PBC Dinner Raises More Than $1 Million

The President’s Business Council honored Linda McGowan and Joseph Sorbera Jr. at the University’s 17th Annual Award Dinner.
Presidential Scholars of The University of Scranton’s class of 2019 attended the President Business Council’s 17th Annual Award Dinner at The Pierre. Proceeds from the annual dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Seated, from left: Kellie Smigel, Blairstown, New Jersey, an exercise science major; Sara Wierbowski, Owego, New York, a neuroscience and philosophy double major in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the undergraduate Honors Program; and Sarah Laga, Westbury, New York, an international studies and philosophy double major in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. Standing, from left: Mia Woloszyn, Madison Township, a biology major; Robert McGowan, Scranton, a psychology and philosophy double major in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program; Peter Kulick, Pittston Township, an electrical engineering major; Joseph Delmar, Flourtown, a biophysics and philosophy double major in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the undergraduate Honors Program; and Megan Steinmetz, Vestal, New York, a nursing major in the undergraduate Honors Program. Absent from photo is Presidential Scholar Samuel Morano, Clarks Summit, a biology major.
Presidential Scholars of The University of Scranton’s class of 2019 attended the President Business Council’s 17th Annual Award Dinner at The Pierre. Proceeds from the annual dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Seated, from left: Kellie Smigel, Blairstown, New Jersey, an exercise science major; Sara Wierbowski, Owego, New York, a neuroscience and philosophy double major in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the undergraduate Honors Program; and Sarah Laga, Westbury, New York, an international studies and philosophy double major in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. Standing, from left: Mia Woloszyn, Madison Township, a biology major; Robert McGowan, Scranton, a psychology and philosophy double major in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program; Peter Kulick, Pittston Township, an electrical engineering major; Joseph Delmar, Flourtown, a biophysics and philosophy double major in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the undergraduate Honors Program; and Megan Steinmetz, Vestal, New York, a nursing major in the undergraduate Honors Program. Absent from photo is Presidential Scholar Samuel Morano, Clarks Summit, a biology major.

The University of Scranton’s President’s Business Council (PBC) 17th Annual Award Dinner honored Linda S. McGowan ’80, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), and Joseph L. Sorbera Jr. P’08,’08, president of JLS Cost Management Systems Inc.

Each was presented with the University’s President’s Medal by University President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., and Patricia A. Byrnes Clarke ’86, P’17, ’19, chief talent officer of Havas and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and chair of the PBC. More than 500 guests attended the dinner at The Pierre Hotel in New York City on Oct. 4. Proceeds from the black-tie gala, which raised more than $1 million, support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.

Presidential Scholarships are four-year, full-tuition scholarships awarded to incoming freshmen at Scranton with both outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. Through its past 16 dinners, the PBC has generated $14 million for the scholarship fund.

The President’s Medal recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others, representing lifetime achievements that reflect the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service.

Father Pilarz referred to both honorees as “good friends” of the University in his remarks.

“Linda, you are an amazing mentor and friend to so many Scranton students. You have helped to shape their aspirations and helped them realize their dreams,” said Father Pilarz, referring to the many students she has mentored during the past decades and her work in strengthening the connection between PwC and Scranton. There are more than 110 Scranton alumni currently working at PwC. At the Oct. 4 event, the PBC announced the creation of The Linda S. McGowan/PricewaterhouseCooper Scholarship, endowed scholarship for an incoming student majoring in accounting at Scranton.

“Joe, you are the quintessential Scranton parent and were an exemplary member of our Board of Trustees,” said Father Pilarz. “The University, and I very personally, have benefited from your wisdom and the depth of your commitment to Catholic and Jesuit education. You also truly understand what makes Scranton so special.”

Honoree Sorbera’s description of the University, spoken to Father Pilarz when his children were students at Scranton, is etched on the third-floor wall of the University’s DeNaples Center. It reads, “Scranton is the kind of place where if anybody trips, everybody stops to help them up again.”

Sara Wierbowski, Owego, New York, of the University’s class of 2019, also spoke at the gala on behalf of the Presidential Scholars.

“We are a group of prospective M.D.s, D.O.s, attorneys, scientists, nurses, Ph.D.s, PTs, engineers and business professionals, and we all have one thing in common, we are truly nerdy students who love to take in as much knowledge as we can so we can give back to those around us. We wouldn’t be as effective at that without the generosity of people like you. Thank you,” said Wierbowski, a neuroscience and philosophy double major. She is a member of both the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the undergraduate Honors Program.

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About Linda S. McGowan

McGowan has more than 30 years of experience as a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Banking and Capital Markets Group. She is a member of the national office of the firm and provides technical advice on regulatory and industry-specific auditing matters. She is the author of the firm’s technical guidance and the firm’s letters on proposed rule changes. The list of industry clients which McGowan has served during her career includes Goldman Sachs; Merrill Lynch; Barclays; W.P. Stewart & Co.; Angelo, Gordon & Co.; MarketAxess; Knight Trading Group; Commerzbank; Cantor Fitzgerald; Janney Montgomery Scott; and ICAP.

McGowan has helped develop capital savings systems and interacted with the regulators for her clients on a no-name basis. Her client work involves diverse products such as commodity funds, venture capital investments, and collateralized mortgage obligations and includes such diverse projects as development of principal and interest collection and reconciliation procedures; special reviews of procedures with regard to possession or control, net capital, the reserve formula, and the treasury auction and primary dealer reporting process; development of an integrated haircut system; review of branch office practices, procedures, and operational reviews for both large and mid-size broker-dealers; and implementation and evaluation of new clearing systems and evaluation of cross-border margin and credit alternatives. She has been involved in numerous control reviews utilizing the COSO framework including such areas as equity and fixed income trading; treasury, stock lending and repurchase transactions; and investment banking. She has assisted in the establishment and registration process for several broker-dealers in the Internet environment with both foreign- and domestic-based ownership.

A native of Apalachin, New York., McGowan received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University in 1980. Since graduation, she has been actively involved in mentoring and recruiting current students, as well as mentoring the young Scranton alumni at PricewaterhouseCoopers. McGowan is a founding member of the PBC Executive Committee, a member and founding chair of the Kania School of Management Dean’s Advisory Board and serves on the Accounting Department Professional Council. McGowan and her husband, Michael ’81, reside in Bucks County, and have four children.

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About Joseph L. Sorbera Jr.

Sorbera is responsible for growing and reshaping his family’s construction management business, which started in 1977, into an industry-leading project management and cost-management organization whose client list includes global financial, banking, educational and media firms. The firm specializes in large-scale capital projects, ensuring they are completed expertly as planned and on budget. The company motto, “deliver more than expected,” is indicative of the reason behind the loyalty they have earned from clients, colleagues and employees alike. The evolution of so many clients and colleagues into dear friends throughout 40-plus years of being in business is Sorbera’s greatest source of professional pride.

In addition to serving multiple terms on the Board of Trustees of Loyola School in Manhattan, Sorbera is a former member of the University’s Board of Trustees. A former executive-in-residence at the University, he was also a member of the executive committee of the Pride Passion Promise campaign. In 2017, he was the honoree at the 97th annual Italian Welfare League gala in New York City. A current member of the President’s Business Council, Sorbera also serves as chair of the Board of the 115-year-old animal rescue organization, Bideawee. 

Sorbera was born and raised in the tenements of Little Italy in New York, where the formation of family values, love of Sicilian traditions and strong sense of community were deeply ingrained into his persona. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix. Now a resident of Staten Island, New York, he and his wife, Diane, are the parents of three children: Christina, Diana ’08 and Joseph III ’08.

For more information on the PBC, contact PBC Executive Director Timothy J. Pryle ’89 at 570-941-5837 or at pbc@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/pbc.

  • alt placeholderMore than 500 guests attended black-tie gala at The Pierre Hotel in New York City, which honored Linda S. McGowan ’80, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Joseph L. Sorbera Jr. P’08,’08, president of JLS Cost Management Systems Inc., and raised more than $1 million. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
  • alt placeholderMore than 500 guests attended black-tie gala at The Pierre Hotel in New York City, which honored Linda S. McGowan ’80, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Joseph L. Sorbera Jr. P’08,’08, president of JLS Cost Management Systems Inc., and raised more than $1 million. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
  • alt placeholderMore than 500 guests attended black-tie gala at The Pierre Hotel in New York City, which honored Linda S. McGowan ’80, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Joseph L. Sorbera Jr. P’08,’08, president of JLS Cost Management Systems Inc., and raised more than $1 million. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
  • alt placeholderMore than 500 guests attended black-tie gala at The Pierre Hotel in New York City, which honored Linda S. McGowan ’80, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Joseph L. Sorbera Jr. P’08,’08, president of JLS Cost Management Systems Inc., and raised more than $1 million. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
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