DiGamma Honor Society Inducts Eight New Members

March 11, 2013

BUFFALO, NEW YORK – The Canisius University DiGamma Honor Society inducted eight new members on Friday, March 8, during a ceremony at The Buffalo Club. The prestigious honor society is composed of Canisius alumni, faculty, administrators and students who have distinguished themselves through exemplary service to the college, over an extended period of time. This year’s inductees are:

Judy Bassanello ’83, senior vice president of Citigroup. Bassanello is a member of the Canisius University Alumni Board of Directors and co-chair of the Alumni Student Engagement Committee.

Mary E. Belle ’73, president of licensing for Jones Apparel Group in New York, NY. Belle provides many internships and employment opportunities to Canisius University students and graduates, and personally mentors them.

Rocco Lucente II ’80, managing partner at Cohen & Lombardo PC Attorneys. Lucente is member of the Canisius University Board of Regents, and serves on its Academic Affairs and Regents Scholarship Ball committees.

Robert H. Maloney ’71, founder and principal of Maloney Government Relations LLC. Maloney served on the college’s Government Relations Advisory Board. As a student, he founded the Afro-American Association at Canisius.

Mark J. Manuele ’92 is in commercial real estate at First Niagara Bank. Manuele is chair of the Alumni Association’s Regional Chapter, Alumni Engagement and Nominating committees.

Michael Noonan, PhD, chair of the Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation Program at Canisius University. Noonan founded and directs the Institute for the Study of Human-Animal Relations.

Pauline (Costanzo) Will ’93, partner in the litigation practice group of Watson Bennett LLP. Will is a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and serves on its Alumni/Student Networking and Reunion committees.

Daniel J. Zimmer ’83, MBA ’87, vice president of corporate finance and development at Delaware North Companies. Zimmer is a member of the Canisius University Board of Regents, and serves on its Finance and Facilities and Nominating committees.

Of the more than 37,000 Canisius University alumni, only about 1,700 are members of the DiGamma Honor Society. Membership is based solely on service to the college.

One of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation, Canisius is the premier private university in Western New York.