A Family Affair

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It all started with Mark Bradley ’90. Since Bradley graduated from Eastern more than 30 years ago, generations of the Bradley family have followed in his footsteps, becoming Warriors and launching their careers after graduating from Connecticut’s only public liberal arts university. His example was followed by his sister, Shanda Hinton ’96; cousin, Kolin Ebron ’12; and nephew, Maurice Johnson ’17. 

“I am really proud to introduce others in my community and my family to educational opportunities and connections at Eastern,” said Bradley.

“From the beginning, I enjoyed the close-knit community,” he said of his decision to transfer from UConn. “At Eastern, it’s such a healthy environment — I was able to build relationships with faculty and other students. President David G. Carter was also influential and Dean of Students Arthur Johnson embraced me.”  

Bradley has remained connected to his alma mater, serving as president of Eastern’s alumni association and later as a member of the board of directors of the ECSU Foundation, Inc. 

He celebrates 30 years with The Hartford in September 2025, where he is the director of middle/large business operations, leading three of the company’s divisions for its general industries, technology, and life sciences business segments. He is also vice president of the Greater Hartford chapter of the National African American Insurance Association, the second largest chapter in the United States. 

Bradley’s sister, Shanda Hinton ’96, is another family member who has fond memories of Eastern. A first-generation student from Bridgeport, Hinton liked Eastern’s size and wanted to stay in Connecticut to attend college. She recalls the impactful experiences she had working on Eastern’s student-run television news program and serving as an RA. 

“I had an incredible experience at Eastern — it was foundational. I was exposed to a variety of experiences and ideas. I learned about collaboration, teamwork, time management, and developed interpersonal skills, gaining the confidence to manage change and make critical decisions. I also learned about innovation and creativity, and how to engage students.”  

After earning a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Massachusetts, Hinton began her career in the Office of Admissions at Trinity College before transitioning to Cigna (later Prudential) in the area of management training, and then to Comcast where she specialized in talent management. Today, she is vice president of culture and organizational health at RTX, the largest aerospace and defense company in the world, comprised of Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. 

Kolin Ebron ’12 is Mark and Shanda’s first cousin and benefited from knowing of their success and experiences at Eastern. “They laid the foundation; I just walked the trail,” he chuckles. A transfer student — “I wanted to be closer to home” — Ebron majored in sport and leisure management with a concentration in health.  

Ebron was an RA on campus, “a leadership role that gave [me] opportunities to learn skills transferable to other circumstances.” Ebron also enjoyed volunteering with the Center for Community Engagement.

They laid the foundation; I just walked the trail.

Kolin Ebron ’12

In 2021, Ebron received a Ph.D. in learning leadership and educational policy from UConn, with a research focus on sport-based youth development programming and critical service learning. 

Maurice Johnson ’17 is Mark and Shanda’s nephew, and the fourth member of the Bradley family to attend Eastern. 

“I wanted a computer science degree and Eastern has a good program. Plus, the campus was the right distance from my hometown of Stratford,” Johnson said. 

“I enjoyed Eastern thoroughly, I met people from across Connecticut and beyond, and had the opportunity to experience different cultures.” 

Eastern was the foundation of my career. The knowledge and skills I learned there are critical to the work I do each day.

Maurice Johnson ’17

In the computer science program, Johnson learned about data structures, algorithms, JAVA, and other software skills.  

“I use all these in my daily programming job,” said Johnson, who is a software engineer at The Hartford in its enterprise risk management area. He provides application development and web services for internal company customers, working with databases and APIs, as well as front-end and back-end web spaces. “Eastern was the foundation of my career. The knowledge and skills I learned there are critical to the work I do each day,” said Johnson. 

The Bradley family is a great example of the transformative power of an Eastern education, and a reminder that the relationships of family, friends, colleagues, and mentors are the foundation of the University community.

Continue Reading Issue 42