Dick Kearns, a 1972 St. Bonaventure grad, has over five decades of experience in global markets, including nine years living and working in Switzerland. He retired from Zurich Insurance in June 2023 after serving 21 years as a board director in the U.S. and chief administrative officer in Switzerland. Previously, he spent 30 years at PwC in senior roles, including as a vice chairman. He is currently the board chairman of B.H. Aircraft Co. 

He draws on that experience when he says it's not enough for today's students to leave campus with a head full of facts. Just as important as being "right" is your ability to apply your knowledge in real-world situations. The better you understand your world — how you conduct yourself, how you demonstrate to others that you are ethical and sincere and that you can be counted on — the greater your chances of succeeding and leading in the world marketplace, says Kearns.

To that end, Kearns and his wife, Maureen, fund and lead the strategy for the Kearns Global Business Lecture Forum at St. Bonaventure. Their goal is to engage students with business leaders who offer diverse perspectives on global business matters. The series offers students the unique and powerful opportunity to ask questions of top people in their field.

Kearns is a distinguished alumnus who spent many years of his career living and working in Europe, and this lecture series provides vital insight into working across countries and cultures.

He served on St. Bonaventure's Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2009. He is a recipient of the University's Gaudete Medal, 2017 Alumnus of the Year award and an honorary doctorate in 2019. He received a BBA in Accounting and is a CPA.

Joining Dick Kearns on the 2024 panel were:

Brian Kearns
Vice President & CFO, BH Aircraft Co.
Kearns is CFO and a board director of B.H. Aircraft, a leading manufacturing company serving the aerospace and defense industries. He began his career with EY, where he spent 15 years in various audit and consulting roles, including multiple international assignments serving global clients throughout Europe and the Middle East. He also served in financial positions at Goldman Sachs and Pall Corporation. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Providence College and is a CPA.

Daniel Grady
Director, Outbound Product Management, ServiceNow
Grady is a business development professional with over 25 years’ experience, primarily in the artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics space. He serves as director of Outbound Product Management for in-platform-process mining at ServiceNow, which he joined in 2016. Previously, Grady spent 17 years at Information Builders where he held several sales, consulting and analytical roles. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from St Joseph’s University in New York.

Thomas McCarthy, ’10, ’13
Senior Manager, Hotel Openings, Marriott International
McCarthy serves as senior manager of hotel openings providing sales and marketing advisory services at Marriott International. From 2022 to 2024 he was manager of Learning + Development, working with the company’s hotel and field sales teams across North America. Since 2013, he’s worked in a variety of sales roles with The Ritz-Carlton and W Hotel brands, most recently as the inaugural sales executive for W Nashville. McCarthy also chairs ONE, Marriott’s LGBT+/Ally associate talent network. A St. Bonaventure graduate, he received a BBA in marketing in 2010 and an MBA in 2013. He also worked in the SBU Admissions Office while pursuing his graduate degree.

Jennifer Torneden
Director, Commercial Growth, BroadStreet
Torneden is an experienced insurance distribution executive with particular expertise in digital transformation, C-suite partnering, growth and strategy, and customer experience. In January 2024, she was named director of Commercial Growth at BroadStreet, a large North American insurance broker, where she is driving business expansion and revenue growth. She has previously served in global and national roles at Legal & General America, Aon and Zurich Insurance. She lived and worked in Switzerland for eight years. She received the 2019 Women to Watch Award from Business Insurance Magazine and holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from George Mason University and an MBA from Columbia University.