Isenberg supporters Gib and Susan Hammond have committed to funding a new faculty fellowship and an endowed professorship, both in the name of Professor Emeritus of Accounting, Ronald C. Mannino. The Hammonds’ support is a response to Dean Anne Massey’s identification of “Sustaining Faculty Excellence” as one of Isenberg’s top priorities, as well as their long-standing support for the school and its accounting department.
“Why wouldn’t I give back to Isenberg? It’s a very special place that changes lives,” remarks Hammond. “It’s a great, unpretentious place that is doing great things. And in recent years, Isenberg and the public are learning how good the school really is.”
Hammond's wife, Susan, who has excelled as a former chief financial officer, financial advisor, accountant, and cofounder of two organizations that further the aspirations of women in business, shares his enthusiasm for the school and its students. “Isenberg and its rankings have been a continual source of pride,” she emphasizes.
The new Ronald C. Mannino Faculty Fellowship was awarded to Associate Professor of Accounting Bradley Bennett, who has been teaching at Isenberg since 2012. The Ronald C. Mannino Endowed Professor has not yet been appointed. (Photo shows, from left, Hammond, Mannino, and Bennett.)
“Gib and Susan Hammond have been such supporters of Isenberg over the years, and I’m grateful to them for stepping up again to help fund our priority of sustaining faculty excellence,” says Dean Massey. “They know how much we value the wonderful research and teaching that our faculty members do, and their help will ensure that we continue to attract and support the very best scholars.”
D. Gibson Hammond graduated with a master’s degree in accounting in 1977 and went on to a 32-year career at Deloitte, where he served many of the firm’s top equity clients and led due diligence initiatives for many merger and acquisition clients. The couple has supported Isenberg in the past with major donations toward the Business Innovation Hub, which was completed in 2019, as well as a scholarship: The Hammond Distinguished Leadership Award was established in 2014, and has since helped undergraduate and graduate-level students with financial need who display outstanding commitment to and leadership in a particular major, with a primary focus on accounting. Eight accounting students have benefited from the scholarship so far.