Daleo, the vice chairman of Thomson Reuters, has been a member of Fordham’s Board of Trustees since 2008, is the current chair of the finance and investment committee, and a member of the board’s executive committee. He was also a founding member of Fordham’s President’s Council. Daleo previously served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Thomson Reuters. He was executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Thomson Corporation and also served as a member of the Thomson Corporation’s board of directors prior to the company’s acquisition of Reuters Group PLC in 2008.

“It speaks volumes that Fordham can claim alumni as gifted and accomplished as Bob Daleo, and that we can attract such talent to serve on the University’s Board of Trustees,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “He brings broad experience, financial acumen, and Jesuit roots to the chairman’s position, all of which are tremendous assets in advancing Fordham’s mission.”

Daleo takes over for John N. Tognino, PCS ’75, who was honored for his service to the University at the March 26 Founder’s Award Dinner.

Tognino, CEO of Pepper Financial Group, former executive at Merrill Lynch, and a former executive vice president at NASDAQ, had served as chair since 2004, and was lauded at the dinner as a “a true man for others.” He was also was presented with the President’s Medal at the last meeting of the board.

“We have been very lucky—I would say blessed—with John Tognino’s leadership on the Board of Trustees,” said Father McShane. “John has provided a steady hand and much wise advice in his eight years as chairman, and he leaves behind a legacy of enormous growth and accomplishment at the University. I consider him a trusted counselor and friend, and am enormously in his debt.”

Daleo began his career with the Thomson Corporation in 1994, when he joined Thomson Newspapers as senior vice president, chief financial officer.  He was later appointed chief operating officer of Thomson Newspapers, before being moved to the parent, Thomson Corporation where he held senior roles including senior vice president, finance and business development; and executive vice president, business operations and planning. He was named chief financial officer in 1998 and appointed to the Board in 2001.

Before joining Thomson, Daleo held various financial and operational positions with McGraw-Hill and Automatic Data Processing.

Daleo sits on the board of directors of Equifax Inc., and is chairman of the board of directors of the New Jersey Community Development Corporation.

In addition to his undergraduate degree from the Gabelli School of Business, Daleo holds an MBA in finance from the City University of New York.

Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, combining industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs approximately 60,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges (symbol: TRI). For more information, go to thomsonreuters.com.

Chinese journalist and author Helen Yi Chen asked Tognino to organize the group interview at the Lincoln Center campus for a special issue of BQ Beijing Youth Weekly devoted to the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. Chen said her aim was to share the experiences and emotional responses of those who witnessed the events of 9/11 first-hand—accounts that remain unknown to most Chinese readers.

Her article, to be published nationwide in China in August of 2011, will also trace the life journeys that have unfolded for each interviewee since the events of that tragic day.

On September 11, 2001, Tognino was traveling down the West Side Highway on his way to work as the executive vice president of the NASDAQ Stock Market when he saw the first plane crash into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Despite the onrush of emergency vehicles to the financial district, Tognino’s first instinct was to go directly to the NASDAQ building to make sure all the members of his team were safe and accounted for.

This decision put him in the vicinity of the falling towers, leading him to become completely cloaked in soot and having to make his way by foot to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to escape the chaotic scene.

While Tognino said his first response was “one of great anger,” that feeling soon turned into a resolve to do whatever he could to help. He recalled how he and his NASDAQ colleagues immediately reassembled in Trumbull, Conn. where they set up a telephone center to assist broker-dealers from around the country, all of whom had been affected by the events of 9/11 in one way or another.

Lisa Carroll, who is now the associate director for NASDAQ but on 9/11 was the director of special events, recalled arriving at Trumbull to man the phones and asking Tognino, “What’s the script?”  To which he replied, “There’s no script.  You pick up the phone and you ask people, ‘What can we do to help? What do you need?’”

John N. Tognino recalls being completely cloaked in soot as he tried to reach the NASDAQ building on 9/11. Photo by Ryan Brenizer

Also interviewed were Jack Hughes, president & CEO of JP Hughes Consulting LLC; Karen Kaiser, partner, Strategic Initiatives, LLC; James Toes, FCRH ’85 (Economics), president & CEO of the Security Traders Association; Kimberly Unger, Esq., executive director of Security Traders Association of New York, Inc.; and Joan Cavanagh, associate director of Campus Ministry at Fordham University.

The themes of regeneration and hope emerged in the stories recounted by all the interviewees. Taken together, their accounts presented a portrait of camaraderie and compassion amongst those in the Wall Street community in the days and months following the tragedy.

Toes, who worked as a trading manager for Merrill Lynch at the time, described the impact of September 11 on his particular neighborhood, which lost many people who had worked in the financial sector.

Toes said that he continues to see the resilience of the human spirit in watching the growth and development of the children who lost parents on 9/11. “They are an inspiration to us all to keep on going,” he said.

Cavanagh reflected on the great losses suffered by the Fordham community that day, including relatives, friends, colleagues, children, and alumni.

“Ten years later, I still can’t believe that happened,” she said.

Both Cavanagh and Tognino noted the role the University played in beginning the healing process, bringing the Wall Street and Fordham communities together in memorial services soon after the tragedy. Those communities will come together again this September 11 for an event at Fordham to mark the ten-year anniversary.

Chen’s connection to Fordham comes by way of her involvement with the Beijing International MBA program (BiMBA), a consortium of Jesuit business schools at Peking University’s China Center for Economic Research. Through writing about BiMBA, Chen forged a friendship with Tognino, which has led to her current 9/11 project.

In thanking the interviewees for their participation, Chen said that she hoped that the sharing of 9/11 stories would act as a bridge, helping to open a gateway between America and China.

– Nina Romeo

For Fordham parents Michael and Joan Conley, being actively involved in their son Bud’s university career has opened doors not only for the University but also in their own professional world.

Michael Conley is an electronics engineer. Joan Conley is the senior vice president and corporate secretary of the NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

The Conleys, themselves products of Jesuit education, said they knew early on that Fordham was a university consistent with their values as a family and the perfect place for their son, Bud, to begin his academic career.

“When [Bud] heard Father McShane speak at Fordham, he said, ‘This is the school I want. This embodies not only the academic rigors I’m looking for, but also has Jesuit themes throughout,'” Joan Conley said.

Little did the Conleys suspect that Bud’s admission to Fordham would turn out to be serendipitously timed with an opportunity at Joan’s office.

Joan had known John N. Tognino (PCS’75), chairman of Fordham’s Board of Trustees, from his time at NASDAQ. What started as a friendly conversation between Tognino and the Conleys about Bud’s admission to Fordham led to a larger conversation about the depth of Fordham’s graduate programs. Both the University and Fordham were pursuing strategies related to China, and the plans for a connection began to form.

Tognino introduced Conley to Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., provost, and David A. Gautschi, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration (GBA). Conley said the meeting opened her eyes to powerful synergies between the two organizations.

“My focus as a parent was the undergraduate education; Bud had been accepted in high school,” Conley said.

“But we spoke at the same time that NASDAQ was pursuing a Chinese strategy to address companies and educate current and future generations about listing on NASDAQ. Fordham submitted a grant, and it was the right time at the right place.”

NASDAQ’s Educational Foundation made a gift of $1 million to Fordham in 2010 to fund a Masters in Science in Global Finance (MSGF). A second $1 million grant, announced this year, will be used to extend the MSGF to include new strategic global regions and to expand the delivery of a Master of Science in Investor Relations (MIR) degree to students in Beijing.

Conley said that the NASDAQ foundation engaged in extensive research to ensure that the Fordham connection was a good fit.

“A foundation does not give a grant of that size very often and not without complete diligence,” Conley said. “At NASDAQ, we don’t fund bricks and mortar. We fund academic programs.”

The academic programs Fordham has established and expanded thanks to the NASDAQ OMX grants are at the cutting edge of innovation in the global economy. Conley said the new degrees are garnering interest from the professionals with whom she works at NASDAQ.

“I have colleagues here who want to do the MIR program,” she said.

Joan and Michael Conley also serve as the chairs of the Parents Leadership Council, working with the administration to promote the advancement of the University.

Perhaps most importantly, Joan Conley said, she and Michael are simply invested in their son’s Fordham experience. Joan has been commuting to the city for 25 years, and said Bud has been exposed to Manhattan since he was a young boy.

Joan said her advice to parents is to lead by example in their enthusiasm about all Fordham and New York have to offer.

“Walk the streets with [your child]and see how fabulous New York City is,” she said. “Go into their world, and see the richness and the offerings of the city. Don’t be afraid of it; embrace it.”

It is perhaps that approach that has equipped Bud to take the city by storm. He secured an internship with NASDAQ in Times Square last year and is currently a RAM Van driver, shuttling people between the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses.

Conley said she’s proud of her son’s work on campus, even if, as a mother, she’s amazed at the fact he drives the streets of New York City.

“You talk about knowing the city!” Conley said. “I bless myself and say a prayer every day. He’s learned the city more than I will ever know.”

Click here for more information about the Parents Leadership Council.

by Jennifer Spencer

The question was, “Which United States president spent the most time living in New York City?”

The answer is Chester A. Arthur.

The query came in a presentation on Tuesday, Sept. 23, by John F. Roche, Ph.D., professor emeritus of history at Fordham. His lecture on the 15 presidents who have called the city home was a highlight of a luncheon given for members of the 1841 Society, which recognizes people who establish a life income gift at Fordham or include the University in their estate plans.

Roche, a member of Fordham’s faculty for more than 50 years and an 1841 Society member himself, shared interesting historical anecdotes, like the fact that Richard M. Nixon’s application for a co-op on Park Avenue was turned down, and that John F. Kennedy lived in Riverdale and attended Riverdale Country Day School when he was 10.

But it was John Adams’ opinion of 18th-century New Yorkers that got the most laughs from the crowd.

“I have not seen one real gentleman, one well bred man, since I came to town. At their entertainments, there is no conversation that is agreeable,” Roche said, quoting Adams. “There is no modesty, no attention to one another. They talk very loud, very fast and all together. If they ask you a question, before you can utter three words of your answer, they will break out on you and talk away.”

John N. Tognino (FCLS ’75), chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees, reflected on his time at Fordham. At his graduation ceremony, he joked that the dean of Fordham College of Liberal Studies invited his wife, Norma, to join him on stage, in recognition of the many times she drove from their home in Ardsley, N.Y. to help Tognino retrieve his keys, which he often misplaced in his rush from Wall Street to class.

“One lesson that all of us have learned during our time at Fordham is the importance of giving back, and Norma and I were fortunate to give back,” he said.

Tognino noted that the 1841 Society, which takes its name from the year of Fordham’s founding, has made it possible for them to do more for the University.

“This is really a model of what it’s all about: how to extend the gracefulness of Fordham, how to work and be creative and be responsive, and to that we say thank you,” he said.

On hand to preside over the ribbon-cutting ceremony was alumnus William D. Walsh (FCRH ’51) who, along with his wife Jane Walsh, donated the 260-plus ancient artifacts that comprise the new collection. In addition to this latest gift of rare antiquities, it was Walsh’s gift of $10 million more than a decade ago that helped build the library that bears his name.

“Today we gather in this magnificent library, the center of university life, to celebrate yet another gift that Bill and Jane Walsh give to us,” Joseph M. McShane, president of Fordham, told a gathering that included University trustees, representatives from the city’s cultural and political institutions, faculty, staff, students and members of the Walsh family. “I want them to know that whenever a student comes into the Walsh Family Library and the Museum, their lives will be enriched beyond measure by art that touches our hearts, engages our minds and consoles our spirits—all because of the generosity and great love that that Bill and Jane Walsh have for Fordham.”

Walsh, a longtime benefactor of the University and the founder and general partner of Sequoia Associates, began collecting ancient art based on a lifelong interest in the classics that took root during his youth when he studied both Greek and Latin. He said that he wanted to leave the collection to Fordham to be used as a teaching tool for students and to be available for public display.

“Here we honor a collection of art done by people long since gone but who tried to express themselves in their painting not on walls, but on vases on jars and in statuaries,” Walsh said. “I hope it will be very inspirational and energizing.

“If you are a classics major or minor, as I was, you can’t get a feel for classics in books alone,” Walsh said. “Seeing [the objects]gives people a feel for it.”

Following a ceremonial ribbon cutting, Father McShane welcomed those in attendance into the 4000-square-foot space, the Library’s former periodical reading room. Objects in the collection range from 10th century B.C. to 3rd century A.D., and include ancient Greek vases, coins, Etruscan pottery, and a selection of Roman sculpture, among others.

John N. Tognino, chair of the Fordham University Board of Trustees, and Jennifer Udell, curator of University art, also spoke at the dedication.

“John and Norma Tognino’s longstanding service and generosity to Fordham have been nothing short of remarkable,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. “They have been tireless supporters of the University’s mission, and our achievements are rightly considered their achievements, as well. Indeed, we are proud to count them as members of the Fordham family, and proud that the Great Hall will now bear their names.”

The gift and renaming of the second-floor facility was announced in the Great Hall during the inaugural Archbishop Hughes Society Dinner for some of the University’s largest benefactors.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to say thank you to Fordham,” said John Tognino (FCLS ’75), chairman and chief executive officer of the Pepper Financial Group. “We are honored to be joining the Archbishop Hughes Society. It is difficult to express what this means to our family but suffice it to say we will always cherish tonight. Norma and I both hope that we can, in a small way, help Fordham fulfill its mission and ensure continuing generations of students the opportunity to pursue their dreams.”

Tognino spent 36 years at Merrill Lynch & Co., where he held numerous positions, including managing director for global equities and managing director for international equities.
After retiring from Merrill Lynch in 1993, Tognino served as president and chief executive officer of the Security Traders Association and executive vice president of capital markets and trading at Charles Schwab & Co. In 1991, Tognino was appointed executive vice president of global sales and member affairs at Nasdaq.

Over the years, Tognino has maintained strong ties to his alma mater. He has served as chairman of Fordham’s Board of Directors and the Executive Committee since 2004 and established the Tognino Family Scholarship, which provides financial support to Fordham College of Liberal Studies and College of Business Administration students, and the Tognino Endowment for Disability Services, which supports special-needs students.

The $3.5 million gift by the Togninos comes in the wake of other large donations in recent months. In March, E. Gerald Corrigan (GSAS ’65, ’71), Ph.D., made a $5 million gift to fund initiatives at both Fordham College at Rose Hill and the Graduate School of Business Administration. And Fordham Law School announced last winter that James Leitner (LAW ’82) and his wife, Sandra, had made a $3.1 million gift to establish a second Leitner Family Chair in International Human Rights and fund other initiatives.

The facility that will now be known as the John and Norma Tognino Hall had been the main floor of Fordham’s library. For more than 70 years, Duane Library served as an architectural and intellectual centerpiece of the Rose Hill campus. The building was closed in 1997 when the William D. Walsh Family Library opened, and renovation of the building began shortly thereafter.

Although Duane Library is not an official city landmark, it was treated as such during its three-year, $12 million restoration. The building was reopened in May of 2004 and now houses the Department of Theology, the Office of Admission, the Curran Center for American Catholic Studies, a visitors’ center, lecture rooms and a University Commons.

In 2005, the New York Landmarks Conservancy awarded Fordham a Lucy G. Moses Preservation Project Award for excellence in historic preservation for its renovation of Duane Library. A venue for conferences and lectures, the second-floor hall features a 47-foot-high sloped ceiling and a stained-glass window designed to represent the Jesuit tradition of education.

John N. and Norma Tognino have made a $3.5 million gift to the University, and the Great Hall at Duane Library on the Rose Hill campus has been renamed in their honor, the University announced on Oct. 11.

“John and Norma Tognino’s longstanding service and generosity to Fordham have been nothing short of remarkable,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. “They have been tireless supporters of the University’s mission, and our achievements are rightly considered their achievements, as well. Indeed, we are proud to count them as members of the Fordham family, and proud that the Great Hall will now bear their names.”

The gift and renaming of the second-floor facility was announced in the Great Hall during the inaugural Archbishop Hughes Society Dinner for some of the University’s largest benefactors.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to say thank you to Fordham,” said John Tognino (FCLS ’75), chairman and chief executive officer of the Pepper Financial Group. “We are honored to be joining the Archbishop Hughes Society. It is difficult to express what this means to our family but suffice it to say we will always cherish tonight. Norma and I both hope that we can, in a small way, help Fordham fulfill its mission and ensure continuing generations of students the opportunity to pursue their dreams.”

Tognino spent 36 years at Merrill Lynch & Co., where he held numerous positions, including managing director for global equities and managing director for international equities.
After retiring from Merrill Lynch in 1993, Tognino served as president and chief executive officer of the Security Traders Association and executive vice president of capital markets and trading at Charles Schwab & Co. In 1991, Tognino was appointed executive vice president of global sales and member affairs at Nasdaq.

Over the years, Tognino has maintained strong ties to his alma mater. He has served as chairman of Fordham’s Board of Directors and the Executive Committee since 2004 and established the Tognino Family Scholarship, which provides financial support to Fordham College of Liberal Studies and College of Business Administration students, and the Tognino Endowment for Disability Services, which supports special-needs students.

The $3.5 million gift by the Togninos comes in the wake of other large donations in recent months. In March, E. Gerald Corrigan (GSAS ’65, ’71), Ph.D., made a $5 million gift to fund initiatives at both Fordham College at Rose Hill and the Graduate School of Business Administration. And Fordham Law School announced last winter that James Leitner (LAW ’82) and his wife, Sandra, had made a $3.1 million gift to establish a second Leitner Family Chair in International Human Rights and fund other initiatives.

The facility that will now be known as the John and Norma Tognino Hall had been the main floor of Fordham’s library. For more than 70 years, Duane Library served as an architectural and intellectual centerpiece of the Rose Hill campus. The building was closed in 1997 when the William D. Walsh Family Library opened, and renovation of the building began shortly thereafter.

Although Duane Library is not an official city landmark, it was treated as such during its three-year, $12 million restoration. The building was reopened in May of 2004 and now houses the Department of Theology, the Office of Admission, the Curran Center for American Catholic Studies, a visitors’ center, lecture rooms and a University Commons.

In 2005, the New York Landmarks Conservancy awarded Fordham a Lucy G. Moses Preservation Project Award for excellence in historic preservation for its renovation of Duane Library. A venue for conferences and lectures, the second-floor hall features a 47-foot-high sloped ceiling and a stained-glass window designed to represent the Jesuit tradition of education.