Paul E. Pullen (1936 – 2017)
Paul Pullen was a pioneer who was on the cutting edge of efforts to have business ethics adopted as an established corporate practice. In 1986, he was a founding member of the Defense Industry Initiative on Business Ethics and Conduct, which was one of the first voluntary efforts to have business ethics adopted as a matter of corporate policy on an industry-wide basis. He was the first director of Raytheon Company’s ethics and compliance program. In 1991, working with HCBE founder, Mike Hoffman, Paul was one of the original ethics officers who helped to launch the Ethics Officer Association, the country’s first association of professional ethics officers. When the Center began its Executive Fellows program in 1992, Paul was among the first to join. Believing in the mission and potential of the Center, in 1994, he was instrumental in getting Raytheon to donate $250,000 to help build the Center’s business ethics library and its conference room. Reflecting on Paul’s important presence in the development of the field and the Hoffman Center, Dr. Hoffman, said, “Paul was an unusually balanced and centered man. He was always thoughtful, without being pedantic; caring without being intrusive, and ethical without being moralistic. He made a major contribution to the development of HCBE, and in so doing, helped us to fulfill our mission to advance the field of business ethics.”
John J. Desmond, III (1934 – 2016)
John Desmond has been a beloved friend of the Hoffman Center for Business Ethics from its early days, and for many years he was a dedicated member of our Executive Fellows team. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and went on to get his law degree and MBA from Boston College. Given his talents and dedication to the law and ethics, John eventually became a senior vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate compliance officer of Boston Edison Company. John was a highly respected member of the HCBE’s Ernest A. Kallman Executive Fellows Program and for many years served as the group’s chairman. Speaking about his dear friend and colleague, Mike Hoffman said, “If we could single out one thing for which John was most famous, it was the unusual kindness he showed to everyone. However, behind his unfailing smile, John believed fiercely in the mission of business ethics both on a professional and personal level. Back in the 1990s, I remember being at a lecture here at Bentley, when a student stood up and said, ‘I came to Bentley to learn about business. What I don’t understand is why I am hearing so much about ethics.’ John felt he needed to reply. He stood up and said, ‘You will learn about business both at Bentley and on the job. But if you want to really succeed in business, the most essential lesson you can learn is the importance of ethics.’”
Michael L. Michael (1949 - 2010)
On October 19, 2010, the W. Michael Hoffman Cent
er for Business Ethics (HCBE) lost a good friend and valued colleague when Michael Michael died of cancer. In addition to being an Executive Fellow at CBE, Michael was a senior fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, published on rules and ethical decision-making in organizations, and co-authored articles on corporate governance. In addition to his many years as a practicing lawyer, he served for almost seven years as the Chief Compliance and Ethics officer at Fidelity Investments. He had extensive experience in developing and implementing compliance programs at leading U.S. and non-U.S. firms. Besides his deep understanding of organizational ethics, Michael will be remembered for his wit, eloquence, and his aesthetic sensitivity captured in his photography.
John L. Casey, Jr. (1924 - 2004)
John L. Casey, Jr., or "Jack" to those of us lucky enough t
o have known him, was an outstanding business leader in the best sense of the word. As the managing director of the investment firm Scudder, Stevens & Clark, he not only distinguished himself as a visionary in the field of finance, but as someone who championed ethics in business before there was a business ethics movement to support him. He published two books on business ethics, Ethics in the Financial Marketplace and Values Added. Over his many years associated with the W. Michael Hoffman Center for Business Ethics (HCBE) at Bentley University, Jack made a lasting mark by becoming HCBE's first executive fellow.
A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he gave generously of himself, serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, as chairman of Youth for Eisenhower, and as president and chairman of the board of trustees at Saint David's School in New York. In his memory, the John L. Casey Endowed Fund was established at the W. Michael Hoffman Center for Business Ethics to provide support for the research of HCBE's international visiting scholars. Above all, we will remember Jack as a good friend to HCBE and a man of great integrity.