New Orleans CityBusiness recognizes the contributions of 14 University of New Orleans alumni to the region’s financial industry in its Money Makers class of 2018. The annual list honors top professionals in banking, investment, accounting, wealth management and corporate leadership based on reader submissions and evaluation of the nominee’s impact on the region.
In the corporate world, six University of New Orleans alumni made the list. Chris Costello, former chief operating officer and partner at New Orleans-based marketing powerhouse Deveney; Sandra DiPietro, St. Tammany Parish Hospital chief financial officer; Ryan Gootee General Contractors chief financial officer Derek Gardes; Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana vice president and chief administrative officer Annette LeBlanc; Ochsner Health Systems executive vice president and chief financial officer Scott Posecai; and St. Tammany Parish Hospital senior vice president and chief operating officer Sharon Toups.
Four alumni appear among the “money makers” from the professional services sector, and they are all graduates of the University’s highly regarded accounting program. Stephen Griffin is a certified public accountant with Griffin and Furman LLC, and Patrick Gros is president of his eponymous accounting firm. Philip Gunn serves as the director of the accounting and insurance group and the managing director of the New Orleans office of Postlethwaite and Netterville. Claude Silverman is a partner with Ericksen Krentel CPAs and Consultants.
Two banking executives, Tony Adams, IberiaBank executive vice president and commercial group manager, and Brian North, Fifth District Savings Bank president and CEO, each earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of New Orleans.
In the investment field, two alumni are recognized whose degrees are from the same department in the College of Business Administration. Paul Hodge, Northwestern Mutual financial advisor and managing director, has a bachelor’s degree in marketing, and Rich Schega, general agent and financial planner with Magnolia Wealth Strategies, has a degree in management.
Four members of the Money Makers class of 2018 also have been inducted into the Money Makers Hall of Fame, which happens after a third year of recognition. They are Costello, Gardes, Gros and Gunn.
