Iona Gearing Up for Scholarship Gala

When Iona College honors Mr. and Mrs. Mariano Rivera and Robert LaPenta next month, it’s sure to be one of the school’s most exciting events of the year -- and it wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of a distinguished and dedicated group of business leaders and alumni.

The Iona College Board of Trustees recently announced the members of the 52nd Annual Scholarship Awards Gala Committee. The Gala will be held on Friday, April 11, at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

“This signature event of the College is the result of the hard work and dedication of our Gala Committee. We are grateful for their continued dedication to Iona and its students,” said Iona President Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D.

Also noteworthy is that Alfred F. Kelly Jr., fresh off an impressive victory with Super Bowl XLVIII, will serve as Master of Ceremonies at the Gala. Kelly, who graduated from Iona in 1980 and received an MBA in 1981, served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee where he oversaw all host activities leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII, history’s first outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl, held on February 2, 2014. 

As part of the Gala, the Riveras will receive The Blessed Edmund Rice Humanitarian Award for their extensive commitment to community service, while LaPenta will be presented with Iona’s Legacy Award, which recognizes an individual’s lifetime accomplishments.

This year’s honorees join a who’s who of prominent and successful leaders including Francis Cardinal Spellman, New York Governor Malcolm Wilson, U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and the New York Police Department, and the 15 Iona alumni lost in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. 

Members of the Gala Committee represent an impressive array of business executives and alumni. They include:

Co-Chairs

Bartley F. Livolsi ’70, ’75MBA

Citigroup Global Markets, Managing Director         

Scarsdale, NY

Charles W. Schoenherr ’82    
Broadway Partners, Chief Investment Officer          

Stamford, CT

Members

Edward Arrigoni ’56, ’91H                             

Greenwich, CT

Ronald M. DeFeo ’74

Terex Corporation, Chairman, CEO & President      

Westport, CT

Andrew J. Dolce ’57   

Dolce Hotels and Resorts, Chairman and Managing Director          

Valley Cottage, NY

Patrick C. Dunican Jr. ’88       

Gibbons PC, Chairman & Managing Director           

Ridgewood, NJ

Julia Considine Greifeld ’79   

White House Station, NJ

Thomas E. Hales ’58, ‘04H     

Briarcliff Manor, NY

Michael P. Hegarty ’66          

Octagon Credit Investors, LLC.                      

Briarcliff Manor, NY

Kathleen A. Hurlie ’77,’80 MBA                                 

Mashpee, MA

James P. Hynes ’69, ‘01H       

Hynes Capital Resources                   

Riverside, CT

Phillip N. Maisano ’76 MBA                           

Montvale, NJ

David J. McCabe, Esq. ’80      

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Senior Partner

New York, NY

J. Riley McDonough ’72

New York, NY

JoAnn Mazzella Murphy ’98H

Country Bank, Vice Chair       

Scarsdale, NY

Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D  

Iona College, President          

New Rochelle, NY

Steven V. Reitano ’72, ’75 MBA                                 

White Plains, NY

Armando C. Rodriguez Jr. ’86

A&A Maintenance Enterprise, Inc., President, Chief Executive Officer       

Miami, FL

Lawrence I. Wills ’82 

Granite Broadcasting Corporation, Chief Financial Officer  

White Plains, NY

Proceeds from the Scholarship Gala will support student scholarships. For more information, visit the dinner website online at IonaScholarshipGala.org