LIU Post Names Two Entrepreneurs As Honorary Degree Recipients

BROOKVILLE, N.Y., March 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LIU Post will honor two internationally known business leaders at the 57th Commencement ceremonies on May 8, 2015. Lynne Greene, worldwide group president of the Estée Lauder Corporation, will be honored at LIU Post's undergraduate ceremony. John Kanas '68, chairman, president, and CEO of BankUnited, will be honored at the graduate ceremony.

Greene has over 30 years of experience in the beauty industry and is a business leader who thrives on accelerating business performance. She has been instrumental in establishing Clinique as the authority on addressing dermatological skin care concerns and the guiding force behind the launch of the brand's successful dermatological solutions, including Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector, Redness Solutions, and other breakthrough skin care innovations. Other brands in her portfolio include Aveda, Origins, Darphin, and Lab Series.   

Previously, Greene served as president of the Estée Lauder Companies Specialty Group Worldwide division for two years, leading the Prescriptives, La Mer, and Jo Malone brands. Greene graduated from the University of Missouri. She is a board member of Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), an industry organization established for women. She is also a board member of Mercy College.

"LIU seeks to honor individuals who are extraordinarily accomplished in their fields," said Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, president of LIU. "Lynne Greene's entrepreneurial creativity to sustain competitive advantage through product innovation serves as inspiration to our students studying brand management, new product development, international business, and much more."

John Kanas '68 is a proud graduate of LIU and he serves as chairman, president, and CEO of BankUnited. At the age of 29, Kanas was named one of the country's youngest bank CEOs when he took the helm of North Fork Bancorp Inc. He led the company to an IPO and inclusion in the S&P 500 Index, and ultimately its position as the 16th largest bank in the U.S. In 2006, Capital One acquired North Fork Bank for more than 400 percent of its tangible book value.  

Kanas later took the reins at Miami-based BankUnited, deep in the midst of one of the biggest recessions in U.S. history. He worked quickly to revitalize a workforce that had lost everything, including its own financial stability and retirement plans. 

In 2013, BankUnited N.A. opened its first branches in New York and now has over $20 billion in assets and more than 100 branch locations in Florida and New York. BankUnited employees, increasingly satisfied with their employer's recovery, have ranked it as one of the most attractive banks to work for in the U.S. It ranked third by Forbes Magazine's list of "Best Banks in America 2015."

Kanas is a dedicated member of many professional, academic, and community boards and is a past president of the New York State Bankers Association. In 2005, Institutional Investor named Kanas as the best regional bank CEO in America. In 2007, he received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship. Kanas was named CEO of the Year by the South Florida Business Journal and EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the State of Florida in 2014. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Weill Cornell Medical College.

"LIU proudly counts, among its alumni ranks, some of the world's most influential and innovative entrepreneurs like John Kanas," said Eric Krasnoff, chairman of the LIU Board of Trustees. "Professionally and personally he leads by example and is significantly involved within many communities."

"Lynne Greene and John Kanas represent excellence and extraordinary success in innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to businesses and communities," said Dr. Cline. "LIU combines academic and experiential learning to teach students the skills that employers want and prepare graduates for leadership roles in a global economy. LIU is proud to honor our graduates and celebrate our exceptional honorees."

For more information on the LIU Post Commencement ceremonies, visit www.liu.edu/post/commencement.

LIU
LIU is one of the nation's largest private universities. Since its founding in 1926, LIU has provided high quality academic programs taught by world-class faculty grounded in the liberal arts and sciences. LIU offers 500 accredited programs to more than 20,000 students in the New York City metropolitan region. LIU has an active network of over 180,000 alumni that includes leaders in industries across the globe. LIU is recognized for its commitment to experiential education, service learning, and entrepreneurial thinking. LIU empowers students with skills they need to excel in the classroom, in their careers, and beyond. Visit liu.edu for more information.

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