Mount alumna shares journey with freshmen

BY JOSHUA BYERS

JBYERS@TRIBDEM.COM

CRESSON – Cambria County native Renée Martin-Nagle has curated an international career ranging from the aircraft industry to water conservation, and she shared inspirational words about her journey Thursday with the freshman class of Mount Aloysius College.

“The Mount has the capacity to change your life if you let it,” she said at convocation.

Martin-Nagle spoke to the group about her setbacks in life, such as dropping out of Johns Hopkins University and leaving the Mount’s nursing program, but coupled that with how those lessons led her to success.

She studied liberal arts at the Cresson college and graduated from there in 1979. She’s served on the board of trustees since 2017.

Martin-Nagle said the experiences she had at the Mount opened her up to the world.

From there, she served as vice president and general counsel for Airbus Americas; special counsel for law firm Eckert Seamans; water subject matter expert for Accenture; and founded her own company, A Ripple Effect, in 2013, among other successes.

After 20 years with Airbus, Martin-Nagle found a new calling in water conservation, and in July she addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York on that topic.

That opportunity was the “professional honor of a lifetime,” she told the students.

Martin-Nagle is also assisting in the planning of the 2026 U.N. Water Conference in Abu Dhabi and the next U.N. World Water Day.

She described water as “our most vital resource,” which is where her passion for conservation stems from.

Getting to share her experiences with the students was a “full-circle” moment, she said, and getting to give back is a personal joy.

“My service to the Mount is a way of giving thanks to the Sisters of Mercy,” Martin-Nagle said.

She credits the Sisters, a Roman Catholic religious institution for women that founded the Mount, for providing her with a solid foundation for the rest of her life.

Martin-Nagle was first introduced to their values of mercy in grade school at St. Nicholas Catholic School in Nicktown.

Freshmen Spencer Tennis and Anna Resig said they were touched by Martin-Nagle’s story and message.

“It was inspiring,” Tennis said.

Resig agreed, stating it was “pretty cool” to hear from such a prestigious speaker during the convocation.

Martin-Nagle advised the students to work hard and be smart about their choices but also keep an eye on the larger picture.

She also told them to continue growing their personal values and embrace the opportunities available to them on campus.

Both Resig and Tennis said they their hope for the new semester was to get involved and gain new experiences.

Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat.

Mount Aloysius College alumna Renée Martin-Nagle addresses the new group of freshmen during convocation Thursday at the school in Cresson.

JOSHUA BYERS/

THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT