This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Michael McDonough ’79, vice president for global trade financial services at the Bank of New York, will speak on “Argentina: 20 Years of Adjustment” 7 p.m. Tuesday in Hugel Science Center room 103.
The first event in the International Issues Lecture Series, the talk will give an overview of some of the issues facing Argentina and how they have developed over the past 20 years.
“I’m lucky that a number of the elements of this discussion will come from my own experiences and I hope I can interject some personal flavor into the presentation,” McDonough says.
As vice president for global trade financial services, McDonough is responsible for all trade product and service sales to Bank of New York’s banking clients in Latin America and North America; global business development for the bank’s asset trading activities management teams in New York, London, and Singapore; and global business development and sales for the bank’s businesses with export credit agencies and other governmental risk-mitigation entities.
“It’s always wonderful to invite a successful alumnus to campus,” says talk organizer Rado Pribic, professor of foreign languages and literatures and chair of the international affairs program. “As a father of a current student [Katie McDonough ’08], it’s good to present a role model for students.”
McDonough credits several Lafayette faculty with providing him with positive influences, including Ilan Peleg, Dana Professor of Government & Law; Jean-Pierre Cap, Edwin Oliver Williams Professor Emeritus of Foreign Languages and Literatures; and Pribic.
“I think what I remember most about these and most of the other professors at Lafayette was that they pushed you to look at international issues in a number of different ways and from a number of different perspectives,” he says. “That is one of the critical things that I think has helped me a great deal in my career, which has been entirely focused on international matters.”
Prior to working for Bank of New York, McDonough served as executive director for international treasury with Verizon Communications and held positions with Bank of America, Yaamaichi International, and Irving Trust Company. An international affairs graduate, he earned an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
“It’s nice that my dad is getting involved in the school again,” says Katie McDonough, who plans to follow in her father’s footsteps and major in international affairs. “What makes it nicer is that he is working with a former professor of his. It really shows how tight knit the Lafayette community is. Obviously it was a plus that my dad attended Lafayette and he had more than enough positive things to say about it; however, it did not really influence my decision to come here.”
She admires her father’s involvement with South American culture.
“Time has yet to tell whether I will be joining him in his chosen field,” says McDonough. “I am proud of him though and hope that I can achieve the level of success that he has obtained.”