University Service Citation Award Recipient Beth Paladino
Beth Paladino
Beth (Lewis) Paladino’s dedication to Emporia State is so deeply rooted she routinely traveled about 900 miles from her home in Royal Oak, Michigan, to attend on-campus meetings. She has showered her alma mater with generous donations of her time, energy, leadership and funds.
At ESU, she had been a student bookkeeper at the Memorial Union and was a member of the Accounting Club. After graduating in 1979 with a BSB in accounting, she began a career that ultimately took her to the position of accounting manager for Cargill. She retired from Cargill and now is employed by Craig Companies LLC. She was a member of the Foundation Board of Directors from 2010-2021 and is past board chairwoman and past head of the Trustee Development Committee.
She also is a member of the Kellogg Society, the Black & Gold Society, the Accounting Advisory Council and the Foundation’s President Search Committee. In 2013, Paladino established the Lewis Family Endowed Scholarship in honor of her parents, John and Donna Lewis, for undergraduate students with financial needs. It gives first preference to business majors and second preference to education majors.
Paladino was nominated by ESU Alumnus Steve Williams of Newton, Ks. “Beth is a very involved Trustee with the University Foundation,” Williams wrote, describing Paladino’s commitment to the board, especially when she was chairwoman. “During her time as chairwoman, the Foundation continued to see significant growth in alumni support and Trustee involvement.” During her tenure as chairwoman, the board also made significant changes to the Foundation’s bylaws and operational procedures, Williams said.