Leaving a Legacy

Wendy O’Ree ’88 ’96M began her college experience at a large, public university where she quickly realized she was just a number, lost among the crowd.

Upon transferring to Monmouth, Wendy became enthralled by the personalized experience, small class sizes and dedicated faculty who pushed her to participate—even on days when she was exhausted from working full time to pay tuition.

It was during her time on campus that she landed her first job in finance. Thirty years later, Wendy points to her educational experiences here as the catalyst that launched her successful career in banking and wealth management. Today, Wendy is Senior Managing Director at Peapack Private Wealth Management.

Wanting to pay it forward, Wendy created an annual scholarship for transfer students to Monmouth. She then decided to enhance her annual support by endowing her scholarship support through a generous gift in her will. As a result, Wendy’s scholarship will continue after her lifetime, in perpetuity, to help transfer students pursue a Monmouth degree in business or the arts (her second love).

“Transferring from a big university to Monmouth is the best thing that ever happened to me,” Wendy says. “I got a hand up from Monmouth University, and now I’m happy to be giving others a similar opportunity.”

Join Wendy in helping students while creating your own legacy at Monmouth University. Contact Amanda Klaus ’09 at 732-571-3411 or legacy@monmouth.edu for more information on including the University in your will, trust or estate plan. We look forward to celebrating your generosity and welcoming you into Monmouth’s Shadow Lawn Society for donors who have named Monmouth in their long-term financial plans.