Marymount Manhattan College Announces the 2011 President’s Medal Honorees

• Louis A. Martarano, formerly of Merrill Lynch, where he started and led its London Project Finance Group;
• Paul C. Lowerre ’81, a senior vice president for investments at UBS Financial Services; and
• Ursula Lowerre, a social activist who is especially noted for her work in the arts, family services and higher education.

The three honorees will receive their awards at the President’s Medal Gala, which will be held on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, at The Metropolitan Club, located at One East 60th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Proceeds from the event will support scholarship opportunities for students attending Marymount Manhattan. Founded in 1936 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Marymount Manhattan will celebrate its 75th Anniversary this coming academic year. 

Louis Martarano has served on Marymount Manhattan’s Board of Trustees since 2001. He has chaired the Audit, Academic Affairs and Executive Committees; co-chaired the Fundraising and Resources Committee; and was a member of the Facilities Committee and the Investments & Finance Committee. A dedicated supporter of the College and its liberal arts program, Mr. Martarano has established scholarships at Marymount Manhattan for students with financial need and those fostering community at the College. As Board Chair, Mr. Martarano led and oversaw several recent accomplishments at the College, including the establishment of the Dow Zanghi Health Center and the purchase of the townhouse down the street from the College that will house faculty offices. 

Mr. Martarano also serves in advisory roles with his undergraduate alma mater, The Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. At Penn State’s Eberly College of Science, he is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board and its Development Committee, which he has chaired. He is also a member of the advisory board of Penn State’s Palmer Art Museum and serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of Penn State’s LGBTA Student Resource Center. 

Mr. Martarano received a master’s degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management. Starting his career at Kidder Peabody, Mr. Martarano was recruited by Merrill Lynch to take a leading role in its project finance business, eventually starting and managing its London Project Finance Group. In this role, Mr. Martarano counseled a wide range of domestic and international clients in their efforts to raise funds through public, private and multilateral debt and equity arrangements for the construction of large-scale energy, environmental and infrastructure facilities in the United States and around the world. 

Elected to the Board of Trustees of Marymount Manhattan in 2009, Paul Lowerre currently serves on both its Audit and Facilities Committees. Mr. Lowerre has been associated with UBS in various capacities since 2000. Previously, he worked for PaineWebber and Kidder Peabody & Co. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at Marymount Manhattan College in 1981, Mr. Lowerre continued his academic training at the Center for Fiduciary Studies, affiliated with the Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. He is also a trustee of Franklin College, an American liberal arts college based in Lugano, Switzerland, where he served as chairman for 10 years, and of Hildene, the historic home of Robert Todd Lincoln, located in Manchester, Vt. His other philanthropic interests include the Little Sisters of the Assumption (LSA) in East Harlem, the Elsie Lee Garthwaite Memorial Foundation, and the Stroganoff Foundation, Ltd. 

Ursula Lowerre, his wife, is a champion of nonprofit organizations that advance the arts, community-based family services and higher education. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Manhattanville College, where she majored in political science with a minor in history. Prior to entering Manhattanville, Mrs. Lowerre matriculated at Franklin College, where she was awarded an Associate of Arts degree in international relations. Ms. Lowerre devotes much of her time to philanthropy, serving as a trustee of New York-based organizations Little Sisters of the Assumption, the Big Apple Circus, the Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center, and the Friends of Thirteen. 

At Marymount Manhattan, the Lowerres and their two children, Lavania and Cornelia, inspired the creation of The Lowerre Family Terrace. A unique, urban setting, the terrace is a multipurpose, elevated outdoor, three-season space, which joins the College’s two academic buildings located on East 71st and 72nd Streets. 

This year’s gala co-chairs are Nancy and James Buckman, Judith (’03) and Russell Carson, Natasha Pearl and Richard Stowe, and Lucille Zanghi and James Dow. 

Invitees may choose to reserve a table for 10 at one of the following levels: Leadership ($25,000), Benefactor ($15,000), Sponsor ($10,000) and Donor ($7,500). Ticket prices are Two Champion Tickets ($2,500), Individual Patron Ticket(s) ($1,000), Individual Friend Ticket ($750) andIndividual Alumna(us) Ticket ($500). 

Published: May 26, 2011