Perhaps the only thing that exceeds John Gleason’s generous support for SUNY Geneseo is his enthusiasm and affection for his alma mater, which were ignited by the Clark Foundation Scholarship that enabled him to attend the college.
“Without that scholarship I couldn’t have gone to Geneseo,” said Gleason, a 1987 graduate in economics who is currently the global chief COO for Listed Derivatives and Prime Brokerage at Morgan Stanley & Co.
“The experiences I had there, the people I got to know, especially meeting my wife, and knowing I couldn’t have gone to Geneseo without financial assistance motivated me to make sure that a person like myself, from a rural, economically depressed area, had the opportunity to attend a state school and have the same experiences and opportunities as I had,” said Gleason, a native of the Otsego County, N.Y. hamlet of Schenevus.
Gleason and his wife, MaryGrace Jiran ’84 Gleason, are long-time supporters of Geneseo both financially and as volunteers. The couple endowed the John A. and MaryGrace Gleason Endowed Ambassadorship, which provides support for student affairs activities. They were leaders and supporters of the College’s successful 2008-2013 Shaping Lives of Purpose capital campaign, working in the Long Island region and nationally to encourage alumni participation in the campaign.
They have also assisted Geneseo’s enrollment management operations by writing notes of encouragement to prospective students. In addition, Gleason has hosted students in New York City for externship programs. In 2012, he was honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the former Geneseo Alumni Association, and in 2017 the Gleasons received the Geneseo Foundation’s Philanthropic Leadership Award. In addition, Gleason has served on the Geneseo Foundation’s board of directors since 2012, including serving as board chair from 2017 to 2023.
“What I really enjoy is the comradery of the other board members and getting to meet people from different eras at the school,” said Gleason. “Everyone has the same experience. When you talk to someone on the board about Geneseo, they light up. They are people who have a common love of the college and a common purpose to help the students and the college in any way they can.”
The Gleasons are also substantial supporters of the Geneseo for Generations Endowment, which provides unrestricted funds for the college to use where need is greatest. Gleason views his service to Geneseo as an opportunity to continue to learn and to hone his leadership skills.
“I’m not doing what I normally do at work, and I still get a chance to try out my own leadership skills and expand on skills that I might not get to do at work, but I can do through my donations and my service,” said Gleason.
