Diane Cognato Efthimides ’77 CLAS

Growing up, two fundamental principles were instilled into Diane Cognato Efthimides ’77 CLAS by her parents Charles and Dolores: education and hard work. She fondly remembers her father encouraging her and her two brothers to learn as much as possible. Diane recalls him taking time to sift through the dictionary to learn a new word each day, an exercise he mirrored with history and science encyclopedias.

“My parents very much wanted me to have a college education,” Diane said.

Diane lived at home and commuted to campus all four years, but that did not diminish the impact that Villanova had on her life. The curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences opened her mind to philosophy, economics and political science. The education she received and the connections she made at Villanova served as the foundation for her professional success.

She majored in economics and graduated magna cum laude from Villanova, working retail jobs to help pay tuition. Then, after beginning her career in consulting, Diane decided to go back to school, earning a master’s degree in management with honors from Northwestern University. While working in New York City as a Vice President for American Express, she met her husband, Emil, a global equity analyst and graduate of Penn and Fordham. Diane and Emil were married at the St. Thomas of Villanova Church in 1993. The Church and their faith remain a very central and constant presence in their lives.

Now retired, Diane continues to volunteer in the community, primarily as a museum docent. She aims to encourage others to become lifelong learners in the same way that her father encouraged her.

As Diane worked through her estate planning, she knew she wanted to give back to Villanova so she paid tribute to her father by establishing an estate gift to create the Charles G. Cognato Scholarship.

“I wanted to open a door for a student who may not have thought that door would open for them,” she said. “I also wanted to honor my father, who inspired me, and keep his name and memory alive.”

One of six children born to Italian immigrant parents in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Charles Cognato was an accomplished high school athlete who passed up athletic scholarships in order to work to support his family. He went on to marry his high school sweetheart, Dolores. Charles worked at least two jobs simultaneously throughout his life to provide for his family and ensure his three children’s educations. At the same time, he pursued night school and served in the Army National Guard, rising to the rank of captain.

For Diane, education and hard work, traits inculcated by her father, gave her the ability to support future generations of Villanovans.

“My hope is that my story will inspire others to invest in Villanova,” she said.