St. John Fisher University to Bestow Special Honors during 69th Commencement

St. John Fisher University will bestow three honors upon members of the community during its 69th Commencement celebrations, to be held across five ceremonies on Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13, in the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Athletic Center.

Ann Costello, executive director of the Golisano Foundation; Dr. Rick DeJesús-Rueff, emeritus vice president of student affairs at Fisher; and John Carlo, former senior vice president of pharmacy for Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. will receive a President’s Medal in recognition of their leadership, partnership, and impact on the Fisher community. On Friday, Costello will be honored during the Wegmans School of Nursing ceremony at 2 p.m. while DeJesús-Rueff will be honored during the School of Arts and Sciences ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Carlo will receive the medal at the Wegmans School of Pharmacy ceremony on Saturday at 4 p.m.

“This year’s President’s Medal recipients have each distinguished themselves throughout their careers. Their demonstrated leadership and passion for their work has enabled them to have a great impact in their professions and in their communities. They embody the Fisher values and are an inspiring example to our rising graduates,” said Dr. Gerard J. Rooney, president of the University.

For more than 40 years, Costello has worked in the non-profit sector, primarily in human service administration, philanthropy, and organizational policy development. In 1999, she joined the Golisano Foundation, one of the nation’s leading foundations dedicated exclusively to helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Foundation was established in 1985 by Tom Golisano, the Founder and Chairman of Paychex, Inc., a leader in the payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing industry.

Since joining the Foundation, which has grown in total Foundation assets and annual distribution of funds, she has redefined the Foundation’s role in the intellectual disabilities service arena as proactive partner and catalyst for transformation. 

Under her leadership, the Foundation has supported and launched innovative partnerships and programs including the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at Fisher.

Costello earned her Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy and Practice, and also served as a Research Fellow at the School’s City and Regional Planning. In addition, she completed the Executive Program for Philanthropy Leaders at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Fisher’s Emeritus Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Rick DeJesús-Rueff retired after a 44-year career in higher education, serving at seven different colleges in a variety of administrative and teaching roles.

Born in “El Barrio” in New York City, he was raised there and in North Philadelphia. He was the first member of his family to enroll in college at Haverford College where he studied Spanish and Latin American Literature. He went on to earn his M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology from Temple University, and pursued his Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology at Boston University.

He started his career as a bilingual counselor at Atlantic Community College in New Jersey and then moved into the role of Latino counselor and coordinator at Oberlin College in Ohio. By 1984, he moved on to Haverford College to serve as assistant dean of the college and director of minority affairs before moving to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in the role of associate director of minority affairs and then becoming director of admissions in 1988. From 1989 until 1997, he served the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences first as associate dean for student affairs and then as acting dean for student affairs.

In 1997, he arrived at St. John Fisher and served as dean of students and associate provost until 2008 when was appointed as vice president for student affairs and diversity initiatives. He remained in that role until his retirement in 2017. DeJesús-Rueff became the first academic director of Fisher’s First Generation Scholarship Program and continues to be an integral part of the program today, teaching several seminars for First Generation Scholars in their first and second years at Fisher. In 2022, he taught his last learning community course for first-year First Generation Scholars.

In Rochester, he currently serves on the boards of Center for Teen Empowerment and Leadership Rochester. From 2000-20017, he was also a member of the Center for Youth’s board of directors. He served as a faculty member with the Racial Equity & Justice Initiative in Rochester between 2017-2020, and he remains active with the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network, based in the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue in Washington, DC.

John Carlo is the former senior vice president of pharmacy for Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. In 2023, he retired after a 44-year career in pharmacy – more than three decades of which were spent at Wegmans.

He earned his bachelor of science degree from the Northeastern University School of Pharmacy in 1979 and became an independent pharmacy owner. In 1990, he moved into his Wegmans career, serving as a pharmacy manager and pharmacy student preceptor in Buffalo before becoming the pharmacy operations manager. In 1995, he moved to Rochester and worked in training and development for pharmacy before becoming the pharmacy operations director and managed care director. In 2009, he was named senior vice president of pharmacy and led Wegmans Pharmacy to be recognized by J.D. Power as the No. 1 Pharmacy in America.

He served as president of the Pharmacists Association of Western New York (PAWNY), was a member of the Pharmacy Society of Rochester (PSR), served as regional representative of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (PSSNY), member of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and was on the executive committee and chairman of the New York State Board of Pharmacy. In addition, he serves on the St. John Fisher University Wegmans School of Pharmacy Dean’s Advisory Committee.

In 2019, he was the recipient of the PSR Pharmacist of the Year Award. That same year, he received the Bernie Greenberg Pharmacy Partnership Award from IQVIA (formerly Quintiles and IMS Health, Inc.).

Fisher’s Commencement is the culmination of a weeklong series of events and activities celebrating members of the Class of 2023. For more information about the ceremonies, visit the University’s Commencement website.