The Alumni Executive Council and the Legacy Society honored five alumni award recipients at Reunion 2026. Alumni Citation recipient Barbara Christie ’76, Sol Feinstone Award for Humanitarian Service recipient Jordan Pescrillo ’12, the Atwood ’16 and Alice Manley ’17, P’45 Achievement Award recipient John Crowley ’76, and Alumni Council President Laura Taylor Patrick ’82, P’18. Bob Rich ’89 and Julia Steckel Fleischner ’95, P’24 received Alumni Citations in absentia.
Alumni Citation Recipients
Barbara Christie ’76 has spent the past 50 years using her liberal arts education and passion for progress to make a difference in her community. A government major at St. Lawrence, she served as president of the Panhellenic Council as a sister of Alpha Delta Pi, represented the Thelomathesian Society, participated in the Orientation Planning Board, and sang with the Laurentian Singers.
After graduation, Christie built a successful career in pharmaceutical and surgical device sales and marketing, including a decade with Johnson & Johnson. Having built prominence in the field of neurosurgery, she helped launch the U.S. sales force for BrainLAB in 1996. Later, she moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where she served as director of marketing for Darkness to Light, a nonprofit dedicated to ending child sexual abuse.
Throughout her career, Christie remained deeply engaged in her community and alma mater. In Charleston, she is a member of the choir of Grace Church Cathedral and was an active member of their Saving Grace capital campaign, served as board chair of the Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community, supported One80 Place in its efforts to end homelessness, and became the first woman president of the Country Club of Charleston, host of the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open. At St. Lawrence, she has volunteered at Reunions, served on the Leadership Gifts Committee, advised students as a career advisor, and recently joined a University golf trip to England and Scotland.
Christie has also answered the call as a dedicated philanthropist. A loyal supporter of the St. Lawrence Fund, she provided a $50,000 matching gift in honor of her class’s 50th Reunion. In 2022, she established the Barbara S. Christie ’76 Director of Laurentian Singers Endowed Fund, honoring the ensemble’s 75th anniversary and the lasting influence of her mentor, Dr. Bunny Jones.
Julia Steckel Fleischner ’95, P'24 has been a devoted Laurentian and community leader since graduating from St. Lawrence in 1995. An English writing major, she was active in Calling All Saints, The Hill News, the Big Brother-Big Sister Program, and studied abroad in London.
At St. Lawrence, Fleischner met her husband, David Fleischner ’95. Married since 1998, they have two daughters and were delighted to see their St. Lawrence connection continue when their daughter Margaret joined the Class of 2024.
Following a career in nonprofit arts and development, Fleischner has dedicated her time and talents to organizations focused on health, education, and the arts. She serves on the board of the Bryn Mawr Hospital Foundation and the advisory board of MANNA, a Philadelphia-based nutrition nonprofit. A trustee of both the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Mural Arts, the nation’s largest public art organization, she became Mural Arts’ first female board chair and has helped lead major fundraising efforts for numerous charitable institutions.
St. Lawrence has also benefited from her leadership and generosity. Fleischner and David have hosted Laurentian events, served on the Parents Committee, and supported the St. Lawrence Fund, the squash program, and enrollment initiatives. A loyal donor since graduation, Fleischner credits the University with shaping her life and fostering friendships that endure to this day. “Giving back is easy when you realize how much your alma mater gave to you and truly laid the groundwork for your life,” she says.
Robert “Bob” Rich III ’89 is one of the nation’s most prominent business leaders and a dedicated supporter of both Western New York and St. Lawrence University. A psychology and environmental studies major, he formed lasting relationships with mentors including Dr. Glenn Harris and Dr. Tom Greene, was a member of Sigma Pi, and hosted programs on KSLU Radio.
After graduation, Rich worked in youth development before joining Rich Products Corporation in 1991. He held several leadership positions, earned an MBA from Canisius University, and founded ROAR Logistics in 2003, growing it into a national transportation and logistics company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. In 2020, he expanded his entrepreneurial efforts by launching Three Sticks Marketing, a medical supply company.
Beyond business, Rich has devoted significant time to education and community service. He has served on the boards of Niagara University, the Park School of Buffalo, and Elmwood Franklin School, and currently supports organizations in Arizona, including Kiwanis of Carefree and Foothills Caring Corps. His volunteer efforts have benefited causes such as Alzheimer’s research, cystic fibrosis, and juvenile diabetes, and he helped coordinate clean-water solutions during the Flint, Michigan, water crisis.
A committed Laurentian, Rich has hosted a semi-annual event at the Buffalo Bisons for alumni, parents, and friends, and has worked to connect with students as a Career Advisor. He has returned to campus as a Reunion volunteer, Laurentian in Residence, and participant in the University’s 50th anniversary celebration of Environmental Studies. In 2020, he established the Robert Rich III ’89 Endowed Internship Fund to help students pursue career-building opportunities regardless of financial circumstances.
Sol Feinstone Humanitarian Award
The Feinstone Award is presented to a graduate who, through devotion of his or her resources or personal effort, has demonstrated deep commitment to the advancement of the freedom of people to pursue and attain personal, professional, and economic freedom.
Jordan A. Pescrillo '12
One of the youngest recipients of the Sol Feinstone Award in University history, Jordan A. Pescrillo ’12 has dedicated her life to expanding opportunity and empowering others, both globally and locally. A global studies major at St. Lawrence with a minor in education, her college activities were focused on service and impact, including Habitat for Humanity, Amnesty International, Literacy for Nepal, and studying abroad in Kenya.
Following her time at St. Lawrence, Pescrillo served two years in AmeriCorps in public schools and in refugee resettlement. She became the first St. Lawrence University teaching fellow at Minmahaw School in 2014 and helped to forge a strong connection on behalf of her alma mater. Jordan has led community development teaching at Wide Horizons, supporting dozens of youth-led projects on the Thai Burma border and in Myanmar. She organized an international virtual conference for hundreds of educational leaders during Covid, and designed and monitored a youth program for children in Myanmar that supported learning and leadership skills after the military coup in 2021.
Meanwhile, a native of Buffalo, New York, she has participated in and completed Citizen Planning School and Cooperative Buffalo training. She’s a supporter of Weave News, Clean Air Coalition, and the Buffalo Mutual Aid Network, making an impact both in person and virtually whenever and wherever she can.
Atwood ’16 and Alice Manley ’17, P’45 Achievement Award
The Atwood ’16 and Alice Manley ’17 P’45 Achievement Award was established in 1998 to recognize individuals whose dedication and involvement have strengthened St. Lawrence through the University’s Legacy Society. This year, the award is presented to John Crowley ’76 in recognition of his enduring commitment and extraordinary investment in the future of St. Lawrence.
In celebration of his 50th Reunion, Crowley chose to honor his lifelong connection to the University through a $5 million unrestricted legacy gift that will support St. Lawrence’s highest priorities. This commitment reflects both his confidence in the University’s leadership and his belief in giving St. Lawrence the flexibility to meet future opportunities and challenges. John’s gift underscores his deep faith in the transformative power of a St. Lawrence education.
A double major in English and government at St. Lawrence, John went on to build a distinguished international career as an entrepreneur and global financial executive. Over more than three decades, he specialized in corporate restructuring, strategic consulting, and developed and emerging markets. His work brought him to leadership positions across the United States and abroad, including roles in London, Ukraine, Ghana, and Pakistan. Among his many professional accomplishments, he served as Chief Financial Officer of FairPoint Communications and Managing Director for Alex. Brown International in London.
John has remained closely connected to St. Lawrence throughout his life, particularly through his classmates and former Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity brothers. Describing his St. Lawrence experience as one that taught him to “fly without a net,” John says his years on campus instilled in him the adaptability and confidence to navigate new challenges. The relationships he formed on campus have proven to be pivotal and incredibly meaningful throughout both his professional and personal life.
Through his generosity and commitment to St. Lawrence, John has helped ensure that generations of Laurentians will have access to those same lifechanging experiences and connections.
