Hall of Fame Dinner Honors Prominent University of Scranton Alumni Business Leaders

On Saturday, April 25, The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management will conduct its first Business Leader Hall of Fame Dinner. The dinner will honor five University alumni who became prominent business leaders: John E. Brennan, Christopher ‘Kip’ Condron, Arthur J. Kania, Paul M. Montrone and Gerard R. Roche.

The lineup of Business Leader Hall of Fame events will begin at 4 p.m. with a panel session with honorees and a student audience, followed immediately at 5:15 p.m. by a meet and greet with students. Both events will take place in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall (room 228). A 6 p.m. cocktail reception will precede the dinner and award ceremony, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., both on the fifth floor of Brennan Hall.

“The Business Leader Hall of Fame award recognizes the extraordinary accomplishments of individuals who embody the University’s commitment to producing graduates who are ‘men and women for others.’ Each inductee has enjoyed great success as a business leader, lived a life in service to others, and remained a staunch supporter of The University of Scranton,” said Michael Mensah, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management.

John E. Brennan’68, P’06, previously served on The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees. In October 2000, the University named Brennan Hall, the home of the Kania School of Management, for him. He is a member of the University’s President’s Business Council (PBC) General Council. During his distinguished business career, Brennan served as vice chairman of the Board of Directors of Southern Union Company, as president of Activated Communications and on the Board of Directors of Spectrum Signal Processing. A cofounder of Metro Mobile CTS, Inc., he served as the company’s president and COO.

Christopher M. “Kip” Condron ’70, H’03, is founding chair of the PBC. He received the PBC President’s Medal in 2006. Condron previously served on The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees, which he also chaired. He is currently a University Trustee Emeritus. He and his wife, Margaret M. Condron, Ph.D., served as national co-chairs of the University’s $129 million Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign. The University dedicated Christopher Margaret M. Condron Hall in their honor in 2008. The former president and CEO of AXA Financial, Inc., Condron served as global head of life & savings and health businesses and was a member of the Management Committee at AXA Group, AXA Financial’s parent company. Previously, the Scranton native was president and COO of Mellon Financial Corp. and chairman and CEO of The Dreyfus Corp.

Arthur J. Kania, Esq. ’53, H’89, received the PBC President’s Medal 2005. A member of the PBC General Council, Kania previously served on The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees, which he also chaired. He is currently a University Trustee Emeritus. In May 1998, the University renamed its business school The Arthur J. Kania School of Management. A senior partner in the St. David’s-based law firm of Kania, Lindner, Lasak & Feeney, he devoted a major portion of his career to entrepreneurial corporate formation and development – including founding First Sterling Bank, which merged into Summit Bancorp, now a major component of Bank of America, and co-founding the Brighton Hotel, now the Sands Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Moosic native received his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law.

Paul M. Montrone, Ph.D., ’62, H’86, received the PBC President’s Medal in 2003. The Scranton native is a member of the PBC General Council. Dr. Montrone is chairman of Perspecta Trust LLC, Liberty Lane Partners and Latona Associates and former chairman and CEO of Fisher Scientific. During the Clinton administration, Dr. Montrone served as a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, and he was a founder of the National Forum for Health Care Quality Measurement and Reporting. Former president and CEO, and current President Emeritus of the Metropolitan Opera, he has been active with many non-profit institutions. Dr. Montrone holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Gerard R. Roche ’53, H’82, received the inaugural PBC President’s Medal in 2002. A member of the PBC General Council, Roche previously served on and chaired The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees, and he was commencement speaker at the undergraduate commencement in 1982. Senior chairman of the international search firm Heidrick and Struggles, Inc., Roche was named “Headhunter of the Century” by his peers in a poll conducted in 2000. In more than 35 years as an executive recruiter, Mr. Roche has worked with hundreds of corporations including AT&T, IBM, Home Depot, and 3M.

For more information about the inaugural Business Leader Hall of Fame Dinner, call 570-941-4208.