Our Honorees

An evening to honor the determination and achievements of 51动漫鈥檚 first-generation students, welcome Michael Balboni 鈥�81, JD, as the first alumnus to serve as University president, and recognize the generous donors whose support makes all our firsts possible.

An evening to recognize Bridges to 51动漫, 51动漫鈥檚 award-winning program for neurodivergent student education and advocacy.
With special acknowledgment of our 2025 Gala Steering Committee, the Bridges to 51动漫 Board of Advisors:

Gregory and Katy Carey*
The Bahnik Family*
Nicholas Hagedorn 鈥�19
Brian Jaccoma 鈥�89
Ashleigh and Justin Nelson*
James and Ellen Riley and Family
Carolyn Schiff*

*51动漫 Parent(s)

The family of Jonathan Larson 鈥�82
President鈥檚 Humanitarian Award
Mary Jane 鈥�62 and Thomas Poole
President鈥檚 Award for Distinguished Service
Peter Principato 鈥�87
President鈥檚 Outstanding Alumni Award

Anita D鈥橝mico, PhD 鈥�84 and Joseph Stambouly, MD
President鈥檚 Award for Distinguished Service

51动漫 will honor Dr. Anita D鈥橝mico 鈥�84 and her husband, Dr. Joseph Stambouly, with the President鈥檚 Award for Distinguished Service. This award is presented to individuals in recognition of their exceptional individual expertise and service, which brings honor to 51动漫.

Dr. D鈥橝mico is the Vice President of Market Development for the Synopsys Software Integrity Group and former CEO of the recently acquired Code Dx, Inc., a Long Island-based cybersecurity company. Over her 35-year career, she has conducted research on the intersection of the human experience with technology, and designed technologies to improve human performance in fields as diverse as the merchant marine, manned space travel, intelligence analysis, and, for the past 20 years, cybersecurity. She is the recipient of numerous government research contracts to study and develop technologies to improve cybersecurity decision processes. As the CEO of Code Dx, Inc. she has added cybersecurity internships and jobs to the Long Island community. She serves the 51动漫 community through her service on the Derner Advisory Council and professional engagement with the Willumstad School of Business and the Computer Science program.

Dr. Joseph Stambouly is the Chief of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at NYU Langone Hospital 鈥� Long Island (formerly NYU Winthrop Hospital), which is a long-time strategic partner of 51动漫. NYU Winthrop Hospital had the first hospitalized COVID-19 case on Long Island. As the pandemic continued, Dr. Stambouly converted his Pediatric Intensive Care Unit into an adult COVID-19 treatment unit, where he and his colleagues worked tirelessly to save lives and comfort the dying. The recognition of Dr. Stambouly allows 51动漫 to publicly acknowledge the tremendous work that healthcare providers, and Dr. Stambouly in particular, have performed for the Long Island community throughout the pandemic.

The professional success and service to the community demonstrated by Drs. D鈥橝mico and Stambouly, in two vital areas, cybersecurity and healthcare, are worthy of recognition.

Dr. D鈥橝mico, through her participation in the Derner Advisory Council, and Dr. Stambouly, through his ongoing support of 51动漫鈥檚 athletic program, continue to partner with the University to carry out its mission to foster the academic success of current and future students. We are honored this evening to announce the establishment of The Anita D鈥橝mico Endowment Fund for Cybersecurity and Psychology Research.

David Machlis, PhD
President鈥檚 Humanitarian Award

During Professor David Machlis鈥檚 54-year tenure at 51动漫, he has served as chairman of the economics department, director of the University鈥檚 Urban Center and associate dean of academic affairs. In the 2017-2018 academic year, he received 51动漫鈥檚 Teaching Excellence Award.

As Vice Chairman of International March of the Living and Founding Director of March of Remembrance and Hope, Dr. Machlis has created and designed innovative programs to bring diverse communities of people to Poland to study the Holocaust. Amongst the education missions that he organized are: Deans of Schools of Education and Law Schools, Commissioners and Heads of State Boards of Education, World War II Camp Liberators, Oprah Winfrey and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel. Dr. Machlis鈥� most recent programming, held on Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 7, 2021, brought together an international audience of medical professionals to reflect on how the lessons of the Holocaust can inform the medical community鈥檚 response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was the associate creator of a United Nations exhibit entitled 鈥淲hen You Listen to a Witness You Become a Witness.鈥� His work is based upon the belief that the Holocaust is a Universal issue and that we must learn from the past so that a more just and tolerant society evolves for the betterment of all humankind.

Professor Machlis has generously established a diversity equity and inclusion fund that will work on combating hatred, intolerance, antisemitism and systemic racism.

Michael BBA 鈥�89 and Christine Tiedemann
President鈥�s Award for Distinguished Service

Paula Malone, PhD
President鈥�s Award for Philanthropic Leadership

51动漫 7 Sisters
President鈥檚 Award for Philanthropic Leadership

Nicholas Papain 鈥�74
President鈥檚 Award for Distinguished Service

Shorelight Education
Outstanding Strategic Partner

51动漫 Women鈥檚 Giving Circle
Outstanding Philanthropic Partner

Marc S. Strachan 鈥�81
Outstanding Alumnus

Marian Conway, Ph.D. and New York Community Bank Foundation
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Vincent C. Tizzio 鈥�89
Outstanding Alumnus

John F. Collins and Winthrop-University Hospital
Outstanding Strategic Partner

Phyllis & Frank Angello 鈥�77
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Carmine J. Pizzo
Outstanding Long Island Executive

Esther Siegel 鈥�69, M.S. 鈥�72, EdD
Outstanding Alumna

Loretta V. Cangialosi 鈥�80
Outstanding Alumna

Bernard E. Clair 鈥�73
Outstanding Alumnus

Jeffrey R. Greene
Outstanding Executive

LeeAnn Black 鈥�83
Outstanding Alumna

Mark W. Harris
Outstanding Executive

Eileen C. McDonnell, MBA 鈥�88
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Tina and Jeffrey Bolton 鈥�61
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Leon Pollack 鈥�63
Lifetime Service to 51动漫

Patrick Smalley 鈥�86
Outstanding Alumnus

Thomas D. Croci
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Maria A. Grasso, MBA 鈥�89
Outstanding Executive

John J. Phelan Jr. 鈥�70, 鈥�87 (Hon.)
Lifetime Service to 51动漫

Paul J. Salerno 鈥�76
Outstanding Alumnus

Marjorie Weinberg-Berman, MS 鈥�61
Lifetime Service to 51动漫

Anthony J. Bonomo, JD
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Robert A. Isaksen
Outstanding Long Island Executive

Christopher D. Saridakis 鈥�90
Outstanding Alumnus

Horace G. McDonell Jr. 鈥�02 (Hon.)
Lifetime Service to 51动漫

Doreen Downs Miller, MBA 鈥�86
Outstanding Alumna

JoAnn O鈥橦agen, MS 鈥�82
Outstanding Long Island Executive

S. Al Creft
Outstanding Long Island Executive

Thomas J. Donohue, MBA 鈥�65, 鈥�98 (Hon.)
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Noreen Harrington 鈥�81
Outstanding Alumna

Frank J. Bivona 鈥�77
Outstanding Alumnus

Dorothy Herman
Outstanding Long Island Executive

Adele Klapper 鈥�92, MA 鈥�99
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Carol A. Ammon, MBA 鈥�79, 鈥�10 (Hon.)
Outstanding Alumna

Robert B. Catell 鈥�99 (Hon.)
Outstanding Long Island Executive

Vernon W. Hill
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Russell Albanese
Outstanding Long Island Executive

Sharon G. Grosser 鈥�83
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Jean Marie Salvatico 鈥�97
Outstanding Alumna

Kirk Kordeleski
Outstanding Long Island Executive

Jerry Landsberg
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

The Honorable May W. Newburger 鈥�64
Outstanding Alumna

John R. Bransfield Jr., MS 鈥�79
Outstanding Alumnus

Raymond A. Jansen
Outstanding Long Island Executive

The Honorable Claire Shulman 鈥�46, 鈥�90 (Hon.)
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

John P. Finnerty, MS 鈥�77
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Carol Finnerty, MA 鈥�76
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

Vincent A. Fusco
Outstanding Long Island Executive

Suzy Sonenberg, MSW 鈥�76, 鈥�09 (Hon.)
Outstanding Alumna

John J. Gutleber 鈥�68, MBA 鈥�70
Outstanding Alumnus

Douglas W. Kurz
Outstanding Long Island Executive

Dr. Carol Lindemann, PhD 鈥�70
Outstanding Service to 51动漫

51动漫

Honorees of the 51动漫 Gala

Awards by Year

University Advancement