Dolce and Hales joined an esteemed group of past honorees including Francis Cardinal Spellman; former Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland, Albert J. Reynolds; former New York Governor, Malcolm A. Wilson; Senator Edward M. Kennedy; President and Chief Operating Officer of American Express, Kenneth Chenault; and Chairman of Coopers & Lybrand, Peter Scanlon.

Dolce, a resident of Valley Cottage, New York, earned a bachelor�s degree in economics from Iona College in 1957 and a master�s degree in management from Cornell University. His work in the meetings industry began with the American Management Association where he was responsible for over 600 meetings and seminars a year. He also worked as an Executive Vice President of Harrison Conference Centers and as the Chief Operating and Development Officer of The Houstonian Hotel in Houston, Texas before forming Dolce International in 1981. He has served as board member and president of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) and, in 1997, received IACC�s highest honor � the Mel Hosansky Award � for his contributions to the conference center industry.

Said Dolce, �It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by Iona College because I feel they do a wonderful job in working with and reaching out to so many people. In the past five years in particular, I have come to realize how important my Iona education and my subsequent involvement in Iona associations have benefited my career and life. As Iona enters this exciting new chapter in their development with the new AACSB accreditation of the Hagan School of Business, I look forward to continuing our long, successful relationship.�

In January, the Hagan School of Business at Iona College announced that it had received accreditation from the premier accrediting agency for U.S. business schools, the AACSB � The International Association for Management Education. 

Having served as a member of the Legal Board of Trustees of Iona College since 1995, Hales earned his degree from Iona College in 1958. In 1998 he received �the Brother William B. Cornelia Founders Award� for outstanding service to Iona College and in 1999 was recipient of the �Corporate Citizen Award� from the Boys and Girls Clubs of New Rochelle. Union State Bank is widely regarded as a leading bank in the Hudson Valley with $1.7 billion in assets. It is ranked among the 250 largest commercial banks in the country and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The global leader in learning through meetings and leisure, Dolce International represents fourteen conference hotels, conference resorts and private/corporate centers in the United States, Canada and Europe including Tarrytown House, A Dolce Conference Hotel in Westchester, County, New York. For more information on