Verrazzano Hall

Office of the President

President Susan Parish

Welcome to Mercy University

It is my honor to serve as the 13th president of Mercy University.  I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead this inspiring community of students, faculty, staff and alumni. 

At Mercy, we are committed to creating opportunities for motivated students who want to transform their lives through education. I am highly motivated by Mercy’s mission and energized by the long-standing foundation and history of this great institution. 

Our focus is on student success and being student-ready, by meeting students’ needs and ensuring a college degree is attainable and affordable. With more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs across six schools, we are preparing our students for successful careers in natural sciences, health care, business, education, liberal arts and behavioral sciences.  

I am proud to be part of Mercy. I look forward to meeting our community members, learning from you and hearing your thoughts about how we can work together to achieve our aspirations. I hope to see you around campus soon. 

Susan L. Parish
President

History Banner

SUSAN L. PARISH, PH.D., M.S.W.

On July 1, 2023, Susan L. Parish, Ph.D., M.S.W. became the 13th president of Mercy University. 

President Parish previously served as dean of the College of Health Professions and Sentara Professor of Health Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).  Under her leadership, the College of Health Professions at VCU experienced significant increases in graduate and undergraduate enrollment, and research funding. 

Prior to joining VCU, Parish served as dean of Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University. She was also the inaugural Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Disability Policy and directed the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University. She began her academic career as an assistant professor of social work at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.  Over the course of her career, President Parish has been a prolific researcher primarily investigating the health and well-being of children and adults with disabilities and their caregiving families. She has garnered more than $13 million in external research funding from a range of federal, state, and foundation sources. She has received awards for her teaching, mentoring and research, including: “Research Matters!” Distinguished Research Award, Arc of the United States (2009), Advocate Hero, Exceptional Parent Magazine (2021), Lifetime Achievement Award, American Public Health Association Disability Section (2021) and Research Award, American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (2019). Parish is a Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and she is also a Fellow of the Society of Social Work and Research.

Parish serves on the boards of the Westchester County Association and the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, where she is on the Board of Trustees’ Finance & Administrative Committee. 

Parish earned her BA in English Literature and her MSW from Rutgers University and earned her PhD in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She completed a National Institutes of Health-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to her career as a professor, she ran residential programs for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in New Jersey and New York.

She enjoys travel, art, theater, and kayaking, and is an enthusiastic amateur potter.

Office of the President

Jessica Haber 
Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategy
jhaber@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7457

Grace Creighton 
Executive Assistant to the President
gcreighton@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7369

Kim Barry Boeheim 
Director of Special Projects
kboeheim@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7317


Senior Staff

Kristin Greenwood
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Brian Amkraut
Vice President and General Manager
Division of Workforce Credentialing and Community Impact
bamkraut@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7107

Kristen Bowes 
General Counsel
kbowes@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7544

Richard Aks
Interim Vice President of Finance and Treasurer

Adam Castro 
Vice President for Enrollment Management
acastro@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7548

Christian Connelly
Associate Vice President for Marketing & Communications
cconnelly@mercy.edu
(914) 888-5266

Jessica Haber 
Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategy
jhaber@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7457

Kevin Joyce 
Vice President for Student Affairs 
kjoyce@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7775

Matt Presser
Assistant Vice President of Institutional Research and Innovation
mpresser@mercy.edu
(914) 888-5364

Scorpio Rogers
Vice President for Community Relations & Government Affairs
srogers5@mercy.edu
212-615-3316

Camille Shelley 
Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
cshelley@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7131

Thomas R. Simmonds 
Vice President for Operations and Facilities
tsimmonds1@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7473

Bernadette Wade 
Chief Advancement Officer
bwade@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7596

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