Saint Viator High School Announces Latest Distinguished Alumni Recipients
After successfully establishing a Distinguished Alumni program in October 2012, Saint Viator High School will add two new members to a growing group of esteemed graduates at a ceremony on January 26th, 2014. The new inductees, selected after a rigorous nomination and review process by a select committee, are Maureen O'Hara, Ph.D., a 1971 graduate of Sacred Heart of Mary High School, and John Aiello, a member of the Saint Viator Class of 1986.
“We are extremely pleased to recognize these two truly exceptional alumni with this distinction,” said Chris Wells, Director of Alumni Relations for the Arlington Heights school. “The bar was set very high with our inductees last year but we feel their career achievements and commitment to bettering our world make Maureen and John very worthy inductees.”
Maureen O'Hara is the Robert W. Purcell Professor of Finance at the Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University and has served as a consultant to companies such as Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, and the New York Stock Exchange. O'Hara was the first woman to receive tenure in the Johnson School of Management at Cornell and was the first woman to serve as President of the American Finance Association. She has been a prolific writer and speaker at financial conferences around the world.
“Maureen serves as an outstanding example not only to all young women, but to anyone who seeks a career in any area related to finance,” said Judith Amberg, a member of the selection committee and former teacher and administrator at both Sacred Heart and Saint Viator. “Her ability to comprehend and analyze complex financial markets, along with her scholarly pursuit of detailed research initiatives has led to her sterling reputation throughout the world.”
Amberg noted that in keeping with the intent of the Distinguished Alumni recognition, the committee also took account of O'Hara's social commitments as well, noting her role as Chairman of the Board of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester, the largest provider of social services for the twelve county region, along with her active role in a sponsorship program for an intercity scholarship fund for New York Catholic schools.
The criteria for the Distinguished Alumni recognition call for sustained success in a career or philanthropic field and seeks out individuals who influenced an industry through innovative contributions. Aiello served as the first Director of Recruiting and Retention for Saint Viator High School. Faced with declining enrollment and amid fears for the future existence of the school Aiello used a series of analytics tools normally used in the corporate world and implemented branding and marketing strategies that ultimately propelled St. Viator into a period of unprecedented enrollment growth.
Aiello then moved on to a corporate career, first with Miller Brewing company where he helped introduce new product lines and implemented branding strategies that became the cornerstone of the company's marketing efforts and then with Sundance Homes in Chicago.
“John's career progressed very rapidly and he left a trail of astounding success everywhere he went, including here at Saint Viator,” said Soran Leahy (SVHS ‘00) who has served on the Distinguished Alumni Committee for the past two years. “However, this recognition is very much based on his entrepreneurial efforts which followed.”
In 1999, Aiello co-founded The SAVO Group, a consultancy in the area of sales and marketing alignment and effectiveness. He led the company's profitable growth amidst the dot-com crash 2000-2001. In 2002, sensing an opportunity Aiello transformed the company into a web-based software company, pioneering what he and his team identified as Sales Enablement which is today one of the leading software categories in the world. The SAVO Group grew from a two-person company to a 200-person enterprise whose software is used each day by major and multi-national companies including IBM, American Express, JPMorgan Chase, Disney, General Electric, and nearly 500,000 salespeople and marketers worldwide. In 2009, Aiello was inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. Today he is a frequent speaker at conferences and universities across the country. He is currently serving on the Boards of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Entrepreneur Center, SAVO, and other software startups.
The induction ceremony will take place during a 5:00 p.m. Mass to begin Catholic Schools Week on Sunday, January 26th. “We felt that this form of recognition is better connected to Catholic Schools Week. These two alumni are perfect examples of the type of person a Catholic school can produce,” said Fr. Corey Brost, C.S.V. Brost, in his first year as president, looks forward to welcoming the recipients back to Saint Viator. “In addition to the celebration on Sunday, John and Maureen have graciously agreed to spend time with students on Monday as we begin a week long series of activities that bring focus to the mission of Catholic education. You never know what might influence a student. But a dialogue with outstanding alumni like John and Maureen should inspire our student body.”
For more information regarding Saint Viator High School's Distinguished Alumni program, visit www.saintviator.com.