Former Board of Trustees Chair Jeffrey Greenhawt Remembered as Champion of Emerson College

Jeffrey Greenhawt ’68, LHD ’23, a media executive and longtime Emerson Trustee who, during his 12 years as Chair of the Board, oversaw one of the most dynamic periods in the College’s history, died August 6, 2024, in South Florida. He was 78.

Greenhawt was an active alum who spent decades serving the college he loved. A former chair of the Board of Overseers (now Advisors), he was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1995 and was elected chair in 2011. Under his leadership, Emerson expanded its footprint in Boston, building a new residence hall, 2 Boylston Place; a new Visitor’s Center and Dining Center; renovating the historic Little Building and the Emerson Colonial Theatre; and purchasing and developing 172 Tremont Street, a centralized hub for student organizations. He was also instrumental in developing the iconic Emerson Los Angeles campus on Sunset Boulevard and transforming the LA program. He oversaw the alliance with Marlboro College, creating the Marlboro Institute of Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies.

“Jeff Greenhawt has long been a champion for Emerson College and has served the institution brilliantly through his board leadership, his work to amplify the best of Emerson, and as a friend and mentor to many within our community. He will be greatly missed,” said current Board of Trustees Chair Eric Alexander.

A native of New Jersey, Greenhawt enrolled at Emerson to study radio, quickly becoming involved with WERS and WECB. At Emerson, he also fell in love with his future wife, Jan (Jacobs) Greenhawt ’69, a decades-long member of the Board of Advisors.

“Besides being my great love, she has been my rock through my chairmanship,” Greenhawt said of Jan upon being presented with an honorary degree from Emerson in 2023, when he stepped down from the Board of Trustees.

Together, the Greenhawts have supported the College through gifts to myriad programs, including the Communication Sciences and Disorders program, from which Jan graduated; WERS; Emerson Polling; and a partnership with Miami Dade College that brings graduates to Emerson. They strengthened the College’s networks in South Florida by hosting a winter alumni gathering, and they established the Greenhawt Family Fund, which enabled Emerson faculty who may lack grant writing experience to procure resources that could help them get external project support.

After graduating from Emerson, Greenhawt worked as a sales manager at a Washington, D.C., radio station. Then, with partners, he bought a small radio station in York, Pennsylvania. In 1982, he sold the station and bought Sunshine Wireless, which owns and operates media companies, including radio stations, networks, broadcast transmission towers, and audio-video production facilities across the country. In recognition of his industry leadership and his roots in Emerson radio, Greenhawt was inducted into the WERS Hall of Fame in 2009.

“I am honored to have spent time with Jeff and his wife Jan in Boston and Florida, and I deeply appreciate the wise advice he frequently shared with me,” said President Jay Bernhardt. “Jeff Greenhawt is a legendary Emersonian who has had an enormous impact on our College and left a lasting legacy. He will be missed and remembered by many at the College he loved.”

In addition to his wife, Jan, Greenhawt leaves two children and four grandchildren.