Alumni in Action-February 4, 2025
St. Lawrence graduates have a thirst for knowledge and are innovative problem-solvers. This periodic roundup features Laurentians who are in the spotlight for making a positive impact on their communities, companies, and the world.
Scott O’Connell ’87
St. Lawrence University Trustee Scott O’Connell will be honored this month at a ceremony in New York City with Cornell Law School’s 2025 Exemplary Public Service Award for Pro Bono Services. O’Connell, a partner at multinational law firm Holland & Knight, will be recognized for his significant pro bono work on behalf of victims of domestic and sexual violence who have no financial means to hire an attorney. O'Connell is a trial attorney and litigation strategist in Holland & Knight's Boston and New York City offices. He focuses his practice on complex commercial disputes involving significant financial and reputational exposure. He has considerable experience leading class action and aggregate litigation as well as parallel government enforcement and regulatory proceedings, most notably involving health service, financial service, energy, technology, telecommunications, and manufacturing companies.
Also this month, during the midwinter meeting of the New Hampshire Bar Association, 603 Legal Aid will present O’Connell with the L. Jonathan Ross Award for state and national leadership on pro bono services. In 2024, he represented 20 survivors and volunteered over 200 hours of his time through the DOVE Project, often continuing to support clients in their co-occurring parenting, divorce, or even consumer collections cases. “O’Connell is an incredibly efficient, understanding, and zealous advocate for his clients, and his wholehearted devotion to providing legal services has had an incalculable impact on survivors across the state of New Hampshire,” according to the New Hampshire Bar News Supplement.
He studied government (now political science) and Theater Arts (now performance and communication arts) at St. Lawrence University.
Mary Jo Faucher Hunt ’76, P’04
Mary Jo Faucher Hunt was recently recognized as Buffalo’s 2024 BusinessWoman of the Year. Hunt has dedicated her career to learning, literacy, and developing leaders at all levels, both in the corporate world and in the community. She serves as the executive director of the James H. Cummings Foundation, which supports nonprofits in medical research and education. She has previously served as executive director of Leadership Buffalo, leadership development consultant at Hunt Real Estate, interim executive director of the Child Care Coalition, and was a teacher in Buffalo Public Schools and Head Start.
Hunt studied psychology and government (now political science) at St. Lawrence University.
Travis Proulx ’04
Travis Proulx has been appointed as the inaugural vice president for external affairs at Fordham University. Prior to his appointment, Proulx served as vice chancellor for agency and community engagement at the State University of New York, overseeing government relations, policy development, budget and research advocacy, community engagement, and marketing across the system’s 64 campuses.
Proulx studied government (now political science) and communications at St. Lawrence University.
Mike Secor ’89
Mike Secor was recently named vice president of marketing for Dole Packaged Foods. He has previously held top marketing roles at Bonduelle Fresh Americas, Ruiz Foods, and General Mills. In this new role, Secor will help execute Dole’s marketing strategy for its U.S. division.
Secor studied economics and government (now political science) at St. Lawrence University.
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