Eugene Celentano ’63

Eugene Celentano ’63 grew up in Queens, the largest and most ethnically diverse borough of New York City and the most linguistically diverse place in the world. Motivated to become the first in his family to graduate from college, Gene decided to attend Pace University to study accounting, and later he earned his MBA in financial management in 1971.

Interested in an international assignment, Gene applied to Texaco and spent the next six years in Venezuela, Columbia, and Ecuador. Eventually he became Controller for Texaco’s USA operations, then president of Texaco Brazil and Regional Director of the Southern Cone. Gene was later elected to corporate officer and president of Texaco’s international marketing and refining operations. He became the director of Motiva Enterprise, a joint venture of Texaco, Shell, and Saudi Aramco. The company was responsible for the marketing and refining operations of Texaco and Shell in 26 states across the mid-west and eastern United States.

Firmly believing in the power of experience and the diversified perspective that comes from exploring different cultures, Gene decided to invest in ensuring current and future Pace University students could have the same transformational education and professional opportunities that bolstered his success. In 2009, he decided to fund a field study program through the Lubin School of Business focused on emerging market countries. Through this fund, he sees the impact that exposure to different cultures has on students and their potential. Gene believes alumni should “try to give back as much as they can…Pace has the need and the ability to use your donation. In my case, I can actually see where the donation is helping the students—what the student experience is going to be. I speak to the students before they leave on the trip and when they come back and understand what their experience has been.”

In the eleven years since its initial funding, the program has granted forty-two Lubin School of Business students with academic merit and financial need the opportunity to attend transformative international experiences. It has funded seven emerging market international programs including Argentina and Chile, Dubai and Doha, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, and Vietnam. This past January, Gene created a marketing field study in Singapore and Malaysia. During their travels, both graduate and undergraduate students were able to meet and learn from executives in top-tier companies such as FedEx, Leo Burnett, and Samsung. Gene’s unique program combining travel, education, and professional networking allows students to see the world while giving them the tools they need to thrive.

Dr. John Meletiadis, Assistant Dean of the Center for Global Business Programs has worked closely with Gene for the past 12 years and has seen the impact on students firsthand: “Gene exemplifies the best of Pace University and I respect him for his altruism. The first in his family to attend college, he worked his way through various positions to become a senior executive but never forgot Pace University and the opportunity it provided him. He’s returned to his alma matter to help students gain life changing international experiential opportunities. From day one Gene has been passionately engaged in every decision from faculty proposals to student awards and classroom visits. He greatly enjoys meeting the students and loves to hear their stories. He’s a real example of what is possible for our students.”

He continues to build and believe in what is possible. Most recently, Gene made his most significant commitment to Pace University, a planned gift of one million dollars that will sustain this program for students to enjoy for many years to come, allowing them to supplement their education with a more worldly perspective of what the business world has to offer and challenge them.