Zaire Dinkins Awarded the Richard J. Madden Scholarship for 2023

High School Junior Zaire Dinkins was selected as the 2023 Richard J. Madden Scholarship recipient. Mr. Madden presented the scholarship at the Awards Ceremony on May 24. The scholarship recipient will receive up to $12,500 per year (a maximum of $50,000) if a 3.0 grade point average is maintained at the post-secondary institution. This is the 21st year the scholarship has been awarded to a Mt. Lebanon student. Mr. Madden, a 1952 alumnus of Mt. Lebanon High School, has funded $920,000 in scholarships to our students. The is the largest scholarship awarded at the award ceremony. Mr. Madden was present to award the scholarship, personally.

In honor of Mr. Madden's contributions to the students of Mt. Lebanon High School, the high school library was named the Richard J. Madden Library when the high school was dedicated in 2015.  

About Mr. Madden

Mr. Madden highly values the education he received while attending the Mt. Lebanon School District. When he graduated in 1952, he was undecided about continuing his education due to a lack of funds. Through hard work, determination and scholarships, he set his sights on what is now the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering. He graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

Upon graduation from Pitt, he began his business career designing process control computer hardware for Westinghouse industrial products. In 1969, he and a former colleague from Westinghouse founded Computerm Corporation, one of the first and most successful technology companies in Pittsburgh, who had employed 100+ employees. Computerm's great success with companies such as Westinghouse and The University of Pittsburgh spearheaded the company's significant achievements for the next three decades. Mr. Madden served as the Chief Executive Officer of Computerm from 1991 until 2000, at which time the company was sold. In 1997, he co-founded a Venture Capital organization that promoted positive economic development in Pennsylvania. He believed in investing in start-up businesses, and providing seed money for companies to grow to the next stage.

In 2001, The Richard J. Madden Foundation was established because he believes that an investment in education is an investment into the future. The Foundation provides numerous annual scholarships. At Mt. Lebanon High School, Mr. Madden provides an annual scholarship to a qualifying junior that is to be used for their post-secondary education. At the University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering he has established an endowment which supports undergraduate students pursuing degrees in the Department of Electrical Engineering or in the Computer Engineering Program.

Mr. Madden has been awarded the 2002 University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award, the 2004 Mt. Lebanon High School Great Alumni Award, and in 2014 The University of Pittsburgh Legacy Laureates honor. He serves as an active member of the Pitt Alumni Network of Western Pennsylvania in addition to serving on the Swanson School of Engineering Board of Visitors.