Spring 2003 - Fenwick High School

GIVING BACK...
Secrets of Success
The specter of success causes some
people to feel conflicted. “Shall I devote
myself to being successful… or should my
priority be helping others who are less
fortunate”
Paul Tierney ’60 found a way to resolve
the conflict. He does both.
After graduating from Fenwick, Paul
spent four years at University of Notre
Dame, then two years in the Peace Corps,
working with farmers in South America.
From there, he went on to Harvard
Business School, followed by a job in
private equity, a year as chief of financial
programs for the U.S. Railway
Association (now Conrail), then a position
in the corporate finance division of White,
Weld & Co.
In 1978, with two of his former colleagues
from White, Weld, he formed Gollust,
Tierney, and Oliver to begin a decade
of intense entrepreneurship, initially
focusing on financing transportation
projects and eventually branching into
strategic block investing and private
equity. In the late 1980s, highly successful
by anyone’s definition, Paul decided to
make time, as he says, “to get serious” and
return to his desire to help others. He
became involved with TechnoServe, a
nonprofit organization that works with
entrepreneurs in Latin America and Africa
to build sustainable businesses.
In 1992, Paul became TechnoServe’s
chairman, and in that capacity, he has led
efforts to modernize the organization and
raise funds to support the work in the field.
He also developed a program where
volunteers from a variety of companies
work with entrepreneurs to develop brands
and attract finances. Under his leadership,
Fenwick was a pivotal
“
experience for me. It is a
place where I clarified and
committed to the core
values that would guide the
rest of my life. The spirit of
Fenwick, the idealism of the
Dominicans and the
friendship of my colleagues
have been with me
wherever I travel.
”
Paul Tierney ’60
TechnoServe has grown to have a $15
million budget and more than 400
employees, and in 2001 was named by
Worth magazine as one of “America’s Best
Charities.”
Helping Others
6
SPRING FALL 2002 2003
Like Paul Tierney, who found success in business a
stepping-stone to helping others, Peter Newell ’97 began
his path with community service. After graduating from
Boston College in 2001, he and his friend and classmate
Pat Gibbs ’97, joined AmericaCorps VISTA, a domestic
variation on the Peace Corps.
As a VISTA volunteer, Pat worked as a teacher in a
“Headstart” school and in an after-school program. Peter
recruited other volunteers to staff childcare centers run by
Catholic Charities in the inner city of Denver. They earned
only $755 a month, with no housing or food provided. “The
most important thing I learned was what I could do
without,” said Peter.
While at Fenwick, Peter had become involved in the Big
Brother organization and found the experience more
rewarding than he ever expected. When his year with
VISTA was over, Peter returned to the Chicago area and
Peter Newell
now works as a Policy Assistant in the office of Pat
Quinn ’67, Illinois Lieutenant Governor. Peter’s
responsibilities include scheduling events and working
with another “corps” of volunteers – Freedom Corps, which
is involved in homeland security.
Pat Gibbs lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Pat Gibbs