BUFFALO, NY – The Canisius University Alumni Association will confer the LaSalle Medal upon Deborah C. Leous ’79, MBA ’82 and Paul M. Hassett Jr. ’62, during undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 17 in the Canisius University Koessler Athletic Center. The LaSalle Medal is the Alumni Association’s most distinguished award and recognizes individuals who have made substantial contributions to advance the interests of Canisius University.
Leous is chief financial officer for Florida’s Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and has been steadfast in her dedication to alma mater, since she graduated in 1979. She served on her class reunion committees, participated in Canisius Fund call nights and is a former member of the Canisius University Board of Regents and Board of Trustees. Leous currently mentors undergraduate accounting students, as a member of the Canisius Council on Accountancy, and similarly guides graduate students via her role on the MBA Mentoring Committee. Leous is also chair of the Business Advisory Council, which ensures that Canisius students graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in their respective fields.
Prior to her position with Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, Leous served 15 years as the chief financial officer for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), during which time she managed an operating budget of more than $200 million and a capital plan of $952 million.
Leous earned bachelor’s degrees in accounting and French (1979) from Canisius, as well as an MBA (1982).
Paul Hassett is the senior managing partner at Brown & Kelly LLP and chair of the Pre-Law Advisory Council at Canisius University, which facilitates law-related internship opportunities for students. He is also a generous contributor to the Hassett Family Endowment. The endowment funds the college’s Contemporary Writers Series and its annual Hassett Reading, which brings world-renowned Irish and Irish-American writers to campus.
Hassett previously served on the Canisius University Board of Regents, his class reunion committee and as a Canisius Fund volunteer.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry (1962) from Canisius and a juris doctorate from Georgetown Law School.
Canisius is one of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation and the premier private university in Western New York.
