Emerson Bringing On Four New Advisors, Welcoming Back Trustee

The Emerson Board of Advisors has appointed four new members, including a member of the Class of 2014, and the Board of Trustees welcomes back a dedicated alumnus and longtime supporter of Emerson College.

Kevin Bright ’76, LHD ’11, one of the original executive producers of Emmy Award-winning TV series Friends (1994-2004), has been reappointed to the Board of Trustees after a four-year hiatus, during which time he served as founding director and vice president of Emerson Los Angeles (ELA). His new term starts effective October 2017.

The Board of Advisors (formerly Overseers) welcomes four new members, effective July 2017: podiatrist Dr. Phyllis Allen, parent of two Emerson alumni; tech startup founder/CEO Jake Bailey ’14; Citizens Bank Senior Vice President Rick Musiol Jr.; and former radio media and marketing executive Barry O’Brien ’70. 

Board of Trustees

Most recently, Kevin Bright was executive producer of acclaimed documentary Best and Most Beautiful Things. For more than seven years, he taught a course on “Producing Pilots for Television” on Emerson’s Boston campus, where he led a successful program that introduced economically disadvantaged Boston Public School students to TV and film production. He has also served as faculty advisor for Emerson’s EVVY Awards, the largest student-produced, multi-camera, live event in the country.

Bright served on the Board of Trustees from 2003-2013, and has been a generous benefactor to the College, including establishing the Bright Family Screening Room in Boston’s Paramount Center and a 4K screening room at ELA.

The Board of Trustees shares fiduciary responsibilities for the College and works with the president, senior administrators, and faculty on strategic initiatives to strengthen Emerson.

Board of Advisors

Dr. Phyllis Allen P’13, P‘14 is a podiatrist who is on the staff of SeniorCare Options, an Aging Life Care Management service specializing in senior advocacy, needs analysis, and care coordination.  While navigating her three children into adulthood, she and her husband Jeffrey Allen grew their family business and she enjoyed teaching General Biology and Anatomy & Physiology as Adjunct Professor in local Colleges and Universities. She is currently completing a Master’s degree specializing in chaplaincy/counseling and volunteers with Vitas Healthcare, Hospice and Palliative Care. Phyllis and Jeffrey are past chairs of the Emerson College Parent Leadership Council.

Jake Bailey, co-founder and CEO of Austin, Texas-based startup Harvest Labs, is the youngest member elected to the Board of Advisors. While at Emerson, he was one of two students chosen by President Lee Pelton to design and implement a program that would foster innovation at Emerson and give students with the skills they would need in the new creative economy. That program eventually became Emerson Launch, the College’s student accelerator, through which Bailey continues to mentor students and hold workshops.

During his sophomore year at Emerson, Bailey launched his first venture, e-commerce street wear label Rite Brothers Clothing. He was the first marketing and business development hire at Cambridge-based social media analytics company Ditto Labs, and during his junior year, he started what would eventually become his current company, Harvest Labs, a data aggregation technology startup.

Rick Musiol, as senior vice president and regional director of public affairs for Citizens Bank, is responsible for the development and oversight of the bank’s charitable and community outreach activities. He also serves as strategic advisor to senior leaders regarding community-focused activities in New England.

Prior to his current role, Musiol served as chief of staff to the President of the Massachusetts Senate. He stays civically active by serving as a Trustee of Community Servings and the Massachusetts Taxpayers Association, an Overseer of the New England Aquarium, and an Advisor to Camp Harbor View and Fenway Health. In 2015, Musiol was recognized by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce as one of Boston’s Ten Outstanding Young Leaders.

Barry O’Brien, a 35-year radio veteran, is best known for his 20 years as vice president of sales at Radio & Records (R&R). In 2000, he founded Barry O’Brien & Co., a sales, advertising, and marketing consulting firm, whose client list included New England Cable News, Pro Media, and the Radio Hall of Fame. Since 2013, O’Brien has been working as a real estate agent in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he hosts a weekly radio show.

He previously served on the board of the John Bayliss Foundation, which offers financial aid and internships to students pursuing careers in radio. His wife, Nancy Ryan, who died in August 2016, was an Emerson College Trustee from 1996 to 2011.

Emerson Advisors serve on College task forces, and act as a link between Emerson and its students and various industries.