Cabrini Profiles – Joe Polizzotto

Joe Polizzotto

Joe Polizzotto, Managing Director and General Counsel of Lehman Brothers, has been a member of the Board of Cabrini Mission Foundation for the past two years. He is currently Chairperson of the Investment Committee. Joe and his wife Janet have two children, Emily and Julie.

Q: How did you first become connected to the Cabrini institutions?

I was introduced to Cabrini Mission Foundation through its Chair, Dan Rubino. As a Catholic lay person, I was attracted to it as a good opportunity to get involved with an organization that represents a significant part of what being a Catholic is about: social outreach, education, healing, and caring for others. Working with the Foundation presents me with an opportunity to advance basic Catholic social ideals.

Q: Describe why working with the Foundation is personally fulfilling.

There are several different reasons, and they all reflect the various missions of the Cabrini organizations. As someone with inner-city roots, I know how difficult it is for many children who come from a lower-middle class background to have access to the kind of education that will take them to the next level. At Mother Cabrini High School here in New York, every single girl goes on to college. Also, the impact Cabrini Mission Foundation has on the children at St. Philip’s Hostel in Swaziland is enormous. However small our contributions as board members, we are certainly involved in this direct assistance to people who are in great need.

Q: In what direction would you like to see the Foundation moving in the future?

As it matures, and as it develops in scale and influence, I’d like the Foundation and us as board members to think more broadly about the scope of our mission. There are many projects that are tangentially associated with our institutions, but still are at the heart of our mission. An example is the Grace for Gogos campaign at St. Philip’s Mission. Due to the ravages of HIV/AIDS, these grandmothers, Gogos as they’re called, are now the primary caregivers for an entire generation of Swazi families. St. Philip’s Mission is dedicated to both easing the pain and also devising real solutions for these grandmothers. The ideal would be to support organizations and causes that reflect Cabrinian values but may not be directly connected to us.