LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending St. Francis College upon the occasion
of its 51st annual Charter Award Dinner on April 25, 2012 and honoring
Charter Award recipient Barbara G. Koster

WHEREAS, The State of New York is renowned for its centuries-old tradi-
tion of excellence and diversity in education and for the place of para-
mount importance which education holds for the people of the State; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize insti-
tutions of commitment and high achievement whose purpose and endeavor
are dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, and to the
development of responsible citizens and community leaders; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to recognize
and commend St. Francis College, Brooklyn, New York, upon the occasion
of its 51st annual Charter Award Dinner on April 25, 2012 and to honor
Barbara G. Koster, an inspiring member of the St. Francis community and
the esteemed recipient of the 2012 Charter Award; and
WHEREAS, The distinguished Charter Award recognizes the preeminent
service of its recipients to the betterment of the lives of citizens
throughout the New York City metropolitan area; and
WHEREAS, Barbara G. Koster truly merits this high honor; she earned a
Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and an Associate
of Science degree in computer technology from St. Francis College and
went on to serve with distinction in her profession; and
WHEREAS, Barbara G. Koster is Senior Vice President and Chief Informa-
tion Officer for Prudential Financial, head of Global Business and Tech-
nology Solutions and a member of Prudential's Senior Management Commit-
tee; and
WHEREAS, She has oversight responsibility for information technology
at all Prudential locations worldwide and ensures the privacy and integ-
rity of Prudential's information; she formulates policies, establishes
standards and architectures and develops guidelines and management prac-
tices and also manages the company's global networks and data centers
and other technology infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Barbara G. Koster is Chairman of the boards of
Pramerica Systems Ireland, Ltd. and Prudential Systems Japan, Ltd., both
technology subsidiaries of Prudential Financial; and
WHEREAS, She joined Prudential in November 1995 as Vice President and
Chief Information Officer in Individual Life Insurance Systems where she
was responsible for a wide range of technologies, including those which
support distribution, policy administration, customer relationship,
business strategy, call centers, service delivery, financial systems,
information security, business continuation and architecture; and
WHEREAS, Prior to joining Prudential, Barbara G. Koster held several
positions with Chase Manhattan Bank, including that of President of
Chase Access Services; and
WHEREAS, In 2011, NJ BIZ newspaper named her one of the "Fifty Best
Women in Business"; she was named CIO of the Year in 2008 by the Execu-
tive Council and was listed among the Top Executive Women of New Jersey;
and
WHEREAS, Barbara G. Koster also has been named among the Premier IT
Leaders by COMPUTERWORLD magazine; the Top Twenty Financial Management
Technologists by the CIO Forum; and the Elite Eight by INSURANCE & TECH-
NOLOGY magazine; she, in addition, received the prestigious 1999 Women
in Science and Technology Award from the Smithsonian Institute and has
been a featured speaker at dozens of national and international industry
conferences; and

WHEREAS, Barbara G. Koster is a member and past Chair of ACORD, a
standards body for the life insurance industry, and currently serves on
the Board of Trustees of the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey and of
St. Francis College; she is also a member of Executive Women of New
Jersey and of The Research Board, an international think tank; and
WHEREAS, The extraordinary performance and remarkable dedication of
Barbara G. Koster truly merit the prestigious St. Francis College Char-
ter Award and the esteem, respect, and appreciation of this Legislative
Body and the people of the City and State of New York; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend St. Francis College upon the occasion of its 51st annual Charter
Award Dinner on April 25, 2012, and to honor Barbara G. Koster, esteemed
recipient of the 2012 Charter Award; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to St. Francis College and to Barbara G. Koster.