent months, especially in New York, after two high school teens, Jamey Rodemeyer, 14, of Buffalo and Amanda Cummings, 15, of Staten Island, were pushed to suicide by their classmates’ torment and ridicule.

Alum named CFO of the Year

Michael R. Gillespie ’95, chief accounting officer for Hersha Hospitality Trust of Harrisburg, was named a Central PA CFO of the Year for 2011 during a recognition ceremony on June 1. The Central Penn Business Journal award program honors financial executives who contribute to the success of the region’s economic growth and stability. A graduate of BU’s College of Business, Gillespie holds his bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting. He was selected among four nominees to receive the “Growth Specialist Award” by an independent panel of judges based on his career achievements, the impact of his contributions to his company and leadership in other areas. When Gillespie began with Hersha six years ago, the company had 27 hotels, total assets of $256 million and a market capitalization of roughly $100 million. Today, the company boasts 77 hotels, assets of $1.5 billion and a market capitalization in excess of $1 billion.