Dr. Brian Porter of the Hope College management faculty has received national recognition for blending faith and learning.

He received the "Sharon G. Johnson Award" from the Christian Business Faculty Association (CBFA) during the group's annual meeting, which ran Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 6-8, in Indianapolis, Ind.  As described by the association, the award "recognizes God-honoring intellectual contributions by individuals who incorporate learning, business and faith into a dynamic process to promote Christian faith integration in business."

Porter's research interests are in ethics and faith integration with business and international business.  He has several publications and regularly presents his research at academic conferences.

A member of the Hope faculty since 1999, he has taught a variety of courses at the college, including Finance, Management Theory, his department's Management Seminar, and a First-Year Seminar titled "Vocation and Calling:  The Music of U2."

Porter is both a CPA and CMA, and has worked as a public accountant for an international accounting firm and as a managerial accountant for the automotive industry.  He graduated from Alma College in 1984, completed his MBA at the University of Michigan in 1990, and completed his doctorate from the Graduate School of Business at IndianaUniversity in 1994.

Multiple members of the Hope faculty attended the CBFA conference, presenting three scholarly papers.

Stacy Jackson, associate professor of management, presented "Anti-Intellectualism is Such a Big Word," centered around a systematic approach to Christian critical engagement.  Jackson wrote the paper with Robert Eames, associate professor of management; Dr. Thomas Smith, who is the Dr. Leon A. Bosch '29 Professor of Management and Chairperson of the Department; Dr. Todd Steen, professor of economics; and Dr. Steve VanderVeen, professor of management and director of the Center for Faithful Leadership.

Dr. Kim Hawtrey, professor of economics, and Porter presented "Salt, Light, and Success:  Should Christian Businesspeople Bluff?"

Steen and VanderVeen presented "Social Entrepreneurship: A History, Assessment, and Application."

Established in 1980, the CBFA exists to assist and encourage Christian business faculty in the study, integration, teaching and application of biblical truths in service to the academy, students and the business community.  The CBFA, which has more than 400 members, sponsors two academic journals in addition to organizing its annual meeting and providing other networking opportunities and resources.

The "Sharon G. Johnson Award" is one of three awards that the CBFA presents.  It was first presented in 2006 to Johnson, who was at Cedarville University at the time and is currently professor of management and director of academic research and assessment at Charleston Southern University.  He presented this year's award to Porter during the banquet at the conclusion of the conference.