Lynne Parker Davis ’78 to be Honored with the College’s Highest Honor at 2026 Founders’ Day Gala

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Real estate technology entrepreneur, author and philanthropist Lynne Parker Davis ’78, will be honored at Le Moyne’s annual Founders’ Day Gala on Friday, Oct. 16 at Marriott Syracuse Downtown. At the event, Davis will be presented with the Simon Le Moyne S.J. Medal, the College’s highest honor, which is given to individuals who embody Jesuit values and demonstrate exceptional leadership, service and dedication to society.

Davis is the founder of NterNow, an on-demand, self-service access platform for prospective home buyers to tour locked new homes. Founded in 2005 to address consumer demand for self-service home touring, Davis grew the patented smart-lock technology company into a national brand serving home builders across nearly 46 states and Canada before its acquisition in 2025 by The Schlage Lock Company, an Allegion brand.

A trailblazer throughout her career, Davis spent 17 years in corporate marketing and sales with major entertainment and cable brands, including HBO, The Disney Channel, Cox Enterprises, and NewChannels Corp. winning a prestigious Cable TV Association of Marketers award. In real estate, her industry achievements earned her the Atlanta Real Estate Board’s Phoenix Award, a nomination as one of RISMedia’s Top 15 Innovative Agents in the U.S., and honors for NterNow including the National Association of Home Builders S.A.F.E. Innovation of the Year Award.

Beyond her corporate success, Davis has remained deeply committed to service and creative pursuits. She has volunteered for over 30 years as a children and adult religious educator and ministry leader at The Catholic Church of Saint Ann, and is currently finishing the second book in her dystopian Catholic fiction trilogy, Survival and the Sacred.

In May 2026, she made a transformative $1 million gift to Le Moyne to establish the Alma Ilacqua, Ph.D. Writing Center (“The Alma”) and create a prestigious faculty fellowship in English and communications. Honoring her former professor, Dr. Alma Aquilino Ilacqua, the endowment also provides crucial operating support benefiting the English Department, the Madden College of Business and Economics, and the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity. Additionally, Davis’s philanthropy includes funding to support students transitioning to Le Moyne from Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School through the Moriarty-Pullano Pathway.

“Lynne’s journey as an innovator, community leader, and visionary perfectly reflects our mission to educate men and women for and with others,” said President Linda LeMura. “Her lifelong dedication to service and honoring those who inspired her, makes her an exceptional recipient of the Simon Le Moyne Medal.”

“We are deeply grateful to Lynne for her extraordinary commitment and generosity to Le Moyne,” said Jim Joseph ’83, Ed.D. ’23, vice president for advancement and innovation and executive dean of the Madden College of Business and Economics. “Her philanthropic investments extend from establishing “The Alma” Writing Center for current students to enabling tomorrow’s Cristo Rey graduates to attend Le Moyne, to providing vital resources that directly elevate our academic programs and open doors for future generations of Dolphins.”