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 and surgical expertise into its governing body. The appointments connect the Dobbs Ferry university with leaders who can shape strategy, student opportunity and healthcare-related workforce preparation.

Why it matters: - Mercy University is adding two trustees with deep experience in public service, healthcare leadership and medical innovation. - The appointments are meant to strengthen the board’s ability to guide the university’s strategy and mission. - Mercy said the new trustees’ perspectives will support academic excellence, innovation and service.

What happened: - Mercy University announced on July 22, 2026, that Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden and Dr. John A. Chabot joined 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 David V. Habif professor of Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. - Mercy described both appointments as a broadening of expertise in public service, youth and family advocacy, healthcare leadership and medical innovation.

The details: - Harris-Madden serves in Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration and leads an agency with more than 3,500 employees and a budget of nearly $8 billion. - OCFS is responsible for the safety, permanency and well-being of children, families and communities across New York. - Harris-Madden earned a Master of Science in Human Resource Management and a Master of Business Administration from Mercy University. - Her appointment is a homecoming for the Mercy alumna. - Harris-Madden has more than 20 years of executive leadership across state government, local government, education and the nonprofit sector. - Before joining Hochul’s administration, she held roles in the cabinets of the Westchester County Executive and four mayors in Mount Vernon, New York. - Her academic background also includes a B.A. in English and African American Studies, a doctorate of education in executive leadership and an honorary doctorate in humane letters. - Under Harris-Madden’s leadership, OCFS is advancing evidence-informed reforms in childcare, child welfare, juvenile justice and other human services. - She played a key role in implementing Hochul’s plan to expand access to childcare across New York State. - Chabot founded and directs the Pancreas Center at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian, which was established in 2006. - Mercy said the center is one of the world’s largest and most effective clinical cancer programs and also a research hub for new pancreatic cancer therapies. - Chabot has performed more than 2,500 complex pancreatic procedures. - He has spent his entire career at Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian, rising from intern in 1983 to chief of hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery and vice president of ColumbiaDoctors. - Chabot earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science from Tufts University and a Doctor of Medicine from Dartmouth Medical School. - He is a member of the American Medical Association and the American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association. - Mercy University serves more than 9,000 students each year across campuses in Westchester, the Bronx and Manhattan, as well as online. - The university is a federally designated minority-serving institution and the largest private Hispanic Serving Institution in New York. - Mercy offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificate programs across six schools.

Between the lines: - Mercy is signaling that it wants trustees with hands-on leadership experience in sectors tied closely to student outcomes and community impact. - Harris-Madden brings policy and child welfare expertise that could matter to a university focused on access and social mobility. - Chabot adds a high-profile healthcare and research perspective that aligns with Mercy’s health-related academic programs.

What's next: - The new trustees are expected to help guide Mercy’s strategic direction and reinforce its mission. - Their service comes as Mercy continues to position itself around education, leadership development and community transformation. - Mercy said the appointments will support the university’s long-term goals in academic excellence, innovation and service.

The bottom line: - Mercy University is betting that experienced leaders from government and medicine can help strengthen the board and expand the university’s reach and impact.