Ray Ciccone of Surf City was named chairman of Stockton University Board of Trustees.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP Stockton alumnus Raymond R. Ciccone of Surf City was named chairman of the Stockton University Board of Trustees at the Sept. 23 meeting held via Zoom.
Andrew Dolce was approved as vice-chairman, and Nelida Valentin as secretary.
Ray's involvement at Stockton has prepared him to hit the ground running, outgoing Chairman Leo Schoffer said. As chair, I know he will bring creative and interesting ideas to the board.
President Harvey Kesselman said Ciccone has been a dedicated supporter of the university.
We have both seen Stockton come a long way since the 1970s when he was a student here, Kesselman said. With his extensive expertise in accounting and the hospitality industry, I look forward to working with him to continue enhancing our programs to serve students.
Ciccone will chair a new President's Task Force to expand the reach of the School of Business academic programs and their connections to entities including Stockton's Lloyd D. Levenson Institute for Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism and the hospitality industry in Atlantic City.
Stockton's Atlantic City campus provides many opportunities for our students to take advantage of hospitality industry experiences, Ciccone said. We want to expand those opportunities and partnerships in an industry that is so prominent and crucial to New Jersey.
Ciccone was appointed to the board in 2012. He received his bachelor's degree in accounting with honors in 1979 from then Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, and his MS in taxation from the Stillman Graduate School of Seton Hall University. He has been a CPA since 1980, currently with the firm of Ciccone, Koseff & Company in Ship Bottom and the Forensic Accounting Group in New York City. He is also a recognized expert in the field of accounting for the hospitality industry.
He credits Stockton for much of the professional success he has achieved over the last 40 years.
Ciccone began his career at Arthur Andersen & Company where, as a member of the firm's worldwide Hospitality Accounting Group, he designed and implemented financial reporting and internal control systems for hotels and casinos.
Ciccone paid tribute to Schoffer in a special presentation that highlighted his contributions to the Sara and Sam Scoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton and his efforts in helping Stockton identify land in Atlantic City that became the Stockton Atlantic City campus.
Leo Schoffer's passion, love and dedication have made an immeasurable impact on Stockton, Ciccone said. We all owe him a mountain of thanks and look forward to his continued work as a member of the board.
In other business, Jaiden Chavis was sworn in as the new Student Trustee Alternate. Former alternate Tyler Rodriguez becomes the new Student Trustee, replacing Nadira Anderson, whose term ended.
