RCSJ students and administrators along with Gloucester County community and business leaders celebrate the naming of the new Lita Marcelo Abele Women's Institute for Business Studies at Rowan College of South Jersey.
Seated at the table from L-R: Dr. Brendan Rickards, provost/vice president of Academic Services; Lita Marcelo Abele; Mike Girone, Rowan College Foundation chair; Dr. Fred Keating, RCSJ president. Standing directly behind Ms. Abele is the Honorable Senen Mangalile, Philippines Consul, New York, and Dr. Patricia Claghorn, RCSJ Business Studies dean.
Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) hosted a ceremony that celebrated the establishment of the Lita Marcelo Abele (LMA) Women’s Institute for Business Studies at the College. This monumental event took place on March 6, and was held in the Rastelli Business and Corporate Center, located on the College’s Gloucester campus.
Global ambassadors, local officials, administrators, educators, and business leaders joined RCSJ students, faculty, and staff for the celebration.
The idea of the Women’s Institute for Business Studies was born from the mind of Abele, an American of Filipino descent, and president and CEO of US Lumber, Inc. Her company is a multi-million dollar building material distributor based in Woodbury Heights, Gloucester County.
“It’s always been my dream to help students and to help women who are starting a small business,” said Abele, who is also a member of the College’s Board of Trustees. “It is important to me to give them an opportunity to compete with others because I did not have that opportunity when I was in college. Now that I have a little something, I want to share that with women, especially minority and nontraditional students.”
Abele established a $10,000 endowment that helped bring her idea of the Institute to fruition. The
Rowan College Foundation matched her endowment with a $10,000 donation of its own.
“On behalf of the RCSJ Foundation, we are grateful for the generous endowment from Lita Abele to support student scholarships for women in business,” said Mike Girone, chair, Rowan College Foundation. “And, in the spirit of true partnership, the Foundation is supporting the College’s initiative for the Women’s Institute for Business.”
The intent of the Institute is to develop leadership skills, foster empowerment, and provide professional growth for women and minority women students at RCSJ whose goals are to enter and advance their careers in the field of business. The Institute is part of RCSJ’s Division of Business Studies.
Participating students will receive access to mentors, scholarship, career pathways, and more. Membership in the LMA Institute is open to RCSJ full-time and part-time students who have completed at least one semester at the College and are currently enrolled in programs within the Division of Business Studies at the Gloucester and Cumberland campuses.
The LMA Institute’s reach extends to Certificate of Achievement (COA), Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.), Associate in Science (A.S.), and students in the 3+1 program, which is an
innovative educational partnership between Rowan University and RCSJ.
“The overall goal of this Institute is to directly connect our students who are currently enrolled with women and minority women in the field,” said Brendan Rickards, provost/vice president for Academic Services, RCSJ.
Rickards explained that the LMA will expose the participants in the Institute to individuals who have climbed the corporate ladder to become leaders in the business field as well as those who have started their own businesses.
“By connecting our students with individuals who are successful in business … we can then allow those partnerships between the students, our faculty and staff, and our external business partners to thrive so that our students can develop into the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.
Dr. Patricia Claghorn, dean of Business Studies, RCSJ, has high hopes the Institute will have a positive effect on students at the College.
“I believe that students who actively participate in the Institute can have a transformative experience given the networking and professional development opportunities that will be provided to this group,” she said. “We all want to provide women and minorities with opportunities to achieve their personal and professional goals; however, we must act and provide the tools to our students so that it can actually happen.”
The LMA Institute includes an advisory board filled with educators and business leaders from the community who, according to Dr. Claghorn, will share their “expertise, leadership and commitment to diversity and inclusion,” which will “contribute significantly to the Institute’s vision.”
Several students who participated in the ceremony shared their thoughts during the event.
“I believe that this Institute for women will have an impact on the College because it will give women and minorities – especially minority women – the power and the courage … to pursue further degrees … and to not settle for anything less than what they deserve,” said Megan Fanelli, sophomore, Business Administration major. “Lita is so inspiring. This is a such a huge step for women … to make an impact and not be in the shadow that women for years have always had to overcome.”
“I think that having this Institute and having someone like Lita as a mentor and a role model is really empowering for women students,” said Nancy Davidson, sophomore, Computer Graphic Arts – Print Design major. “This is a community college … The key thing is making these opportunities accessible to everybody. It’s so empowering having a role model who has been through these kinds of struggles but then also giving you opportunities to go forward.”
“I was invited to witness the inauguration of the Lita Marcelo Abele Women’s Institute for Business [Studies] so that immediately made it a priority on my calendar,” said Mangalile. The consul general took note that the ceremony coincided with the commemoration of
Women’s History Month in March and
International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8 in the Philippines, the U.S., and other countries all across the world.
“The most important thing that the LMA Women’s Institute will do is open the horizons of the students and all the participants in it to the many possibilities available to them to succeed in business and to give them the confidence to look for partners that will help shape their future,” he continued. “It’s about empowering women to make them ready and successful in business.”
Abele, a philanthropist, has received high-profile recognition for her business savvy and acumen and has won numerous awards including: one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the United States in the category of Building and Emerging Leaders, in 2009; one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women Globally, in 2017; SJ Magazine’s 2017 Women of Excellence Inspiration Award; the National Association of Women Business Owners South Jersey (NAWBO SJ) Woman Business Owner of the Year, that same year; plus many more.
Additionally, in conjunction with the College, Abele, who is also an author, held her first book signing event last November for her latest literary work, “A Journey to Now,” which is the fifth book written by the award-winning entrepreneur.
“On behalf of the Filipino community in the U.S. northeastern region, I would like to express great pride in what Ms. Abele has accomplished, and more than that what she is doing for the community,” said Mangalile.
Lita [Abele] is a friend and a mentor,” said Dr. Fred Keating, president of the College. “On behalf of RCSJ, I am thrilled she is leading the way for women in business for our students and for Gloucester County by establishing this scholarship endowment and Women’s Institute in Business Studies.”
When asked how she feels to have an Institute in her name geared to helping women and minority women students achieve their goals, Abele’s eyes smiled with excitement.
“I’m very happy because what is happening now is one of my dreams,” she said. “I will work hard for this institution to become successful, and really help students become successful by giving them moral support and advice when needed. The student’s success is my success.”
For more information about Rowan College of South Jersey’s Division of Business Studies, please visit
RCSJ.edu/Business.
