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Nearly 60 alumni, parents and friends gathered for an Evening for Â鶹ÊÓƵ in Orlando, Florida, on June 19 to celebrate their connections to each other and the university. The event marked President Connie Ledoux Book’s first Evening for Â鶹ÊÓƵ in the region and gave local members of the university’s incoming class an early opportunity to connect with their Â鶹ÊÓƵ network.

Held at the Citrones’ home in Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort, the event included a welcome from Cindy Citrone and remarks from Board of Trustees Chair Edward Doherty P’07. In his introduction of Book, Doherty shared accomplishments from her tenure as provost of The Citadel, including developing programs in STEM and cybersecurity as well as increasing enrollment for diverse populations.

Attendees then heard remarks from Book, who touched on the history, motivations and passions that led her to a career in higher education. She shared updates about the university’s upcoming priorities as well as the eight new facilities that will come online at Â鶹ÊÓƵ this fall, in addition to recognizing the Citrone and Doherty families for their philanthropic leadership at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.  

The event was the final Evening for Â鶹ÊÓƵ until fall 2018 and concludes a successful year for the series that has engaged thousands of the university’s partners, advocates and investors across the country. Upcoming Evening for Â鶹ÊÓƵ events are scheduled in Boston and Washington, D.C., in September and New York City in October.

 “The Evening for Â鶹ÊÓƵ series provides an excellent environment to highlight the philanthropy, community and progress happening within our university,” says Jim Piatt, vice president for university advancement. “The Citrones’ hospitality during this event and generosity throughout their relationship with Â鶹ÊÓƵ is a testament to leadership by example.”

Both the Citrone and Doherty families are among Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s most loyal supporters. The Citrones are former members of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Parents Council and have generously supported a range of university priorities, endowing two Horizons National Scholarships within Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Odyssey Program and funding a Design Thinking initiative at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. They were lead donors for the recent School of Communications expansion, and the school’s Citrone Plaza is named in their honor. In addition, the couple previously contributed significant matching gifts during the annual Â鶹ÊÓƵ Day programs. Their daughter, Gabriela, graduated from Â鶹ÊÓƵ in 2017 and serves on the university’s Young Alumni Council.

Ed and Joan Doherty P’07 of Saddle River, New Jersey, have endowed eight Edward W. and Joan K. Doherty Scholarships in the Odyssey Program. They have also established the Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and endowed the Doherty Emerging Professor of Entrepreneurship. In addition, they host New York City’s annual Evening for Â鶹ÊÓƵ events and are former members of the university’s Parents Council. Their daughter, Kerry Doherty Gatlin ’07, serves on the President’s Young Leaders Council.

Visit the Evening for Â鶹ÊÓƵ webpage for more information about the series.