Dowling College’s 50th Commencement Ceremony
Saturday, May 19, 2012

Mr. Michael P. Puorro
Honorary Degree Recipient

Dowling College is honored to confer an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters to Trustee Michael P. Puorro at Dowling College’s 50th Commencement Ceremony to be held on Saturday, May 19, 2012, at the Brookhaven Campus in Shirley. Fellow Trustee and Vice Chairman Drew Weidhorn will confer the degree to the Dowling College Board Chairman during the graduate commencement ceremony.

Puorro serves as former co-chairman and president of Madison National Bancorp, Inc. A certified public accountant and senior banking executive, he has more than 25 years of experience in developing successful financial institutions.  Puorro has established a high level of confidence and credibility and possesses a pristine reputation with all Regulatory Authorities, as well as Wall Street financial analysts, members of the investment community, and charitable and civic groups.

Prior to becoming a founder, director and co-chairman and president of Madison National, Puorro served as executive vice president and CFO of New York Community Bancorp, Inc. and New York Community Bank, where he was directly responsible for managing the financial functions of the fourth largest thrift in the United States with over $24 billion in assets and $5 billion in market capitalization.

Prior to his tenure with New York Community Bank, Puorro served as executive vice president and CFO of Roslyn Bancorp, Inc. and The Roslyn Savings Bank, where in addition to managing the company's day-to-day financial operations, he was responsible for overseeing the company’s fiscal plans, (financial) operating standards, and policies and procedures, as well as establishing current and long-term corporate objectives. Under his leadership, the company grew its assets from less than $1 billion to over $12 billion, and increased its full-service retail locations from five to 40. In addition, Puorro served as treasurer of The Roslyn Savings Foundation from 1997 to 2005.

Prior to joining The Roslyn Savings Bank in 1992, Puorro was a senior member of the financial services group in the public accounting firm of KPMG LLP, specializing in financial institutions ranging in size from local community banks to super money center institutions. While at KPMG, Puorro also served on the firm's professional practice review committee.

Puorro currently serves as the chairman of the board of Dowling College, where he earned a B.B.A. from its School of Professional Accountancy. In addition to being a certified public accountant, he is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Puorro also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network), an organization which addresses the issues of hunger and homelessness on Long Island.