Mount Saint Mary College gala, left to right: Ron Flaherty, president & CEO of TEG Federal Credit Union; Nikki Khurana-Baugh, vice president for Advancement at the Mount; and Lou Bach ’82, president of Spectrum Pension and Compensation, Inc.
Friends of the Mount were proud to celebrate two outstanding pillars of the local community at the college’s 13th Annual Gala Reception.
Mount alumnus Lou Bach ’82, president of Spectrum Pension and Compensation, Inc., and Ron Flaherty, president & CEO of TEG Federal Credit Union, were honored with the Joseph A. Bonura Award for Leadership Excellence.
The Joseph A. Bonura Award for Leadership Excellence recognizes individuals or organizations whose professional accomplishments, service to the community, and leadership reflect the same commitment to quality, concern for neighbors, and shared prosperity that have exemplified the career and character of local restaurateur Joseph A. Bonura.
“What we have here at Mount Saint Mary College is unique,” said Bach. “The foundation was created by the Dominican Sisters on community and service.”
Flaherty was grateful to receive the recognition: “On behalf of myself and TEG Federal Credit Union, I am honored to accept this award,” he said. “Thanks to Mount Saint Mary College and the Bonura family for this outstanding award.”
The Gala raised more than $120,000 in gifts, sponsorships, and ticket sales, which will be used to support the Annual Gala Endowed Scholarship Fund. This scholarship is awarded to academically strong students with financial need, with preference given to students pursuing a degree in Business.
The first recipient of the Gala Scholarship, awarded for the Fall 2022 semester, was Sabrina Romano of Glen Cove, N.Y., a Business Management and Administration major with a concentration in Sports Management.
Receiving the scholarship has “allowed me more time to focus on my classes, volleyball, my clubs, and friends,” said Romano. “I want to thank all those who have donated today and in the past – they have made the scholarship possible and available to me.”
Nikki Khurana-Baugh, vice president for Advancement at the Mount, noted that Mount scholarships provide an affordable, values-based education to thousands of deserving students, many of whom are among the first in their families to attend college.
“The outpouring of support from so many of you has truly been inspiring,” she said.
She also revealed two new endowed scholarship funds: The TEG Federal Credit Union Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will support student teachers at the Mount, and an endowed scholarship created by Mount alumnus Jay ’12 and his wife Deanna Paige, in the name of Jay’s late father, Frederick D. Paige, and the couple’s late daughter, Ava Marie. The Frederick D. Paige Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund (“There’s a Paige in Every Chapter”) will support outstanding students hailing from Newburgh.
Peter Olympia, a former Mount trustee, also announced an endowed scholarship in the name of Joseph F. Maloney III, a longtime friend and supporter of the college who passed away in October. The scholarship, created by Olympia and Maloney’s wife, former Mount trustee Susan Maloney, will be given annually to an outstanding senior from the Mount’s School of Business. Olympia and Susan Maloney will match donations dollar for dollar up to $10,000, he said.
Joseph and Susan Maloney were previously co-chairs of the college’s “Answering The Call” fundraising campaign.
To donate to any of these scholarships, please contact Khurana-Baugh at 845-569-3216 or Nikki.Khurana-Baugh@msmc.edu.
Michael Horodyski, president and CEO of Wallkill Valley Federal Savings and Loan, and board chair at the Mount, thanked the local leaders who sponsored the event, including TEG Federal Credit Union, IBEW Local Union 363 Hudson Valley NY Electricians; Wallkill Valley Federal Savings and Loan; Catania, Mahon, and Rider, PLLC., Attorneys at Law; Get Right Results; Mid Hudson Construction Management; Bonura Hospitality Group; Unitex Healthcare Laundry Services; the Bialkin Family Foundation; PKF O’Connor Davies; The Polumbo Group, RBT CPAs, LLP, Spectrum Pension & Compensation Inc., and William A. Smith and Son Insurance.