Ryan O’Gorman

B.S. Psychology, St. Thomas Aquinas College
M.S. in Organizational Leadership, Nyack College

Ryan  began his career in higher education when he joined Dominican College, now Dominican University New York, in July of 2004 as one of the Assistant Directors of Residence Life after just graduating from St. Thomas Aquinas College with a B. S. in Psychology. In December of 2016, Ryan graduated from Nyack College with an M.S in Organizational Leadership successfully defending his thesis titled, “The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Academic Motivation.”  Over the course of his time at Dominican as an Assistant Director of Residence Life, Ryan held several part-time positions which included Assistant Director of Evening and Special Sessions, Coordinator of Volunteer Services, and a Freshman Seminar Instructor. In addition, he began the Alternative Spring Break Program in 2007, Midnight Runs to NYC in 2006 to bring food, clothing, and toiletries to the homeless of Manhattan, and the Rockland County Colleges Relay for Life from 2005 – 2011 raising over $128,000 for the American Cancer Society. Both the Alternative Spring Break program and Midnight Runs continue to this day. 

In July of 2010, Ryan was appointed to Director of Residence Life and was responsible for the oversight of four full-time professional staff, two part-time staff, 26 Resident Assistants, and the resident population.

In July of 2019, Ryan was appointed to a new position at Dominican University New York, Director of Retention and Student Success, where he oversees the University’s Retention efforts as well as the Student Success Program. He is an adjunct instuctor in the M.S. in Organizational Leadership and Communication Program at Dominican, teaching, “Organizational Culture and Teambuilding” and “Strategic Planning and Leadership.” Ryan is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at Concordia University Chicago.

In 2006, Ryan was a recipient of Rockland County’s Annual Forty Under 40 Program, a 2009 graduate of Leadership Rockland, the 2021 Recipient of The President’s Award and 2024 recipient of the Club Designated Paul Harris Fellow from the Rotary Club of Pearl River, and the 2024 Leader of the Year for Leadership Rockland. Ryan was a Big Brother mentor for 3 years, immediate Past President of The Rotary Club of Pearl River, former Vice Chair of Leadership Rockland, a former Ambassador for People to People, a Board Member for Meals on Wheels Rockland, volunteers with Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County, conducts Midnight Runs to NYC giving food and clothing to the homeless in Manhattan and completed a Clean Water Project through the Rotary Club of Pearl River in the village of Sol Naciente, El Salvador in January of 2023.

Meaghan Donnelly

Fr. Carlo Biceno, Ed.D

Dr. Donald Hammond

Clare Pennino, Ph.D.

B.A., Fordham University
M.B.A., Iona College
Ph.D., New York University

Work Experience:

Author of various journal articles and college textbook supplements
Former corporate manager at AT& T, BellSouth, MCI

Robert Stauffer, Ph.D.

B.A. – New York University (English)
M.A. – Brooklyn College (English Education)
Ph.D. – Arizona State University (Medieval Literature)

Robert Stauffer began working at Dominican University in 2012. His research and teaching interests are in medieval and Renaissance literature, postcolonial studies, science fiction and fantasy literature, and early 20th century writers. He is currently working on editing and writing for a volume for Brill Publishing entitled A Marguerite Porete Companion focusing on Marguerite Porete, a thirteenth-fourteenth century beguine, and her book The Mirror of Simple Souls. His publications include fantasy short stories and baseball biography. He has given several papers at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Denise Dawkins Weir, MS

Denise relocated to NY to advance her career in Higher Ed. She’s originally from North Carolina with Jamaican heritage. Denise is the Advisor to the Caribbean Dance Crew at Dominican University. She’s “chargedup” and ready to activate. Her overall theme is “Reach Back, Lift Up”.

Education:

BS – Human Resource Management, Winston Salem State University
MS – Adult Education, North Carolina A&T State University

Experience:

Denise Dawkins is a Higher Ed Professional with over 10 years of experience and counting. Denise has held various positions for HBCUs, Minority owned-businesses, private HIED institutions, State funded agencies, grant funded organizations, and health disparity programs. Currently she holds a BS in Human Resource Management and a MS in Adult Education – HIED Administration. She comes to Dominican University with aspirations to create more efficient opportunities of office administration, build long term rapport with the student body, bond with all students, but emphasize on creating a forging relationship with the brown and black student body of Dominican, continue marketing for the Business Administration program and most importantly providing student advocacy to the body.

AnnMarie DiSiena, Ed. D.

B.A. – Iona College
M.A. – Fordham University
Ed.D. – Organizational Leadership: Argosy University

Dr. DiSiena has been a faculty member at Dominican University for over 33 years — 24 years full-time. In addition to her work with the Communication Studies Program, she is the Director of Special Sessions, which includes Winter and Summer Sessions, and Director of Academics for Alternative Undergraduate Sessions.

Dr. DiSiena teaches undergraduate and graduates courses in Leadership and Organizational Communication. Annually, she also facilitates a Public Speaking Academy Program for High School juniors and seniors and is a workshop facilitator for a Teen Leadership program for HS sophomores, a sub-division of Leadership Rockland.

She has presented and brought students to present at the New York State Communication Association. She has also presented workshops on Leadership and Communication.