Winifred & Joseph Amaturo to be Honored by NSU with President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service

NSU President George L. Hanbury II (2nd from right) joins 2014 President’s Excellence in Community Service Award honorees Joseph and Winifred Amaturo and Razor’s Edge scholarship recipients Tam Nguyen and Rebecca Nosal. [Photo credit: Sun Sentinel / Kara Starzyk].

Nova Southeastern University (NSU) President George L. Hanbury, Ph.D., will present the President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service to philanthropists Winifred and Joseph Amaturo at the university’s annual Celebration of Excellence event on Saturday, Feb. 1. This year’s event has special significance as NSU celebrates its 50^th anniversary.

Established in 1997, the President’s Excellence in Community Service Award recognizes extraordinary professional engagement activities by a member of the South Florida community. The award encourages the ongoing pursuit of service and exemplifies NSU’s “community” core value.

“As we celebrate NSU’s 50th anniversary, it is fitting that we honor two members of our family who helped us get to where we are today,” said President Hanbury. “Mr. and Mrs. Amaturo are exemplary citizens of our community and stewards of NSU’s legacy. They have made a lasting impact and they deserve to be recognized on a grand stage for their hard work and commitment to our future.”

The Amaturos are models of providing excellence in community service. They dedicate their time between a variety of philanthropic causes, most prominently the Amaturo Family Foundation and the furtherance of the Catholic religion.

Winifred is president of the Foundation, which funds educations, medical research, and the arts. For example, the Foundation supports an advanced reading program for more than 5,000 children in Broward County.

She has also served on the boards of St. Thomas University, Boston College and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and is currently on the Ambassadors’ Council of The Pantry of Broward.

Joseph, who holds a MBA from Harvard, is a prominent entrepreneur having owned and managed 22 radio and television stations and served as chairman of MUVICO Theaters, Inc.

He is active through both his family Foundation and through other organizations like the Broward County Performing Arts Center, YMCA, United Way of Broward County, and Urban League.

In 1994, NSU inducted Joseph into the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship’s Hall of Fame to honor his outstanding achievements and his willingness to contribute time, effort and resources to programs and activities that enhance the quality of life in our communities. He was honored with NSU’s first “Doctor of Commerce Honorary Citation” by former NSU President Abraham S. Fischler in 1998.

The Celebration of Excellence signature event, hosted by President Hanbury and the NSU Board of Trustees, will be held on NSU’s main campus in a special venue in front of the Alvin Sherman Library on Feb. 1. The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Tables are $2,500 and include nine seats, plus a sponsored seat for a student guest. Individual seats are $150 per person and can be obtained online at www.nova.edu/celebrationofexcellence, or by contacting NSU’s Office of Special Events at specialevents@nova.edu. Proceeds benefit scholarships for students.

Community sponsors of the event include Presenting Sponsor: Panza, Maurer & Maynard, P.A.; Entertainment Sponsor: ANF group; Champion Sponsors: ACAI Associates, Inc., Grycon, LLC, JM Family Enterprises, SunTrust, and University Associates; Leader Sponsors: Colonial Consulting, Cruisin Community, Fahlgren Mortine, Gallo Herbert Architects, JD Backhoe, JWR Construction, and Korn Ferry; Catering Sponsor: Chartwells; and Media Sponsor: Sun-Sentinel.

For more information on NSU’s 50^th anniversary and events commemorating this occasion, please visit www.nova.edu/nsu50.

Previous Community Service Award Winners:

• 2013: Guy Harvey, Ph.D.
• 2012: Ron and Kathy Assaf
• 2011: Mike Jackson and David Horvitz andFrancie Bishop Good
• 2010: John C. Johnson and Don Taft
• 2009: I. Lorraine Thomas
• 2008: Claire and Dan Marino
• 2007: Frank Till, Jr. Ed.D. and David H. Rush
• 2006: Alvin Sherman, August Urbanek
• 2005: Wayne and Marti Huizenga
• 2004: August and Toni Paoli, Morton & Geraldine Terry
• 2003: Jim and Jan Moran
• 2000: Robert and Millicent Steele
• 1999: William and Norma Horvitz
• 1998: Leo Goodwin, Sr.
• 1997: Abraham L. Mailman