Jeana (Hobbs) Piscatelli ’01, ’02M knows how important it is for young women to see someone like themselves in leadership roles. And for her, as a Monmouth student, that person was the University’s first female president, Rebecca Stafford.

Today, it’s Piscatelli who serves as a role model to the next generation of female trailblazers on campus. In July, she was elected chair of Monmouth University’s Board of Trustees, becoming the first woman in the University’s 87-year history to hold the position.

A Monmouth County native, Piscatelli says the University was the perfect fit. The campus was beautiful, class sizes were just right, and the school was close to home. She earned a B.S. in marketing and finance and went on to earn her MBA from the Leon Hess Business School.

Piscatelli began her career in the technology field before transitioning to banking. After joining Wells Fargo in 2004, she knew she had found her niche. Things often felt ethereal working in the tech sector. “But money is tangible, and it’s extremely important regardless of industry,” says Piscatelli. “It doesn’t matter what type of business a person is in—you always need financial support. And that’s the best part of what I do: interacting with clients from all different industries.”

After holding progressively responsible positions at Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan, Piscatelli joined OceanFirst Bank in 2018. As director of treasury management, she ensures the bank’s commercial customers have access to online banking resources and works to make those resources as efficient as possible for clients.

Through it all, Piscatelli has continued giving back to the University that helped launch her career.

We have some talented women who are currently on the board. … I know there are plenty of future candidates for this position. Everyone keeps saying, ‘The first female.’ But I want to make sure I’m not the last.

“I had such a great experience here, and everyone gave me such confidence and the ability to be successful that I wanted to give that back to other students in any way that I could,” she says.

Through the years, that has included serving on the Alumni Board of Directors and the Leon Hess Business School Advisory Council. A recipient of a private scholarship as a student, Piscatelli, together with her husband, Drew, has also established a scholarship to benefit accounting, marketing, and real estate majors.

Piscatelli, who was first elected to Monmouth’s Board of Trustees in 2010, has served on the board’s Educational and Faculty Affairs Committee and Finance and Budget Committee and was most recently vice chair. The significance of her appointment as the board’s first female chair isn’t lost on her.

“I appreciate the responsibility that comes with that,” she says. “But we have some talented women who are currently on the board, and I’m always impressed with all the students who I meet. I know there are plenty of future candidates for this position. Everyone keeps saying, ‘The first female.’ But I want to make sure I’m not the last.

For Piscatelli, her spare time is all about family. When she and her husband aren’t driving their son and daughter to practice or cheering them on during their games, the family likes to bike or hike, as well as spend time skiing with extended family and friends at their vacation home in Utah. But no matter how busy she is, Monmouth will always be part of Piscatelli’s life.

“The University is stuck with me,” says Piscatelli. “There will always be opportunities to give back, and it is very rewarding to remain involved and see the school continue to improve and prosper.”