Fourth Annual “Celestial Ball” to Honor Three Community Leaders

The College of Staten Island’s “Celestial Ball: Reaching for the Stars,” will take place on Saturday, April 13, 2013 at the Richmond County Country Club, rescheduled from its original date of Saturday, December 1, 2012 due to the devastating effects of Superstorm Sandy. The reception will begin at 6:30pm.

This year’s honorees include Robert Cutrona, Sr., President, Project-One Services; Norma D’Arrigo, Community Leader; and Dr. Alfred Levine, Professor, Engineering Science and Physics, and Director, Center for Environmental Science, College of Staten Island.

The goal of the Celestial Ball is to raise much-needed funds to benefit all aspects of the College—from student and faculty support through infrastructure and everyday needs. Although the College is a publicly funded institution, the percentage of state funds in the institution’s budget has been severely reduced in recent years in the face of trying economic times. The need for private support, as a result, is critical.

This year’s Committee Chair is Marilyn Caselli, Senior Vice President for Customer Operations, Consolidated Edison, Inc., and a member of the CSI Foundation Board of Directors, and the Honorary Chairs are the Hon. Rita DiMartino, Trustee of The City University of New York, and the Hon. Kathleen Pesile ‘73, Trustee of The City University of New York and Principal Owner, Pesile Financial Group.

The Honorees:

ROBERT S. CUTRONA, SR. is President of Project-One Services, Inc. and a founding Director of Victory State Bank. 

Mr. Cutrona has served the College of Staten Island as President of the CSI Foundation, a member of the CSI-SIP President’s Roundtable, and a member of the adjunct faculty of the College’s Department of Business. 

An alumnus of Baruch College’s MBA program and a successful businessman, Mr. Cutrona has strived to maintain a healthy and vigorous business climate in the Borough through his engagement with the SI Chamber of Commerce, the SI Economic Development Corporation, and the NYC Building Industry Association, and in his role as co-owner/contributing writer of the Staten Island Business Trends publications. 

Beyond his commitment to Staten Island’s economy and education community, Mr. Cutrona works with and supports many of Staten Island’s not-for-profits, including Eden 2, the SI Mental Health Society, and the Seamen’s Society for Children and Families. He is also a supporter of advancing Italian culture on the Island. 

Mr. Cutrona has received numerous awards for his advocacy of Staten Island, including the CSI President’s Medal, the Jewish Community Center’s Community Award, the SI Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award, the Richmond County Democratic Committee Business Leadership Award, and several Service to Youth Awards from the Boy Scouts of America, among others. 

 

NORMA D’ARRIGO is a community leader on Staten Island.

For decades, Ms. D’Arrigo has dedicated her life to effecting positive change in this Borough and at the College of Staten Island.

An alumna of Wagner College, Ms. D’Arrigo has been a founding member of a number of organizations, including the Friends of CSI, which raises much-needed scholarship funds for the College’s students; the Lynne Robbins Steinmen Foundation, which works for the beautification and improvement of Staten Island; and the Skylight Center, which encourages the socialization of the recovering mentally ill. She is also that organization’s former Vice President and is currently a member of its Board of Trustees.

Ms. D’Arrigo has also served on the Boards of the CSI Foundation, the Snug Harbor Cultural Foundation, the Staten Island YMCA, and the Alice Austin House Museum. In addition, she is the First President and President Emerita of the National Organization-American Committee on Italian Migration.

She has received numerous awards for her hard work and commitment, including the Degree of Cavaliere in the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy, a CSI Dolphin Award, the CSI President’s Medal, the 2013 Staten Island Advance Woman of the Year award, various YMCA awards, the Snug Harbor Medal, and many others.

DR. ALFRED M. LEVINE is Professor of Engineering Science and Physics and the Director of the Center for Environmental Science at the College of Staten Island.

Dr. Levine has a long and distinguished career, most of which was spent at the College of Staten Island. He has been a Professor of Engineering Science at the College since 1970. 

He received his Bachelor’s of Electrical Engineering from Cooper Union, and his Master’s and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University. 

In addition to his tenure as Professor, Dr. Levine has served the Engineering Science Department as Coordinator of the MS program in Environmental Science and as a member of the CUNY doctoral faculty of Physics and Engineering for more than 40 years. He also served the College as Interim Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, and as a Chair or member of a wide selection of bodies and committees, such as the CSI College Council; the University Faculty Senate; the Research Foundation, CUNY; the CSI Long-Range Planning Committee, and more. 

Dr. Levine has also made a significant contribution to academia with a long list of refereed publications, and he has received a number of awards, including two CSI Dolphin Awards, and various research awards from PSC-CUNY, the U.S./Israel Science Research Foundation, and a Fulbright Fellowship.