While attending the University’s President’s Business Council dinner in 2022, Brian McNany ’99 experienced a cannonball moment that set him on a path to mentor alumni from his alma mater. One of the PBC honorees, Tom O’Brien ’86, told the story about his efforts to hire Scranton alumni at his employer, Morgan Stanley. Initially, there was some hesitation, but once his colleagues saw the talent that came from Scranton, they were on board.
“As I listened to Tom, I thought to myself, ‘That’s something I could do, too,’” said McNany, managing director of Investment Banking at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) Bank, one of the world’s leading financial groups. Headquartered in Tokyo, MUFG has a global network with approximately 2,000 locations in more than 40 countries.
That night, McNany spoke with Murli Rajan, Ph.D., associate dean of the Kania School of Management (KSOM), to discuss his interest in helping fellow alumni. The rest, as they say, is history.
While McNany’s original intent was to “recreate what Tom (O’Brien) did,” he’s carved his own path, helping students and alumni advance their careers while living out the Jesuit values of cura personalis that he learned while studying finance at the University.
“It can be intimidating if you don’t have someone as a mentor to give you a sense of what to expect in the early years of your career,” said McNany.
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“There's a delicate balance when looking to advance your career. ... A mentor will focus on the career path, whereas a manager has different interests and might look to just assign more of that same work."
BRIAN MCNANY ’99, managing director of investment banking at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) Bank, one of the world’s leading financial groups.
Mentoring as a Form of Magis
These “paying it forward” moments align with the KSOM career mentoring initiatives.
“I see it as a form of magis — a way of giving back through service and helping students as they once were helped along their journey,” said Mark Higgins, Ph.D., KSOM dean.
About 150 students in KSOM are matched with University graduates each year to mentor them through the career process. The college also hosts Young Alumni day, where recent graduates come to campus to speak to students, becoming key contacts for internships and recruitment. Through the Executive in Residence program, the college invites more seasoned alumni like McNany to share their journeys.
McNany believes there is a sweet spot when mentoring is most needed and effective. “Your best moment for alumni engagement is people who are two to five years out of school. Their college years are still feeling fresh, and they can relate to potential gaps in their knowledge.”
Mentoring, he added, is particularly helpful when looking for ways to rise in the ranks at your employer. “There’s a delicate balance when looking to advance your career. Maybe you’ve mastered what you’re doing and can use something more challenging. But you don’t want to look like you aren’t enjoying your current job. A mentor will focus on the career path, whereas a manager has different interests and might look to just assign more of that same work,” he said.
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In the Leahy College of Health Sciences (LCHS), Amy Kaiser ’20 has had the full-circle experience of being on both the receiving and giving ends of mentoring. Teresa Conte, Ph.D. ’94, associate professor of nursing, urged Kaiser, then a student in the Nursing Department, to apply for a fellowship with The Flynn Foundation, which partners with several of the country’s leading cancer hospitals and undergraduate nursing schools to promote oncology nursing as a career path. Kaiser became the first Scranton graduate to be accepted to that program.
That mentoring relationship between faculty member and student, alumna to alumna, has continued over the years. During the employment challenges of the pandemic, Dr. Conte shepherded Kaiser through the process of applying for and being accepted as a pediatric oncology nurse at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. The two now serve on the board of the Association of Hematology Oncology Nurses, connect with one another at professional conferences and are in touch regularly about Scranton nursing alumni.
“She’s really taken me under her wing and has been a huge help in connecting a lot of Scranton nursing alumni,” said Kaiser of Dr. Conte.
With gratitude for the guidance she has received, Kaiser is “giving back,” mentoring nursing alumni and students, including Caroline Oswold ’28, just the second Scranton student to be accepted as a prestigious Fellow to the Flynn Foundation, where Kaiser now serves on the board.
“‘You can’t pour from an empty cup’ is a self-care quote often said in nursing, especially when discussing burnout,” said Kaiser, now a pediatric oncology nurse at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. “On good days, mentorship helps fill your cup through shared passions, goals and excitement for the profession. After more difficult shifts, mentorship can refill your cup through relatability, understanding and support. In either case, I think mentorship helps nurses feel more grounded and motivated to grow in their careers, both as mentors and mentees,” she said.
"On good days, mentorship helps fill your cup through shared passions, goals and excitement for the profession. After more difficult shifts, mentorship can refill your cup through relatability, understanding and support.”
AMY KAISER ’20, pediatric oncology nurse at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital
A Shared DNA Among Scranton Alumni
The strength of Scranton’s alumni network shines through in other career paths, too. In the field of communications, getting your foot in the door is extremely competitive, and alumni mentorship can make a real difference, as two of Scranton’s communication alumni point out.
When Brian Gavin ’00, senior vice president of communication and marketing at Volunteers of America in Washington, D.C., was looking to expand his communications department, he was very intentional about where he started that search. “I immediately thought back to The University of Scranton and the strong foundation it gave me, both professionally and personally,” he said. After reaching back to a former professor, he was connected with Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., chair of the department of Communications and Media, who recommended Peyton Golowski ’23.
“From the very first interview, there was an immediate sense of familiarity because of our shared Scranton experience,” said Golowski, communications specialist at Volunteers of America. “That common ground carried throughout the entire process, from interviews, to my visit to the office, and into our working relationship today. There’s something special about knowing you’re working with someone who understands where you came from and the values that shaped you during your time at Scranton.”
Dr. Smulowitz is quick to echo those sentiments.
“There’s something to be said about the secret sauce of coming from Scranton and our Jesuit heritage that you don’t get from graduates from other universities. There’s the work ethic, kindness, knowledge and humanity,” she said. Gavin agrees. “There’s a shared DNA among Scranton alumni. We’re mission-driven, hardworking, and grounded in Jesuit values. That common foundation makes mentoring and recruiting more intentional and meaningful,” he said. All of this is more than a fancy slogan for an advertising campaign. Alumni mentoring at Scranton is authentic to the core.
“It’s more than spotting a Scranton sticker on a car or a listing on LinkedIn. It’s an immediate sense of familiarity and excitement when you meet another Royal — a shared experience that continues to show up throughout your career,” said Golowski.
