Iona University to Honor Visa’s Kelly Mahon Tullier and Disney’s Hugh Johnston with Prestigious 2027 Legacy Awards
Annual Trustees Scholarship Award Gala celebrates community leaders while raising funds for student scholarships
Kelly Mahon Tullier and Hugh Johnston will both be presented with the esteemed 2027 Iona Legacy Award.
Westchester County, N.Y. — Iona University is pleased to announce it will honor Kelly Mahon Tullier, vice chair and chief people and corporate affairs officer at Visa, and Hugh Johnston, senior executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Walt Disney Company, at its annual Trustees Scholarship Award Gala on April 28, 2027. Both honorees will be presented with the esteemed 2027 Iona Legacy Award.
This event celebrates the University’s dedication to service and scholarship by honoring distinguished community leaders who exemplify the Iona mission of transforming lives through education. The gala will take place at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.
“We are excited to recognize Kelly and Hugh at our Trustees gala,” said Iona President Seamus Carey, Ph.D. “Both are accomplished leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence throughout their careers and a dedication to making a positive impact beyond their respective organizations. We look forward to celebrating their achievements and the values of service and leadership they represent.”
In the months ahead, Iona students will engage with Disney and Visa executives through site visits to the companies’ Manhattan offices and on-campus fireside chats, gaining invaluable insights into career paths, industry trends and ideas shaping the future. The collaboration underscores a shared commitment to service and opportunity while at the same time strengthening the real-world industry connections and career preparation for which Iona is widely known.
“We are incredibly honored to receive Iona University’s 2027 Legacy Award. Through our work at Visa and Disney, we have seen how opportunity inspires people to thrive, dream big and believe in what is possible. Education has that same extraordinary power. It can open doors, expand what people believe they can achieve and change the trajectory of a life. We are proud to support Iona in creating those opportunities for students, which makes this recognition especially meaningful to us,” said Kelly Mahon Tullier and Hugh Johnston.
About Kelly Mahon Tullier
Kelly Mahon Tullier serves as Visa’s vice chair, chief people and corporate affairs officer, and corporate secretary, and chairs the Visa Foundation.
Kelly Mahon Tullier is vice chair, chief people and corporate affairs officer, and corporate secretary of Visa. In her role, she oversees the company’s people, communications, government affairs, inclusive impact and sustainability, transformation and corporate services functions. She also manages engagement with Visa’s board of directors and serves as chair of the Visa Foundation. Previously, Mahon Tullier served as Visa’s general counsel, leading the company’s legal and compliance functions.
Before joining Visa, Mahon Tullier spent nearly 20 years at PepsiCo, holding senior leadership positions across its global operations, including senior vice president and general counsel for the company's Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa division.
Mahon Tullier serves on the Cornell Law School Advisory Council, the board of directors for the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum and the board of trustees for Children’s Aid, among other nonprofit and advisory organizations.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Cornell Law School.
About Hugh Johnston
Hugh Johnston serves as senior executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Walt Disney Company, overseeing its worldwide finance organization.
Hugh Johnston serves as senior executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Walt Disney Company, overseeing the company’s worldwide finance organization, including corporate strategy and business development, financial planning and analysis, investor relations and risk management.
Johnston joined Disney in December 2023 following a 34-year career at PepsiCo, where he held numerous senior leadership positions, including vice chairman and chief financial officer. He also served as president of Pepsi-Cola North America and executive vice president of global operations. Previously, Johnston served as vice president of retail at Merck & Co. before returning to PepsiCo in 2002.
He currently serves on the boards of directors of Microsoft Corp. and HCA Healthcare, chairing the audit committees of both organizations. He is also a director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Johnston holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
For more information about tickets, e-journal ads and other sponsorship opportunities, please visit the Trustees Scholarship Award Gala site.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of over 4,000 students and an alumni base of 55,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing & Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona also continues to be recognized in prestigious national rankings. Most recently for 2026, Iona has been named one of the nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report recognized Iona as one of top for social mobility in the country, while Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) ranked an Iona degree in the top 6 percent nationally for long-term return on investment. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business, meanwhile, is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just 6 percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review once again named Iona to its “Best Business Schools for 2025,” recognizing both its on-campus and online MBA programs. Connecting to its Irish heritage, Iona also opened a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland, located on the historic 400-acre Westport House Estate. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.