Fostering Strong, Well-Educated Women

Lockheed Martin executive and 1981 business grad Maryanne Lavan has made a generous gift to her alma mater.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 27, 2018) — Maryanne Lavan ‘81 is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company with 126,000 employees world-wide. She is also a committed supporter of her alma mater — a member of the University at Albany Foundation Board of Directors and a generous donor to the University’s campaign.

Lavan credits UAlbany’s School of Business with providing an education that has served her well throughout her career, and with fostering a love of learning that inspired her to earn a law degree from American University.

She also has fond memories of her experiences outside the classroom at UAlbany, as a resident assistant and a cafeteria worker. “Working as an RA allowed me to help people, especially freshmen, which I enjoyed. And while it’s a joke in my family because I don’t cook, in the cafeteria I learned how to make large batches of scrambled eggs and clean dishes and pots. I always worked the breakfast shift because it forced me to get up early and get my work hours in before classes began.”

Lavan’s commitment to UAlbany, and her desire to help future generations of students, fueled her $500,000 gift to the University’s comprehensive campaign. The gift will support three priorities: the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; the Gender and Sexuality Center; and the Anne and Thomas Lavan Scholarship, named in honor of Lavan’s parents.

“Those are areas that I’m particularly interested in,” said Lavan. “I feel it’s important to promote the success of strong, well-educated women in college and beyond. I also wanted to honor my late brother and his experience by supporting the LGBQT community. And I wanted to make sure that smart, ambitious students have the opportunity to benefit from a great college education.”

Courtney D’Allaird, founding director of the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, expressed appreciation for the difference Lavan’s gift will make to LGBTQ students who are in crisis. “We cannot be more thankful,” said D’Allaird. “Maryanne’s gift has greatly expanded the GSRC’s ability to reach out to LGBTQ students on campus and the kind of services that we can offer.”

Added Vice President for Advancement Fardin Sanai, “Maryanne’s gift addresses two of our most important priorities: strengthening scholarship support for deserving students and ensuring the UAlbany experience is as inclusive as possible. We are grateful for her thoughtful generosity.”

“I believe firmly that education is what makes the greatest difference in people’s lives,” said Lavan. “I hope my gift sets students on a course to be successful. And then, when they’re 20 or 30 or so years out of college, they too will be in a position to give back.”

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