Every Gift Tells A Story: Thomas J. Nathanson ’74

Nathanson Leadership Gift Fuels Stevens’ Future

As a Stevens undergraduate, Thomas J. Nathanson ’74 experienced firsthand how donor support can make a difference. That support changed his academic journey and continues to inspire his longstanding generosity to the university.

Building on decades of giving, he and his wife Nancy recently made a transformational gift to establish the Nancy V. and Thomas J. Nathanson 1974 Fund for Strategic Institutional Investment to support the university’s highest priorities and areas of greatest need.

“When we first decided to get involved in philanthropy at Stevens, our motivation went back to when I was accepted to Stevens,” he says, noting that his grandfather immigrated from Italy and settled in Hoboken in the late 1800s. “To the people in Hoboken, Stevens was a very prestigious, special place. So there was a lot of excitement in the family.”

Through scholarships and loans, he was able to afford tuition, but not room and board. In his first semester, he commuted two hours each way by bus and struggled with the rigorous coursework. He explained his situation to the dean of financial aid who provided an award of $500, enough to move onto campus for the next semester.

After that, Nathanson excelled at Stevens. He served as treasurer of Delta Tau Delta, joined the varsity basketball and lacrosse teams, worked as the news and sports editor of The Stute and served as president of the Varsity S Club. He went on to graduate with a B.S. in electrical engineering.

“It was only years later that I understood the $500 came from the generosity of donors,” he says. “They did something that significantly impacted my education, my career and my life. Whether you look at it as paying it forward or paying it back, my wife and I decided that we needed to get involved in the lives of young people, and we donated to Stevens.”

Elevating Excellence Across Stevens

The Nathansons’ generosity has benefited areas across Stevens, supporting scholarships, and through the Strategic Institutional Investment Fund, establishing and funding the Presidential Fellowships. Their most recent gift helps Stevens advance key priorities, plan for the future and invest in emerging opportunities.

“Stevens’ future is incredibly exciting,” Nathanson says. “We’re at a transition point in so many ways in this world, and especially now with the advent of AI. Stevens is among the first in the country to have an AI degree and apply AI across every discipline. Stevens students are going to be the best prepared to manage what’s going forth for our future. I think it’s important to all of us that we have the right leaders for that technology.”

Nathanson has stayed closely connected to Stevens and currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees. Previously, he served as an alumni trustee and president of the Connecticut Stevens Club. He has also worked with the career placement office to assist graduating seniors. In 1994, Nathanson received the Harold R. Fee 1920 Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of his dedication to building a vibrant and supportive alumni community.

Nathanson credits Stevens with providing him with the skills to build a highly successful career in consumer products manufacturing and operations.

“Stevens prepares students incredibly well through the rigor of the academics and the quality of the faculty,” Nathanson notes. “I was surprised how prepared I was compared to graduates from other universities. As a result, I was able to accelerate my career and get to the C-level in major corporations.”

He began his career at Union Carbide’s Home and Automotive Division, producing many market-leading products. As he advanced through the company, the division became First Brands Corporation. During his tenure, the company went public and grew into a $1.5 billion Fortune 500 company, with Nathanson rising to the role of corporate executive officer and vice president of operations and technology. He later became a corporate officer and vice president of manufacturing at Hartz Mountain. Following the sale of Hartz, Nathanson worked for two portfolio companies of Private Equity Groups, becoming president of a nutraceuticals company. He went on to serve as managing director at American Capital. He is currently chairman of the board of Summit Plastics.

In addition to the career preparation, Nathanson also greatly appreciates the lifelong connections he made with fellow students at Stevens. “Two of them, when I was commuting, would let me sleep on the floor of their dorm room the night before big exams and would buy extra food with their meal plans. We’re still close friends today. I value that.”

His Stevens experience helped shape his enduring commitment to giving back. Previous support from the Nathansons has helped empower Stevens’ faculty and advance their work. The Presidential Fellowships are prestigious awards given to early career faculty whose work demonstrates outstanding achievement and future potential, providing resources to pursue innovative research and enhance student learning opportunities.

Advancing Impactful Research

For Presidential Fellow Antonia Zaferiou, assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, the fellowship provided critical funding to collect compelling pilot data that strengthened National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications, helping secure two federal awards. The grants support the development of music-based movement training technologies to reduce fall risk, including projects focused on persons with Parkinson’s disease and older adults.

“The fellowship has allowed us to enter new, uncharted territory in our lab’s research — all while providing invaluable learning experiences for undergraduate and graduate students,” Zaferiou says. “The generosity of the Nathanson family is inspiring. It has been a privilege to expand our research portfolio with this recognition and support during a critical stage of my junior faculty growth.”

“Support for early career faculty helps turn promising ideas into sustained projects, and it creates opportunities for students to take part in that work,” says Presidential Fellow Philip Odonkor, assistant professor in the Department of Systems Engineering. “In my case, this support has contributed to research on more resilient cities, more efficient and equitable energy systems, and the training of engineers prepared to work on complex public infrastructure problems. I am deeply grateful for that impact.”

“It has been an honor to receive the Presidential Fellowship, and I greatly appreciate the support,” says Presidential Fellow Jordan Suchow, assistant professor in the School of Business. “The fellowship has made it possible to bring undergraduates into the research process for longer engagements, where they can really dig into a project. That’s how I got my own start in science, and I think it’s one of the most valuable experiences that undergraduates can have.”

Investing in Forward-Thinking Leaders

Nathanson remains grateful for his time as a Stevens student and believes that investing in today’s students will propel the leaders of tomorrow.

“Giving to Stevens is preparing the next generation and future generations of leaders, for this country and the world, to manage the incredible transformation that technology and understanding will undergo over the next few decades,” Nathanson says. “We need leaders like that. Educating these men and women today should be an incredible high priority for us all.”