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Glenn Tynan ’80

Musician-turned-accountant credits his alma mater for laying the foundation for his future career: being the vice president and CFO of a multi-billion dollar corporation.

Posted in: Alumni Profiles

Glenn Tynan

College provided alumnus a solid career foundation

Glenn Tynan ’80 planned to be a music teacher, but decided to shift to business as the economic downturn of the late 1970s led to cuts in arts education.

“I wanted to ensure I’d have a job after college, so I decided to treat music more as a hobby,” he recalls.

Tynan, who played all of the brass instruments, loved music but was surprised to find his interest sparked in accounting after an introductory course taught by Professor Frank Aquilino.

“You could tell he had a passion for it, everything was so clear,” Tynan says. “It just stuck with me.”

Tynan grew up on the Jersey Shore and lived on campus during his four years. In fact, while in college, he pretty much never left, spending summers working for housing and campus dining. He dove into campus activities and leadership roles. He served as president of the Residence Hall Federation and worked in housing as an assistant dorm director, a role that offered him opportunities to participate in several University search committees.

“I got insight into how roles were shaped and evaluated, and had a chance to interact with University trustees and administrators,” Tynan says. “Montclair State just provided opportunities for the taking.”

Tynan got an accounting internship over winter break of his senior year, an experience that translated into his first job after graduation with Price Waterhouse, one of the Big 8 accounting firms. After four years with the accounting giant, Tynan joined The Genlyte Group, in a role that ultimately enabled him to rise to the position of corporate controller during his 14 years there.

Tynan has spent the last 17 years as vice president and chief financial officer for Curtiss-Wright Corp., a $2.5 billion publicly traded manufacturer and service provider for the commercial, industrial, defense and energy markets. Based in North Carolina, Tynan says the lessons he learned in college prove valuable every day as he works with colleagues throughout his organization, as well as Wall Street analysts and investors and other professional constituents.

“Montclair State definitely provided me a very solid foundation that clearly enabled me to be successful in the workforce,” he says.

  • Written for the 2020 FelicianoBiz Magazine