Reunion 2026 Celebrates MMC’s Legacy While Looking Ahead
Alums at Reunion Weekend’s Margaritas and Mingling event
Hogla Texidor Romano ’76 remembers a very different MMC from the one students and younger alums experienced. Her professors were members of the College’s founding order, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, many of whom still wore their habits; there were mandatory assemblies; and commencement took place in the Great Hall. “We had to wear graduation gowns that you got as a freshman, with white gloves and black shoes,” she said.
She returned to campus for MMC’s 2026 Alumni Reunion on May 8–9, making the trip from her New Jersey home to celebrate her 50th class anniversary and reconnect with classmates, but also, she said, to see how the College had changed—and how it would continue to evolve as it moves toward its merger with Northeastern University.
Many alums who joined her shared a similar motivation. In some ways, this year’s reunion weekend was like the reunions of years past. A multifaceted celebration, it saw alumni catch up with beloved faculty members over margaritas and honor their peers at the Alumni Awards ceremony, which recognized six alums making a difference in their industries and communities. Longtime Art professor Hallie Cohen led a painting class, and many alums took advantage of an opportunity to attend the Dance Department’s Spring Repertoire concert. There were also reunion mainstays like the alumni lunch, campus tours, and, for alums like Romano, who attended the College in its days as a Catholic women’s school, Mass.
But as the planned merger with Northeastern University nears completion this summer, two years after it was first announced, this year was also appreciably different. It wasn’t the last reunion for MMC alums—those gatherings and other alumni events will continue after the merger—but it was a weekend when the words “change,” “transformation,” and “legacy” hung in the air.
“It was the most wonderful experience to attend Marymount,” said Jane Knox-Kiepura ’86, who came to MMC as a returning student at a time when the College enrolled a sizable number of adult learners. “I remember some women in my class who were also returning students saying they didn’t think they’d make it through, but we all sort of helped each other. Marymount left a wonderful legacy for so many, and I’m grateful, which is what I’m here to say.”
During a presentation highlighting the academic year and providing updates on the merger, Interim President Peter Naccarato emphasized that MMC alumni would continue to play an important role after the College transitioned to Northeastern – New York City. Central to that effort will be the Marymount Manhattan Center, which he said will help preserve connections among alumni while celebrating the College’s history. Going forward, it will host cherished events like Reunion.
“The center will be charged with continuing to provide a quality alumni experience that honors our traditions, tells alumni stories and celebrates your accomplishments, and facilitates networking across both the MMC and NU alumni networks,” he said.
He encouraged alums to support its work and remain engaged. “I hope you will continue to be part of this journey.”
Interim President Naccarato also announced that MMC’s Associate Vice President for Development Operations and Alumni Relations, Wilton Fontenette, had been named the center’s inaugural executive director. Fontenette joined MMC in June 2020 and has since become a familiar presence to alumni.
“In her nearly six years at the College, she has proven to be an accomplished leader and loyal friend to MMC,” Interim President Naccarato said. “This position will require Wilton to make good use of all the skills—alumni relations, fundraising, event management, and team building—that she has excelled in since she joined us. We are thrilled that she will be leading the center.”
Fontenette said she was “honored to have the opportunity to steward the history and legacy of Marymount Manhattan College,” adding that she planned to launch a survey and host roundtable sessions to gather alumni’s thoughts and ideas to inform the center’s development. Fontenette will also be working with Northeastern to select a physical space to house the center.
Since MMC alums will also be considered part of the Northeastern alumni community post-merger, they were introduced to that network at Reunion through a session with Northeastern’s Associate Vice President, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, Lori Jacques. Northeastern’s global alumni community includes more than 350,000 alumni across 187 countries, with 49 official regional and international alumni communities that often host events and networking opportunities MMC alums will be able to attend.
News about the center and ongoing efforts to reach out to and activate alumni was reassuring for Romano, who said she was glad to know the community would remain intact.
Meanwhile, fellow alum Angelette Verdena King ’00 said she was hopeful that the merger with Northeastern would help take the College to the next level, and that, as someone who has studied MMC closely over the years, the idea of transformation was not new. “When I was a student here, I worked on the yearbook, and as I looked through the ones from previous classes that I wasn’t a part of, I saw a common theme—that this school has always been in some type of transition,” she said. “And it’s still in transition today.”
In the end, she added, MMC would always be a special place that poured into her and enabled her to grow as a student and as a person. And no matter how the campus changes, “I know that what we experienced here will still remain because it’s the fabric of who we are.”
View photos from Reunion in the gallery below.
Published: June 05, 2026
Wilton Fontenette Named Executive Director of New Legacy Center
Wilton Fontenette, MMC’s associate vice president for development operations and alumni relations, has been named the inaugural executive director of the Marymount Manhattan Center. The center will serve as a hub for alumni engagement while preserving and celebrating the College’s history and traditions after MMC’s merger with Northeastern University is finalized at the end of the month.
