A panel discussion exploring the intersection between journalism and the business world will be held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in Dresser Auditorium of the Murphy Professional Building at St. Bonaventure University.

The discussion, titled “Making Connections: How Journalists and Businesspeople Can Learn From Each Other,” is a presentation of the William C. Foster ’62 Center for Responsible Leadership at St. Bonaventure and the university’s Jandoli School of Communication.

The event is open to all at no charge. It will be live-streamed on the university’s UStream channel.

“The Foster Center is excited to be offering this event in conjunction with the Jandoli School, and we’ve assembled a panel of accomplished professional journalists and successful businesspeople to address this important and relevant topic,” said Dr. Michael Gallagher, assistant professor of finance and Foster Center director.

“Many successful businesspeople have analytical minds. They see opportunities where others may not, and they can identify problems and see solutions. Journalists are skilled at making complicated topics understandable to all. We think this discussion will demonstrate how both professions can learn from and enhance each other,” he said.

Moderating the discussion will be Janet Bodnar, a 1971 St. Bonaventure University graduate whose distinguished career has straddled both disciplines.

Bodnar is editor-at-large of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, a position she assumed in 2017 when she retired as editor of the magazine after eight years at the helm. She is a nationally recognized expert on the subjects of women and money, children’s and family finances, and financial literacy. While serving as editor, she was recognized by Folio as one of its Top Women in Media.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from the Jandoli School at St. Bonaventure and her master’s degree from Columbia University, where she was a also a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Business and Economics Journalism. She is a member of St. Bonaventure’s Board of Trustees.

Bodnar was instrumental in the planning and development of the panel discussion, an event Aaron Chimbel, Jandoli School dean, said is both timely and important to students. “Business and journalism are increasingly intertwined and it’s crucial that our students understand this dynamic,” he said. “We’re particularly thankful to Janet for her vision to make this event possible.”

Panelists include:

• Erin Lowry, a 2011 Jandoli School graduate who helps millennials navigate their financial lives. She’s the author of “Broke Millennial, “Broke Millennial Takes on Investing,” and the forthcoming “Broke Millennial Talks Money: Scripts, Stories and Advice to Navigate Awkward Financial Conversations.” Lowry has appeared on CNBC, Yahoo Finance’s “On the Move,” “Sunday Morning” on CBS, and has been quoted in the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.


• Kevin A. Keenan, a founding partner of Keenan Communications Group of Buffalo, which specializes in crisis communications, public relations, strategic planning and grassroots advocacy. A 1982 graduate of St. Bonaventure’s Jandoli School, Keenan was director of the Office of the Communications for the Diocese of Buffalo from 2000 to 2011. Prior to that he spent 16 years at WBEN Radio in Buffalo.


• Brian Connolly, vice president of innovation and business development at The Buffalo News. He serves as publisher of The News’ six community newspapers and is in charge of The News’ consumer revenue operations, including digital subscription strategy. He has held a number of key positions at The News since starting in 2003 as a Dow Jones Newspaper Fund intern, including editor of Gusto, the paper’s guide to arts and entertainment; online editor; and managing editor, overseeing all day-to-day operations of the newsroom and its staff of more than 100 reporters, photographers and editors.


• Michael D. Herley, an experienced servant leader driving the three-way intersection of finance, communications and analytics. Former managing director and an executive committee member with Kekst CNC in New York, Herley recently launched his own entrepreneurial venture.

The Foster Center for Responsible Leadership at St. Bonaventure was established in 2016 to educate and inspire leaders in business and society, providing them with opportunities to develop as responsible leaders with a grounding in the Franciscan values that guide the university.

The center is made possible through an endowment gift by Daria L. Foster, managing partner of Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC, honoring her late husband, William C. Foster, a 1962 St. Bonaventure graduate who served on St. Bonaventure’s Board of Trustees from 2008 until his passing in 2010.

This event is also made possible by the Endowment for Excellence in Business Journalism, which was created by Bodnar and her husband, John Linnehan, in 2018 to support the Jandoli School in business-focused areas of journalism and communication.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. In 2019, St. Bonaventure was named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report.