PBC Prepares For 17th Annual Award Dinner Oct. 4

On Thursday, Oct. 4, at The Pierre Hotel in New York City, the President’s Business Council (PBC) 17^th Annual Award Dinner will present Linda S. McGowan ’80, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Joseph L. Sorbera Jr. P’08,’08, president of JLS Cost Management Systems Inc., with the University’s President’s Medal.

McGowan has over 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, N.Y., 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 (KSOM) Dean’s Advisory Board and serves on the Accounting Department Professional Council (ADPC). McGowan and her husband, Michael ’81, reside in Bucks County, Pa., and have four children.

Sorbera and his wife, Diane, are the parents of three children: Christina, Diana ’08 and Joseph III ’08. The couple resides in Staten Island, N.Y., along with their beloved golden retriever, Chewie, and cherished rescue dog, Max. He is passionate about his family, animal welfare, Jesuit education and his Italian-American heritage. 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.

He 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+ years of being in business is his 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 97^th annual Italian Welfare League gala in New York City. A current member of the President’s Business Council, Sorbera is Chairman of the Board of the renowned 115-year-old animal rescue organization, Bideawee.

In presenting the President’s Medal, the University and the PBC recognize individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others. The proceeds from the Annual Award Dinner go directly to the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. The black-tie gala is a wonderful celebration of Scranton and of honorees whose lifetime achievements reflect the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service. Through its 16 dinners, the PBC has generated over $13 million for the scholarship fund.

Roundtrip bus service to and from this year’s dinner will again be available for guests traveling from Scranton and Philadelphia. Further details are available by inquiring to pbc@scranton.edu or 570-941-5837.

On Sept. 19, a few weeks before the dinner, the PBC will co-host a networking reception with current University students at the Westin Philadelphia, Liberty Place, 99 S. 17^th Street, Philadelphia. The business attire reception will present students with the opportunity to enhance their out-of-classroom experiences by interacting with alumni and friends.

To register for the 17^th Annual Award Dinner, click here. To register for the networking reception in Philadelphia, click here. For more information on the PBC and additional ways to participate in this year’s dinner, contact Executive Director Timothy J. Pryle ’89 at (570) 941-5837 or pbc@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/pbc.