Joseph Scaminace ’71 succinctly says his involvement in VASJ’s Keeping Our Promises Campaign is simply about the future: the future of the community, the future of the students, the future of continued Catholic education. His engagement and philanthropy demonstrate his devotion to those principles.
A native of South Euclid, Joe attributes his core values to his “amazing” parents (William and Sadie), St. Gregory Parish School, where he was trained by the Notre Dame nuns, St. Joseph High School and the University of Dayton … all of which were Catholic educational institutions that built character, responsibility and ethics.
After earning an MBA at the Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management, Joe embarked on his first job at Gould, Inc., where he worked up to a plant manager position. In the 80s, Joe was fortunate to secure a position at Sherwin-Williams in Atlanta as a plant manager. He culminated his S-W career in Cleveland as president and chief operating officer, appointed in 1999. His yearning to be a CEO was never extinguished, and he left S-W to become chairman and CEO of OM Group in Cleveland, where he remained for 11 years until the company was sold to a private equity firm in 2016.
Since retiring, Joe stays active by serving as a trustee of the Cleveland Clinic. He also serves on the board of directors of Parker Hannifin and Cintas, where he’s the lead director.
Joe discovered that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people were having difficulty getting food. What he realized dramatically changed his philanthropic interests.
Joe became involved as a volunteer of the Cleveland Food Bank, and that evolved into the capital campaign vice chair, where he personally raised significant dollars. He became an active advocate for the cause, but he also began to think about his philanthropy and how it was directed.
Then he thought about education and how it formed a foundation of who he is. And it was not just the book-learning; it was all the other things that emanate from a Catholic education. It fosters food for the mind and soul and personal growth in all students.
Driving his philanthropy now are organizations that:
Have a small or no endowment
Educate young people to be leaders
Feed the hungry
Serve the local community
He has to believe in the mission of any organization that he supports, and that is why he is completely engaged in VASJ. When asked to chair the Keeping Our Promises Campaign, he never flinched. He dove in with his personal leadership contribution of $500,000 and set out to build a committee that would get the job done.
This campaign is the first-ever in the school’s history and has a goal of $5.5 million. The campaign has reached the $5 million mark, and Joe has offered a challenge of an additional $100,000 to raise $250,000. His ultimate goals are to accelerate the campaign, close the campaign successfully and exceed the goal. And anyone who knows Joe is confident he’ll do just that.
Ever humble, Joe talks about how he also totally emerged himself into his 50th class reunion, golfing, parties and Mass … the whole thing. He enjoyed looking back and seeing his classmates sharing, laughing and enjoying the company of people he hasn’t seen for years.
But it also reminded him of why he’s working so hard to build the future for the “beautiful students” at VASJ now and for generations. He views the education received here as a building block that provided an incredible preparation for college. He singled out Joe Radican for building skills in public speaking and debate, which are critical competencies for leaders.
His philosophy about leadership is not about control, but giving control away … not about power, but empowering others. Clearly, these two concepts are the reasons for his successful career. He wants VASJ students to embrace the Catholic education and Marianist leadership principles that were instilled in him. His passion is evident when he says, “Young people are our future.”
Joe shares his world with life-partner Cindy Maglosky, and he’s the proud father of Daniel and Joseph. He takes joy in his nine grandchildren, with two more on the way. Clearly, Joe leads an active and fulfilling life, and we’re grateful that he’s sharing his time, talent and treasure with VASJ.
To learn more about the Keeping Our Promises Campaign,
click here.