BU SHA Celebrates Excellence at the Alumni of the Year Award Ceremony and Reception
BU SHA Celebrates Excellence at the Alumni of the Year Award Ceremony and Reception, September 2026
Boston University School of Hospitality (BU SHA) is proud to announce the annual Alumni of the Year Award Ceremony and Reception to recognize outstanding alumni who have made significant contributions to the hospitality industry. The ceremony offers a unique opportunity to honor leadership, innovation, and dedication among the school’s most distinguished graduates.
Event Details:
Date: Friday, September 18, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Location: BU School of Hospitality, 928 Commonwealth Ave., Stamas Lounge, 1st floor
Registration: Free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. Registration link.
Honoring:
Distinguished Alumni of the Year
Seth Gerber, SHA’12, Questrom’21, is a SHA adjunct faculty member, and the Owner and Operating Partner of MIDA, a celebrated Italian restaurant group spanning four Boston-area locations in the South End, Newton, East Boston, and Fenway. He is also the proprietor of The Babe, a neighborhood cocktail bar and sandwich shop in historic Salem, MA, and La Tavernetta in East Boston. Seth was a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist in the category of Best Restaurateur.
Young Alumni Awardee
Stephen Martino, SHA’16, is the Director of Marketing at Union Square Hospitality Group in New York City, where he has led brand and digital marketing across the company’s restaurants, from acclaimed fine dining rooms to a rapidly scaling fast casual concept. Before USHG, he built a broad foundation in hospitality across Boston, working in food and beverage, private events, marketing, and hotel finance.
“At Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration, we believe that hospitality illuminates and enhances all the occasions when people come together—to work, discuss, celebrate, relax, or simply enjoy each other’s company. We aim to give our students the knowledge and confidence to create meaningful experiences and to help people, places, and businesses thrive,” said Tanya Zlateva, dean ad interim of Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration.
“I’m deeply grateful to be named Distinguished Alumni of the Year by Boston University School of Hospitality Administration. As both a restaurateur and adjunct faculty member, I’ve seen how the lessons taught at SHA translate directly into building and leading businesses,” said Seth Gerber. “I hope this recognition encourages students to take risks, challenge convention, and help shape the future of hospitality.”
“Being named Young Alumni of the Year is a significant honor, especially at this point in my career,” said Stephen Martino. “I am so grateful to my professors and the SHA community for providing a solid foundation of learning that spans all areas of hospitality. What I learned at SHA was more than theory. The real-world experiences and training in strategic decision-making have been a direct advantage in each role I’ve taken on since graduating. This recognition reaffirms that hospitality, done right, is a serious competitive advantage.”
Event Timeline:
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Networking Reception & Light Lunch
Refreshments, mingling, and celebration with alumni, students, and faculty.
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Fireside Chat & Awards Ceremony
Open conversation with Seth Gerber, Co-Owner of MIDA, and Makarand Mody, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Hospitality Marketing at BU SHA. Following the talk, Tanya Zlateva, dean ad interim of SHA, will present the Distinguished Alumni Award to Seth Gerber SHA’12, Questrom’21, and the Young Alumni Award to Stephen Martino SHA’16.
About the Alumni of the Year Award
The Alumni of the Year Award honors graduates who have significantly advanced the hospitality industry through professional excellence, visionary leadership, and community service. Recipients are selected by the School of Hospitality’s advisory board and faculty based on their impactful careers and dedication to the school’s mission of Experience Innovation. More information is available on the BU SHA website.
About Boston University School of Hospitality
For more than 40 years, Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration (SHA) has trained leaders who master hospitality as a strategic discipline applicable to any business where people and profit matter. SHA defines hospitality as Experience Innovation: engineering human interaction to form relationships, differentiate organizations from their competitors, and build value. It’s an approach that’s proven within the multitrillion-dollar hospitality sector and is being applied everywhere from healthcare to sports and entertainment. Learn how our undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including several STEM-designated master’s degrees, are preparing the next generation of Experience Innovators. Visit bu.edu/hospitality. bu.edu/hospitality.
Press Release: [Boston University School of Hospitality Administration Celebrates Excellence at the Alumni of the Year Award Ceremony and Reception]