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As a member of Northeastern’s first Black fraternity, Stewart says he has a keen sense of how the university can shape and transform the lives of students.
When Shelley Stewart graduated from Northeastern University in 1975, he came out a changed man.
Stewart was the first person in his family to receive a college education and a Black student attending school during one of the most tumultuous periods in Boston’s history.
As a member of Northeastern’s first Black fraternity, the Omicron chapter of Iota Phi Theta, Northeastern gave him a brotherhood, a safe port of call in the middle of a storm. It gave him the skills that he would use to become a leader in global supply chain management.
The university also gave him a family –– he met his wife, Ann, as a student –– and gave his family a future too: His daughter graduated from the university in 2015.
Now, after years of supporting Northeastern’s John D. O’Bryant African American Institute, Stewart has the chance to help shape the university that shaped him in a major way.
Stewart was recently appointed to Northeastern’s Board of Trustees.
“I give a lot of credit to the university for the education that I received –– and my wife and my daughter –– for helping us be who we are today,” Stewart says.
“Shelley is a distinguished businessman and has been a leader and valuable member of the Northeastern community since his pioneering days establishing the university’s chapter of Iota Phi Theta,” says Richard D’Amore, chair of the Board of Trustees.
D’Amore says the board will benefit from Stewart’s experience, expertise and dedication to Northeastern and its educational mission.
Stewart brings extensive experience as a business leader in global supply chain management. He now serves as a partner at Bottom Line Advisory, a consulting firm that specializes in supply chain strategies. He also comes to the board with a keen sense of how the university can shape and transform the lives of students.
“Shelley and the entire Stewart family have been longtime supporters of Northeastern, and also wonderful ambassadors,” President Joseph E. Aoun says. “Shelley understands the university from many vantage points, which will add tremendous value to the board. He is also one of Northeastern’s most admired alumni leaders.”
Stewart and his wife support the African American Institute’s Brutus “Skip” Wright Scholarship Fund. Named after a founding member of the Omicron chapter of Iota Phi Theta, the fund has awarded close to 30 scholarships to Black Northeastern students who have demonstrated academic excellence and community involvement.
Stewart’s time at Northeastern was defined as much by the violent response to desegregating Boston Public Schools happening off campus as it was by the education he received and the fraternal bonds he formed on campus. Stewart wants to ensure that Northeastern continues to give students all over the globe the opportunities and support that were so instrumental for him.
“That environment in Boston caused us to be closer on campus, given most of us were from outside the Boston area,” Stewart says. “We had to look out for each other, but the school provided a nurturing environment for us. … Continuing to be involved in the university has been important to me, so becoming a trustee is super exciting.”
Innovation and transformation are at the forefront of Stewart’s mind as he joins the board. Watching his alma mater transform into a global educational institution with campuses on both U.S. coasts and in Canada and the U.K., Stewart couldn’t be more excited to guide the next phase of Northeastern’s evolution.
“I am so proud of being a Northeastern alum and now being a trustee for the university,” Stewart says.