MU hosts women’s forum April 30

West Long Branch — What do a landscaper, a banker, and a recycler all have in common? They are all successful business leaders who have overcome gender stereotypes en route to success. Linda Bowden, Valerie Montecalvo and Karen Siciliano will discuss their experiences at  Monmouth University’s upcoming women’s forum, “The Unpaved Road to Success: How New Jersey Business Leaders Forged Their Path.”
The panel discussion, sponsored by the Leon Hess Business School, is slated for Thursday, April 30 at 4:30 p.m. in Wilson Auditorium.

Bowden, New Jersey regional president of PNC Bank, has been named among the “25 Women to Watch” by U.S. Banker magazine and was recognized as one of the “Best 50 Women in Business” by NJBiz.

Montecalvo is owner and CEO of Bayshore Recycling Corporation (BRC), a nationally-recognized and award-winning facility in Woodbridge. A New Jersey native, Montecalvo leads the most diverse and multifaceted operation of its kind on the East Coast. BRC’s Eco-Complex and Energy Campus has been coined the “Mega-Mall for Recycling” by former NJDEP Commissioner, Lisa Jackson, who was a former USEPA administrator under President Barack Obama.

Siciliano is president of Siciliano Landscape Company in Red Bank, which is a full-service landscape architecture firm in addition to providing maintenance and installation. She had been working in finance for 18 years, serving as vice president of JP Morgan and Chase Manhattan Bank in Mortgage Backed Securities, and then the 9/11 attacks changed her world. Several months later she left Wall Street to take over her family’s 80-year old landscape business.

Peter S. Reinhart, director of Monmouth University’s Kislak Real Estate Institute, will facilitate the panel discussion.
This event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. To register, call 732-571-3423 or visit monmouth.edu/business-school/Womens-Forum-RSVP.aspx.