(Standish, Maine) Saint Joseph’s College of Maine announces that Donato J. Tramuto, the CEO of Tivity Health, Inc–a leading provider of fitness and nutrition health improvement programs–will speak at the 2019 Commencement on May 11th, as well as receive an honorary degree.

Author of Life’s Bulldozer Moments: How Adversity Leads to Success in Life and Business (Hamilton Press), Tramuto is a recognized innovator and industry leader with more than 35 years of healthcare experience and a deep commitment to global healthcare access, patient outcomes, and digital solutions.

Tramuto is the founder of Health eVillages, a non-profit organization which provides state-of-the-art mobile health technology in the most challenging clinical environments. He is also the chairman and founder of the Tramuto Foundation, an international not for profit organization providing college scholarships each year to students who have demonstrated compassionate leadership. Additionally, the Foundation has supported hundreds of organizations whose goal is to make the world a more just and fair place, including a partnership with Saint Joseph’s College to create Maine’s first Institute for Integrative Aging and its associated programming.

President James Dlugos, Ph.D., who will confer the Honorary Doctorate of Public Service Degree to Tramuto, said, “Over the course of his career, Donato Tramuto has brought a spirit of innovation and creativity to the work of improving the lives of people and building stronger communities, which resonates with the mission of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.  We’re proud to recognize his commitment and energy with this honorary degree.”

About the announcement, Tramuto said, “I am deeply honored by this invitation to speak to the graduates of this fine academic institution, and humbled to accept an honorary doctorate. Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is a special place, and I commend the faculty and students for making its core values the foundation of the student experience. Much like the culture that I strive to achieve in the workplace and through my foundation, this is a college where everyone is expected to encourage, respect and support the success of the entire community. I truly believe these graduates will carry on the mission to make the world more just and fair.”

A member of the Board of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Tramuto is chairman of its Leadership Council where he leads a national initiative to address workplace dignity and inclusion. Tramuto is also chairman of the board of Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights Europe. In 2014, he was honored with the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award.

Tramuto holds honorary doctorates from the College of Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Thomas Jefferson University and Lasell College and has received numerous awards for his commitment to healthcare innovation and healthcare access for all.

Before joining Tivity Health, Tramuto founded Physicians Interactive Holdings (now Aptus Health), a global provider of insight-driven digital engagement solutions for healthcare professionals and consumers.

About Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s Catholic liberal arts college with a commitment to sustainability and wellness. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a nationally renown Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. The College provides certificates and undergraduate and advanced degrees for thousands more working adults who reside throughout the United States and in more than 20 other countries through an online learning program. In 2018 Princeton Review named SJC one of America’s “Greenest Colleges” and in 2015 the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognized the College’s focus on community service through its mission and daily interactions with local, regional, and global communities with the Community Engagement Classification. For more information, see www.sjcme.edu.

About Tivity Health, Inc.
Tivity Health Inc.™ (Nasdaq: TVTY) is a leading provider of health improvement, nutrition, fitness and social engagement solutions at scale to improve clinical outcomes, reduce healthcare costs and create opportunities to feel better, work better and live better. With decades of clinical and operational expertise, the Company touches millions of consumers through its integrated portfolio of brands and works directly with hundreds of healthcare practitioners and many of the nation’s largest payers and employers. Tens of millions of Americans are currently eligible for Tivity Health’s SilverSneakers®, Prime® Fitness, WholeHealth Living™ and flip50™ programs and millions of people have lost weight with Nutrisystem®, South Beach Diet® and DNA BodyBlueprint™. As part of its commitment to tackling social isolation and loneliness, in 2017, Tivity Health launched a rural aging initiative at addressing challenges unique to older adults in rural communities. Learn more at TivityHealth.com.

The Tramuto Foundation’s 15th Anniversary Celebration, held on October 1, 2016, was an evening to remember. Five partner organizations benefited from a record-setting $700,000 in donations for the Foundation’s endowment trust, which included a $350,000 personal match by Founder and Chairman Donato Tramuto.

Those same organizations – Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Boston University School of Public Health, Frannie Peabody Center, Health eVillages and Ogunquit Museum of American Art – were also designated recipients of multi-year Foundation grants.

The event, attended by more than 300 friends, family and business associates of the global healthcare executive, activist and philanthropist, also served as a celebration of Donato’s 60th birthday with a preview of his new book, Life’s Bulldozer Moments. Each guest also had the opportunity to enjoy a slice of the unique birthday cake created in the shape of the state of Maine.

A video clip from U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy of Massachusetts, which was shown at the event, conveyed a personal message of thanks to Donato for transforming the terrible acts of September 11, 2001 into doing good things for others. Donato was presented with a flag sent by the Congressman that was flown over the U.S. Capitol on July 30th, the day of Donato’s actual birthday, as a tribute to his many years of philanthropic work.

Special $50,000 grants were presented to York County Community College in support of its new Associate degree program in Gerontology, Christ the King Seminary in Buffalo, NY for its Theological Field Education Program, and the Ogunquit Playhouse to help underprivileged youth attend the Children’s Theatre Summer Program. Previous recipients of the annual Tramuto Foundation college scholarships were also recognized.

Kerry Kennedy, president of RFK Human Rights, talked about that organization’s connection to the Tramuto Foundation and Tramuto’s other non-profit, Health eVillages, which provides free mobile devices filled with up-to-date medical information to healthcare providers in some of the most remote and poorest regions of the world. “Donato’s passion in life is quite simple: to help those in need, to improve the human condition whether it’s in Maine or in East Africa,” Kennedy said. “Since I met him seven years ago, I realized that Donato will never stop thinking about others and developing ways that Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Health eVillages can work together to meet their needs.”

“This night was to honor all the organizations and individuals who have been assisted by the Foundation in the past 15 years, as well as to bring people together from all walks of life and from as far as away as Europe and Kenya, to ensure that by uniting together and focusing on ideas we will have the capacity to respond to others for many years to come,” Donato said. “In launching the Foundation, I quickly realized how my relationships could be leveraged in a manner that increased the level of collaborative IQ to make the world a more just and fair place”.

The evening closed on a perfect note with a rousing performance by internationally known singer/songwriter Eric Andersen.

Please check in for more details as plans for the Tramuto Foundation’s 20th Anniversary celebration on Sept. 11, 2021 take shape.

In the meantime, please enjoy the photos taken during the October 1, 2016 Anniversary celebration. They can be viewed here.

Donato Tramuto released his first book, Life’s Bulldozer Moments: How Adversity Leads to Success in Life and Business, now in its 4th printing.

One hundred percent of all proceeds from the sale of the book, which may be purchased on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, will go to the Tramuto Foundation.

Life’s Bulldozer Moments is a reflection of Donato Tramuto’s personal story, an illustration of his belief that we all have important and impactful stories to share. While many know Donato as a successful healthcare executive, entrepreneur and global philanthropist, few know his background and how that has informed his character and his future success.

Donato’s first book is a compelling look at how the many challenges and tragedies that he has endured throughout his life, what he now calls Life’s Bulldozer Moments, have bolstered his determination to not only survive those moments, but to succeed beyond anyone’s expectation.

Now a successful entrepreneur, health care executive and global healthcare activist, Donato shows anyone bulldozed by life how to pull themselves out of the rubble, dust themselves off and find meaning and purpose in life and career.

Tramuto Foundation Awards Inaugural ‘Bulldozer Moments’ Grants

In Life’s Bulldozer Moments, Donato demonstrates how his unrelenting passion for improving access to high-quality healthcare has made a positive difference in the lives of people from Africa to the United States.

Dr. Regina Herzlinger, Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Donato’s professional story illustrates the unpredictable trajectory of the healthcare industry over the past thirty years, while his personal experiences gave him an unwavering determination to succeed in business and to improve the lives of others.

Senator William H. Frist, M.D. of Tennessee

With this book, Donato’s descriptive phrase, ‘Life’s Bulldozer Moments’ has entered the American lexicon. Donato’s message is simple and profound: Material success in life and business is best used as a means to end suffering and create a more just and peaceful world.

Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

I have known Donato Tramuto for many years. For the first time, I understand how Donato has used those Bulldozer Moments to improve the human condition — in his home state of Maine and around the world.

Former Maine Governor John E. Baldacci

Donato J. Tramuto, philanthropist, and global healthcare activist, is now also a published author with the recent release of “Life’s Bulldozer Moments: How Adversity Leads to Success in Life and Business.”

The book, now in its 4th printing, was published by Hamilton Books, an imprint of Rowman and Littlefield. It reflects the challenges Donato has faced throughout his life that has inspired him to succeed against all odds, beginning with the loss of his hearing as a young boy which was only partially restored years later. Donato illustrates how adversity can build character and highlights the events that instilled in him the drive to dedicate his life to making the world a more fair and just place for others.

“In the healthcare industry, individuals are typically defined by their physical health or their mental health, but we often overlook story health – the experiences that define and transform our lives,” Donato said. “In my case, my hearing loss, the death of my sister-in-law in childbirth due to a medication error, the tragic loss of my brother and nephew, and the loss of my friends on 9/11, are moments that struck the very core of my being and challenged me to get back up and live with purpose for another day, I hope that this book will inspire others to share their ‘bulldozer moments’ by recognizing their story health matters.”

Because of his severe hearing loss, Tramuto was bullied and ridiculed as a youngster and was later rejected by nearly every college to which he applied, stating his hearing loss ‘disability’ as the reason. However, his tenacity enabled him to not only gain admission but to graduate with honors and pursue a successful career in healthcare. Life’s Bulldozer Moments chronicles three decades of healthcare industry changes and includes Donato’s ten principles of leadership.

“Life’s Bulldozer Moments demonstrates the power of harnessing personal loss and adversity to drive professional success and the power of leveraging professional success to effect social change,” said Senator William H. Frist, M.D. of Tennessee. “Donato’s professional story illustrates the unpredictable trajectory of the healthcare industry over the past thirty years, while his personal experiences gave him an unwavering determination to succeed in business and to improve the lives of others.”

In 2001, Donato launched The Tramuto Foundation, which will receive all proceeds from the sale of the book. The Tramuto Foundation was established in 2001 to help individuals and organizations achieve their healthcare and educational goals. To date, the Foundation has provided more than 30 grants and nearly 100 scholarships.

Driven by a passion to share his success with others, Donato also created Health eVillages, an international charitable organization that has provided healthcare professionals with hundreds of state-of-the-art mobile medical devices to diagnose and treat patients in some of the most challenging clinical environments. The program, which is supported in partnership with Healthways, Inc. and Sharecare, Inc, has contributed to a reduction in infant and maternal mortality in developing countries.

Donato has been widely recognized for his more than three-decade commitment to social change. In 2014 he was honored, alongside Hillary Clinton, Robert DeNiro and Tony Bennett, with the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope award.

“With this book, Donato Tramuto’s descriptive phrase, ‘life’s bulldozer moments’ has entered the American lexicon,” said Kerry Kennedy, President of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. “Donato’s message is simple and profound: Material success in life and business is best used as a means to end suffering and create a more just and peaceful world.”

Donato serves on several executive leadership boards, including Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Boston University School of Public Health, Livongo Health Foundation, Brown University Healthcare Leadership Board, Sharecare, Inc., and Safe Harbor Compliance and Clinical Development.

OGUNQUIT, ME July 26, 2016 – The Tramuto Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization founded by global healthcare leader and philanthropist Donato Tramuto of Ogunquit, has pledged $100,000 in grants over the next three years to both the Ogunquit Playhouse Children’s Theatre Camp Program and York County Community College (YCCC) in Wells.

In addition to a $50,000 grant to support the Playhouse summer camp program, the Tramuto Foundation has pledged the same amount over three years as a founding partner of Maine’s only two-year, associate degree program in Gerontology at YCCC.

That grant will be presented to YCCC President Barbara Finkelstein at the Foundation’s 15th Anniversary Celebration/Benefit on October 1 at the Velveteen Habit Farmhouse Restaurant in Cape Neddick. Tramuto created the Foundation in honor of two friends and their young son who perished aboard Flight 175 when it hit the 2nd World Trade tower on September 11, 2001.

Tramuto will present the Ogunquit Playhouse grant on stage to Executive Artistic Director Bradford T. Kenney prior to the evening performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame on Friday, July 29 at 8 pm.

“The next day, July 30th, will be my 60th birthday and instead of receiving gifts, my request to the Foundation’s board of directors is that I provide this gift to the Ogunquit Playhouse,” Tramuto explained. Tramuto, a co-owner of two local businesses, Caffé Prego and the Inn on Shore Road, was a member of the Ogunquit Playhouse Board of Directors from 2003-2007 and was the first participant in what is now a successful corporate sponsorship program for the theatre. He is also the CEO of Healthways, the largest independent global provider of well-being improvement solutions.

“I have always considered the Playhouse to be the artistic jewel of our community and I couldn’t be more proud to help support their mission to provide theatrical training to all children. I know the tuition can be a financial burden for many parents and we didn’t want that to prevent youngsters from participating in this wonderful and unique experience,” Tramuto said, noting that the Playhouse grant is closely aligned with the Foundation’s mission to empower organizations that work to improve the lives of the disadvantaged.

The $50,000 grant to the Ogunquit Playhouse will provide tuition assistance for underprivileged children who seek to attend the popular summer theatre program, which provides weeklong theatrical training to youth of all ages. The younger students in the Rising Stars (ages 5-8) and Center Stage (ages 8-10) programs perform in the rehearsal studio behind the Playhouse, while the Jr. Players (ages 9-16) and Teen Players (ages 13-18) culminate in productions performed on the Playhouse’s main stage. The Teen Players program is held throughout August, requiring significant rehearsal time before the students participate in two weekend performances at the end of the month.

“It is hard to find words to express and measure the long and significant contribution that Donato Tramuto has made to our beloved Ogunquit Playhouse,” said Executive Artistic Director Kenney. “As one of our earliest supporters and Board Directors, his personal commitment to the culture of our community, the Playhouse itself, and the audiences access to it, is unparalleled.

“Donato’s vision has led to a number of access services that allow literally thousands of our patrons who have hearing deficiencies, to enjoy our shows fully,” Kenney added. “His guidance and leadership in our sponsorship and donated income programs have led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in donated and sponsored underwriting to the Ogunquit Playhouse. Now, again, the Tramuto Foundation shows the vision to lead a Children’s Theatre endowment campaign to provide critical support to those talented children who otherwise would not have access to live theatre, and the training and cultural impact it provides.”

York County Community College Grant:
The YCCC grant will be used to support a new two-year Associate Degree program in Gerontology beginning in September that will prepare students to develop careers in aging, or further train people already employed or active in Gerontology or related fields. According to President Finkelstein, this is the only two-year program in Maine available to people seeking a career in elder care and associated professions.

“With this generous gift from the Tramuto Foundation, York County Community College will now provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to work in a variety of growing services related to Gerontology and end-of-life care, as well as a strong base of general education courses to build upon for those students who will transfer to a Bachelor’s degree program,” President Finkelstein added.

“I know how critically important the new Associate in Applied Science program will be for the growing population of aging adults in our state and the professional caretakers who will provide the services they require,” Tramuto said. “I am honored to be a founding partner in support of this innovative area of study here in York County.”

In addition to the grants to the Ogunquit Playhouse and York County Community College, the Tramuto Foundation will also award a third $50,000, three-year grant to Christ the King Seminary in Buffalo, NY to be presented at the Foundation’s 15th Anniversary Celebration/Benefit on October 1. The grant will be used to fund the seminary’s theological field education and pastoral internship program that immerses seminarians in a variety of community settings while working in parishes, hospitals, schools, prisons and social services agencies within the Diocese of Buffalo.

“I have been very fortunate in my life,” he explained, “and when one is given much, I believe it is required to give back to others. I am very familiar with the Seminary, which is close to my childhood hometown of Dunkirk, NY. President-Rector Father Joseph Gatto has been a close friend from childhood and I am so pleased that my Foundation will be able to support these important programs.”