Renowned Journalist and Author to Speak at HU Founder's Day

Hampton, VA - Hampton University will welcome Brett A. Pulley, renowned business journalist and author, as the keynote speaker for the 117th Annual Founder’s Day Ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 11:30 a.m. in Ogden Hall.

Founder's Day activities also will include the commemorative wreath placing ceremony at the gravesite of the University's founder, Gen. Samuel Chapman Armstrong, in the Hampton University Cemetery at 9:30 a.m. The Founder’s Day Ceremony and the wreath-placing ceremony are free and open to the public.

During the ceremony HU President William R. Harvey will present President's Citizenship awards to Carolyn W. Meyers, President of Norfolk State University; Gary T. McCollum, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cox Communications; and Chuck Davis, founder of Davis Property Management Company and Jo Ann Davis Realty.

Pulley covers the media and entertainment industries at Bloomberg L.P., the global information services, news and media company. His work appears daily on the company's terminals, its website, and inside its magazines. He is a frequent commentator on Bloomberg Television.

Formerly a senior editor at Forbes Magazine, Pulley authored many cover stories for the magazine. Prior to joining Forbes in 1999, Pulley spent five years at The New York Times, as a national correspondent, and as a local reporter covering politics and economic development. Pulley has also served as the president and CEO of NewYork.com.

Pulley has received numerous journalism awards, including two first place annual prizes from the National Association of Black Journalists. He has appeared frequently as a guest on television, providing commentary and insight on media and entertainment industry issues on networks such as CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC. He has discussed the finances of celebrities on Entertainment Tonight, Showbiz Tonight, Inside Edition, Access Hollywood, CBS’s “48 Hours,” and NBC’s “Dateline.”

Pulley has a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University, and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He is a member of the board of trustees at Hampton University, and a member of the board of The Andre Gist Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

Pulley is the author of “The Billion Dollar BET”, a book that takes an in-depth look at Black Entertainment Television and its founder, Robert L. Johnson.