The Best Is Yet to Come

A line from his 2006 Loyola graduation program has always stuck with John McNamara.

“It said something to the effect of, it’s not what our students do, it’s what kind of people they become,” the New Jersey native recalled.

Nearly two decades later, McNamara is proof of that philosophy in action. As the recipient of Loyola’s inaugural James B. Sellinger Family Alumni Impact Award— recognizing leadership, integrity, and commitment to service—he has dedicated himself not just to professional success but also to making a difference.

A former young alumni representative to Loyola’s Board of Trustees, McNamara currently leads the New York chapter of the Alumni Association, bringing graduates together to foster professional connections and a commitment to service.

“We share a common fondness for our time on the Evergreen campus, but also a belief that we’re living and working for something greater than ourselves,” said McNamara, who has also served on Loyola’s Alumni Association Advisory Board.

YAs a managing director in Stifel’s Diversified Industries Investment Banking Group in New York, McNamara has completed more than 75 transactions during his 19-year career. He specializes in environmental services.

“My role at Stifel can be fast-paced and focused on capital markets and monetary valuations,” he explained, “but I’ve done my best to not lose sight of a greater picture or greater cause.”

In the last two years, he has partnered with Astrid Schmidt-King, J.D., associate teaching professor of management and organizations, to create a program allowing Loyola sustainability students to attend Stifel’s investor summit at the annual WasteExpo national conference.

“We expose students to industry leaders and trends in waste and recycling,” said McNamara, a business major and Spanish minor. “I also make it a point to ask what they’re learning at Loyola that we should be sharing with industry executives.”

McNamara first became aware of Loyola through his mother, a New Jersey high school teacher who noticed many of her top students choosing to attend the Jesuit university in Baltimore. Once on campus, he embraced student life, competing on the swimming and diving team and holding leadership roles in student government. He also spent a semester in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, as part of Loyola’s study abroad program.

In his senior year, McNamara ran for president of the student body on a ticket with Suzy Pacia, ’06, a fellow senior who had been involved in everything from serving as a resident assistant to being the goalie on the club soccer team and an assembly person in student government.

“Our campaign motto was, ‘The best is yet to come,’” McNamara remembered. “And it aligned with the fact that we had a new president coming in with the inauguration of Father (Brian) Linnane in the fall of our senior year.”

The campaign motto proved prophetic beyond politics.

Not only did McNamara and Pacia win the election and serve together in government, they also married four years after graduation, with the Rev. Timothy Brown, S.J., officiating their wedding at Loyola’s Alumni Memorial Chapel.

Now a father of three and active at his family’s parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Pelham, New York, McNamara said he is grateful to the many Loyola mentors who shaped him, and he is humbled to be the first recipient of the James B. Sellinger Family Alumni Impact Award, presented at the 2024 Business Leader of the Year event.

“I owe a lot to Loyola personally and professionally,” he said. “I hope to continue working with the University for many years, and I hope this award inspires more alumni to stay connected.”