Getting to Know a Trustee

Board of Trustees Secretary Peter M. Meyer is the market president for Central Florida at TD Bank and a 1987 graduate of St. Joseph’s University, New York’s Brooklyn Campus. The holder of a bachelor’s degree from SJNY and an MBA from Long Island University, Mr. Meyer has worked at TD for over 21 years. He helped the bank — formerly known as Commerce Bank — establish operations in New York as the city’s market president and has held the same position in the Central Florida market since 2019. In this role, Mr. Meyer manages the strategic growth of commercial and small business banking in the Tampa and Orlando metro areas. Mr. Meyer was formerly the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Queens Museum and chairman of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

The most rewarding part of his job:
“My teams concentrate on helping businesses — finding solutions and helping them grow. Helping others achieve their goals is the most rewarding part of what I do.”

Project or accomplishment he is most proud of:
“Having helped TD Bank grow a presence in New York City. When I first came to TD, we had no operations in New York City. I was one of the very first employees of the bank in New York, and now TD is one of the largest banks in the city.”

Advice for recent SJNY graduates:
“Figure out what your priorities are and think about where you want to be. Setting goals is very important. Have a clear vision of who you want to be, but be open to change and see it as the norm. There’s opportunity in change.”

His favorite restaurant in Brooklyn:
“I think the most iconic restaurant in Brooklyn is The River Café. It is an unbelievable restaurant founded in the 1970s when there really wasn’t anything in what we now call Dumbo. It sits on a barge underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s fabulous and has a great ambiance.”

The best film he has seen this year:
“‘Oppenheimer.’ I was very impressed with it. It was an intelligent, well-done movie that provided a lot of historical information. If you don’t understand history, you’re damned to repeat it.”

The most inspiring trip he has taken:
“My wife and I went on an Indonesian cruise, which was fascinating. We learned a lot about their culture and found the experience inspiring.”

His favorite quote:
“Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.”
– Robert F. Kennedy

The person who has had the greatest impact on his life:
“I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of good people at different points in my life. There are probably at least half a dozen — if not more — that have impacted my life, including my parents and my wife, who has been my guiding light.”