Mercy University adds two leaders to its Board of Trustees

Mercy University on July 22 named Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden and Dr. John A. Chabot to its Board of Trustees, bringing state government, child welfare, healthcare leadership, and surgical innovation experience to the governing body. The appointments are meant to strengthen the university’s strategic direction as it serves more than 9,000 students across New York.

Why it matters: - Mercy University is adding trustees with deep experience in public service and medical leadership. - The appointments align with Mercy’s focus on academic excellence, innovation, and service. - The new trustees bring perspective that could shape the university’s direction as higher education faces pressure to deliver stronger student outcomes and workforce training.

What happened: - Mercy University announced on July 22, 2026, that Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden and Dr. John A. Chabot will join its Board of Trustees. - Harris-Madden is commissioner of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. - Chabot is chief of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and the David V. Habif professor of Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. - Mercy described the appointments as adding expertise in public service, youth and family advocacy, healthcare leadership, and medical innovation.

The details: - Mercy President Susan L. Parish said the two leaders will strengthen the board’s ability to guide the university’s strategic direction and support its mission of empowering students. - Harris-Madden is an alumna of Mercy University and earned a Master of Science in Human Resource Management in 2007 and an M.B.A. in 2022. - Harris-Madden leads a state agency with more than 3,500 employees and a budget of close to $8 billion. - Her role at OCFS covers the safety, permanency, and well-being of children, families, and communities across New York. - Under her leadership, OCFS is advancing evidence-informed reforms in childcare, child welfare, juvenile justice, and other human services. - Harris-Madden has also helped implement Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to expand access to childcare across New York State. - Her career spans more than 20 years across state government, local government, education, and the nonprofit sector. - Before joining Hochul’s administration, Harris-Madden worked in the cabinets of the Westchester County Executive and four mayors in Mount Vernon, New York. - Her educational background also includes degrees in English and African American Studies, business administration, human resources management, executive leadership, and an honorary doctorate in humane letters. - Chabot founded and directs the Pancreas Center at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian, launched in 2006. - Mercy said the center is one of the world’s largest and most effective clinical cancer programs. - The center serves as a treatment site and a research hub developing new pancreatic cancer therapies. - Chabot has performed more than 2,500 complex pancreatic procedures. - His career at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian began in 1983, when he joined as an intern. - He later became chief of hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery and vice president of ColumbiaDoctors. - Chabot earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from Tufts University and a medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School. - He is a member of the American Medical Association and the American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association. - Mercy said the trustees’ combined experience will support the university’s mission and bring diverse perspectives to the board. - Mercy University serves more than 9,000 students each year across campuses in Westchester, the Bronx, Manhattan, and online. - The university is a federally designated minority-serving institution and New York’s largest private Hispanic Serving Institution. - Mercy offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs across six schools. - The university was founded in 1950 by the Sisters of Mercy. - More information is available in Mercy University’s announcement.

Between the lines: - Harris-Madden’s appointment adds a current New York state official with direct experience in child welfare and family services. - Chabot’s addition gives the board a senior healthcare leader with a long record in surgical innovation and cancer care. - Mercy appears to be broadening board expertise around student support, public service, and health professions training.

What's next: - Harris-Madden and Chabot will help guide Mercy’s strategic and governance decisions as trustees. - Their roles are likely to support the university’s efforts to strengthen mission delivery and expand its impact in the New York region. - Mercy’s leadership said the board will use the trustees’ experience to advance the university’s future.