SJNY Welcomes Two New Trustees

Ms. Boyle brings decades of experience in urban development, public administration and environmental advocacy to the Board. After earning her degree in social sciences from St. Joseph’s, Ms. Boyle obtained a Master of Public Administration from SUNY Albany on the wise advice of Sister George Aquin O’Connor, CSJ, president emerita, who told her, “you should get a degree in public administration because you want to work in government.”

Ms. Boyle worked in city and state government for 12 years including as deputy commissioner of the NYC Department of Ports and Terminals, and as director of real estate for the MTA. This experience served her well when she moved to the private real estate sector. She spent the next three decades with LeFrak as senior managing director for development and special projects playing a key role in the company’s Newport development, which transformed Jersey City’s Hudson River waterfront.

According to Ms. Boyle, before the project began, Newport was “basically 150 acres of mud, all of which was toxic.”

“Not only did we create a new vibrant urban area, but we also cleaned up the remains of the abandoned industrial past,” said Ms. Boyle.

When she retired in 2020, Newport had grown to include eight office buildings, 5,000 apartments, a shopping mall, two hotels, parks and two miles of riverfront walkway.

Ms. Boyle’s commitment to community service includes 26 years on Brooklyn Community Board 1, and she currently serves on the Boards of NYC Bird Alliance (formerly NYC Audubon) and Audubon New York.

“Small universities and colleges are facing tremendous challenges,” Ms. Boyle said, citing demographic shifts and affordability concerns. “We have to think very critically about where we spend our resources.”

Ms. Boyle sees St. Joseph’s as vital because “it serves a population both in terms of location and price point that allows entry for students who might otherwise not be able to access higher education.”

The University, she added, “maintains focus on its traditional values… to help a young person grow and to help form them with qualities of integrity, service and excellence. Society needs people with these values.”

Having recently joined the Board’s finance and student life committees, Ms. Boyle brings business acumen and institutional perspective to her role.

“I have a personal understanding of what the University means to students who are the first in their family to go to college … and I have a passion to see that continue because I know what a difference it made in my life,” she reflected. “It’s important that universities like St. Joseph’s continue to exist because the larger university system doesn’t serve that population in the same way.”

Mr. Harney’s journey to the Board of Trustees is a family affair steeped in tradition and innovation. Though not an alumnus himself, his deep connection to St. Joseph’s stems from his mother, Elyse Deublein Harney ’52, who was honored with the University’s Esse Non Videri President’s Award for Distinguished Alumni in 2023.

As vice president of Harney & Sons Fine Teas, Mr. Harney has spent more than 35 years shaping the family business into a global brand. Under his stewardship, Harney & Sons has expanded to distribute premium teas to more than 50 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, France and Japan.

Known as the company’s master tea buyer and blender, he has traveled the globe to source the finest teas. He is the author of the acclaimed “Harney & Sons Guide to Teas,” a book devoted to tea drinkers interested in developing and refining their palate and expanding their understanding of the complex agricultural, historical and cultural significance of tea.

Mr. Harney said his path to St. Joseph’s Board of Trustees was inspired by his mother’s transformative experience at the University as the first in her family to attend college.

“My mother often spoke about how St. Joseph’s empowered her and set her on a path of lifelong learning,” he said. “When the opportunity arose to join the board, I felt it was my way of honoring her legacy and supporting an institution that has been so meaningful to our family.”

Although new to university governance, Mr. Harney brings a fresh perspective shaped by his extensive experience in business and his role on the U.S. Tea Association’s Board of Trustees.

His early impressions of St. Joseph’s have been overwhelmingly positive, he said.

“I’ve been deeply impressed with the University’s leadership and the strides they’re making in enrollment and financial health,” Mr. Harney said. “I look forward to contributing in areas such as strategic growth and potentially supporting the continued development of St. Joseph’s hospitality program.”

Mr. Harney also sees his role as an opportunity to inspire future generations.

“Tea has taught me the value of patience, global connection and respect for tradition,” he said. “I’m eager to share these lessons with the St. Joseph’s community and to help sustain the University as a vibrant and innovative institution.”