Distinguished Alumni Awards

COM recognizes the achievements of its graduates annually through its Distinguished Alumni Award. As part of the 2009 ceremony, Bill Wheatley (’70), the former executive vice president of NBC News, interviewed Bill O’Reilly (’75), a pundit for the Fox News Channel. Both are COM Distinguished Alumni.

Scott R. Feldman

President & CEO
Two Twelve Management & Marketing

Scott R. Feldman is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality and lifestyle industry, renowned for his talent of developing sustainable relationships on behalf of clients and the execution of strategic marketing platforms for consumer brands. He was named one of Crain’s New York’s 40 Under 40 in 2004 in recognition of his leadership in the hospitality industry and impact on the city’s fast-paced restaurant scene.

Scott founded Two Twelve Management & Marketing in 2004 to build mutually beneficial and financially advantageous relationships for his individual and corporate clients that include prominent chefs and restaurateurs such as Mario Batali, Tom Colicchio, Michael Symon, Anne Burrell, Alex Guarnaschelli and Geoffrey Zakarian. Scott works closely with his clients, whether up-and-coming stars or seasoned personalities, to assure they reach their maximum professional potential.

Two Twelve has earned a reputation for activating and producing exemplary brand management and marketing programs for globally recognized corporations including Coca-Cola, Valentino, Electrolux, Fiji Water and Beefeater Gin. By offering customers distinctive experiences and creating associations between brands and celebrity chefs, Scott and Two Twelve’s staff are able to reposition these brands and increase awareness in a growing, influential market.

In 2005, Scott launched the Two Twelve Access platform, allowing brands to engage high-end consumers at special events across the country such as the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

Prior to founding Two Twelve, Scott was Vice President of the Restaurant and Entertainment Strategic Relationship Group at American Express, establishing the company as an industry leader in the fine dining category. In addition, Scott was responsible for Industry Relations and unique programming including the American Express Platinum Fine Dining Program and Charge Against Hunger.

As a founding board member of A Little Hope, Scott is able to raise awareness and financial support for grieving teens and families. Scott is also dedicated to fighting hunger and autism around the world and remains active with a number of organizations including Share Our Strength, City Harvest and the Food Bank of New York and Autism Speaks.

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Arthur Worth “Bud” Collins, Jr.

Boston Globe Columnist
ESPN Commentator

Bud Collins was to graduate from COM in 1955, but one credit shy of his degree, he took a job at the Boston Herald covering boxing. But proving that you can go back again, Collins was finally, and officially, awarded his degree from COM last May.

Bud has had a long and storied career in journalism. He was a sports writer at the Boston Herald from 1955 to 1963. From there, he became a sports commentator on PBS from 1963 to 1988 and on NBC in 1964 and then from 1972 to 2007. He has been a sports columnist at The Boston Globe from 1963 through the present. He has now been on ESPN and the Tennis Channel since 2007.  He was also a travel columnist at the Globe from 1977 to 2001.

Bud has contributed to such publications as Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Family Circle, Sunday Times of London, International Herald Tribune, Melbourne Age, Tennis Week, Tennis Magazine and Tennis Life.

He has covered events in a variety of sports on all continents including the World Series and the Olympic Games. In tennis, he covered the Davis Cup competition, Wimbledon, the French Open, the Australian Open and the US Open. Budhas also covered golf, including the US and British Opens. He covered most of Muhammad Ali’s fights, as well as championship playoff games in football, basketball and ice hockey.

Bud’s career didn’t stop at sports reporting. He has covered a variety of non-sport stories, ranging from the Vietnam War and national political campaigns to African safaris and outdoor treks in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and New Zealand.

He has written the Bud Collins History of Tennis, the Bud Collins Tennis Encyclopedia, and is in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He was the French Open senior doubles finalist in 1975.

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Franca Bertagnin

Director
Edizione Holding SpA

Edizione Holding SpA operates as the holding company for the Benetton Group companies. Additionally, it operates in various sectors, including clothing, highway and urban catering services, infrastructure and services for mobility and communications, real estate and agriculture, and industrial investments.

Franca is a 1990 graduate of the College of Communication.  She, and many of her siblings and cousins, were drawn from Italy to study at Boston University.  She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Mass Communication and then went on to earn her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.  Franca is fluent in three languages and conversational in two others.

Franca began as a Brand Manager for Colgate-Palmolive working in Germany, the youngest Brand Manager at CP.  After completing her M.B.A., she then worked as a management consultant for Bain & Company in Milan.  From there she went to work in the family business, a small company called Benetton.  Beginning as the Sales and Marketing Director for its sports brands, Franca now holds a number of roles within Edizione s.r.l., the holding company of the Benetton Family.  As Director of the Board she works with senior representatives and founders of the company in shaping strategy, monitoring results and creating new business opportunities.

Franca is on the Board of Directors for Palladio Finanziaria S.P.A., the pioneer of private equity and investment banking in Italy.  She is also on the Board at Touring Club Italiano, a leading Italian non-profit whose primary mission is to promote healthy tourism in Italy.

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Kevin Caliendo (’93)

Managing Director
FrontPoint Partners, LLC

Kevin earned his degree in journalism from COM in 1993.  As a student, Kevin was an intern in the Boston Globe’s sports department.  Early on in his career he was a writer for Worth magazine.  From there, having an idea of what life was like on the other side of his reporting, he leaped over to the investment banking world.

Kevin is currently Co-Portfolio Manager of the FrontPoint Healthcare Fund, a multi-billion dollar hedge fund located in Greenwich, CT.  FrontPoint is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Investment Management.  FrontPoint is a integrated investment management company offering a diverse group of alternative investment strategies on a central platform.

Prior to this, Kevin served as Managing Director at ClearBridge Advisors, where he was lead portfolio manager for the Legg Mason Capital Fund, a five-star rated long-only equity fund.  Throughout his fifteen-year investment career, Kevin also worked with SAC Capital, Wachovia Securities, ING Barings, Bear Stearns and Smith Barney.

Kevin is a sports enthusiast, and a rabid Celtics and Red Sox fan. Because of this, he comes to Boston quite frequently for games, and speaks regularly with COM students. Last year, Kevin spoke with magazine journalism students, and, given his expertise on the economy, students were more interested on his take on the recession than magazine writing.

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Maya Ezratti (’98)

Director of Community & Public Affairs
GL Homes

Born and raised in South Florida, Maya received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Broadcast Journalism in 1998. Maya returned home to become an integral part of her family’s real estate business, GL Homes, a large private residential and commercial community developer.

As the Director of Community & Public Affairs for GL Homes, Maya is responsible for furthering the company’s digital media strategy. She brings television, internet and alternative media concepts to the company, successfully marrying communications and construction.  Maya oversees and produces the company’s television, video & radio ad campaigns and directs public relations efforts for the company.

At GL Homes, Maya began her career as the company’s Community Affairs Director, and still retains this position today, working with over 150 different charitable organizations annually.

Maya raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Tsunami Relief Fund, the 9/11 Fund, The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Funds, Venezuela without Boundaries Relief Fund, Habitat for Humanity, Transplant foundation and Cancer Shmancer with Fran Drescher. Maya and GL Homes, believing in technology and education, help schools purchase new computers, books and more.

Additionally, Maya is an active board member for the Young at Art Children’s Museum, Jewish Federation, Miami Beach Jewish Community Center, and Women’s Department Vice Campaign Chair for Miami Beach Federation. She is the recipient of the Humanitarian of the Year award in 2005 for South Florida and the Women of Vision award on two separate occasions.

Maya also worked on her first movie, The Boynton Beach Club, as an associate producer behind the scenes and as the water aerobics instructor in the film.

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Arthur Marciano (’51)

Arthur received his Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Public Communication in 1951.  As a student at Boston University in the 1950s, Arthur became an important leader in what is now described as “Student Activities.”  Arthur was a founding member of the Boston University Winter Carnival.  This was a Saturday event that included dinners, dancing, skiing and skating.  Arthur’s enthusiasm for the school helped him get others to join the committee and make the carnival a smashing success.  It became an annual event that ran for several years.

Arthur’s BU experience proved to be invaluable from an intellectual and social perspective.  His time in the classroom, on the basketball court, and in his committee chairmanships provided him with the knowledge and confidence he needed to become a successful businessman.

After graduating from BU, Arthur went to work for the Schick Electric Razor Company.  His outgoing personality and understanding of customer service allowed him to quickly move up the company ranks, and eventually led him to western New York where he managed the company’s Rochester, NY facility. After four years, Arthur was asked to join a competing company founded by other Schick executives who recognized Arthur’s talents. Within three years Arthur bought his partners out and implemented new marketing and management strategies to successfully expand the company.  In 2000, Arthur sold the company and retired to Florida.