Annual PBC Dinner Celebrates Scranton at its Best

The University of Scranton’s President’s Business Council (PBC) presented JoAnne M. Kuehner H’01 and Carl J. Kuehner ’62, H’11 with the President’s Medal at its 18th Annual Award Dinner on Oct. 10, at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. Proceeds from the gala, which raised more than $1 million, support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Through its past 17 dinners, the PBC has generated more than $15 million for the scholarship fund.

“Of course, our presidential scholars are a University treasure. With tremendous talent, promise and potential, they provide academic leadership to their classmates,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton in his remarks. 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.

Class of 2020 Presidential Scholar Katherine Musto, Pittston, a biology major in the undergraduate Honors Program, who spoke at the award dinner on behalf of the Presidential Scholars, said the best part about the University is its caring community.

“The Jesuit quotes that are plastered all over various buildings are not just there for show. The faculty and staff truly embody them,” said Musto. “In my sophomore year, my brother Brian passed away after a long battle with cancer. I was in the middle of organic chemistry and a million different responsibilities, and I did not want to attend school anymore. My mom pushed me to go back to campus, and I was blown away by the kindness and support of my professors and peers. If I had gone to any other school, I probably wouldn’t be graduating on the traditional, four-year timeline.”

Father Pilarz referred to the recipients of this year’s President’s Medal as “special exemplars” of the best characteristics of a Catholic and Jesuit education.

“JoAnne and Carl Kuehner are a constant source of inspiration and are among the very best friends to the University and to me. For years, they have opened their homes and hearts to me and many other members of this community,” said Father Pilarz.

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.

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

About the Kuehners

JoAnne M. Castrogiovanni Kuehner is a native of Dunmore and an honorary doctorate degree recipient in the University’s Class of 2001. She founded Hope for Haiti in 1990 and has devoted the past 30 years of her “time, treasure and talent to helping the poorest of the poor.” Hope for Haiti is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly children, through education, nutrition and healthcare. She recently published “Oh, for the Love of Haiti!,” a memoir in which she shares personal experiences with the people and communities that benefit from Hope for Haiti’s long-term partnerships.

In 2011, she stepped down from her formal CEO role at Hope for Haiti but remains an active member of the organization’s board of directors. She is a former Gulfshore Life Woman of the Year honoree and is a current member of the Board of Visitors of the University’s Panuska College for Professional Studies (PCPS).

Carl J. Kuehner is a native of North Scranton and the president of Real Estate Technology Corporation, a diversified real estate and investment firm based in Florida. Under his direction, Real Estate Technology Corp. has developed, among its many projects, low-income farm worker housing at sites in Collier County, Fla., where he has served in a variety of positions with Immokalee Non-Profit Housing, Inc. In recognition of his long-term dedication to Immokalee Non-Profit Housing, a community center was dedicated in his name in 2008. In 2010, he was honored with the Greater Naples Leadership Service Award. Over the years, he has served on several corporate and non-profit boards, including Gertrude Hawk Chocolates and The University of Scranton Board of Trustees, where he served as chairman from 2007 to 2009.

Carl Kuehner received his bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering at the University while also participating in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). In 2011, the University awarded him an honorary doctorate degree. He also holds a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Together, the Kuehners have been active, long-term participants and philanthropists in their communities beyond their commitment to Hope for Haiti. They established the Scranton chapter of the Order of Malta and have spent 20 years serving as a knight and a dame in this lay Catholic order whose ministry is to care for the poor and the sick of the world. They were lay chairs for the Wayne-Pike region for the Diocese of Scranton 2018 Annual Appeal. Their commitment to the University, to the Pride, Passion, Promise Capital Campaign and to University leadership was commemorated with the naming of Kuehner Hall in the Loyola Science Center in 2012. In the fall of 2018, the University also dedicated “A Place of Solitude” on the second floor of McGurrin Hall, an enclosed space featuring a running fountain and a living wall that provides a quiet, welcoming area for students, faculty and staff to reflect, pray and discern. The space was dedicated to JoAnne’s and Carl’s parents, as well as to the parents of PCPS Dean Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D. The Kuehners, who reside in Lake Ariel and Naples, Florida, have four children, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Hear them speak here.