Dear New York Tech students, faculty, and staff,

On May 21, 2021, New York Institute of Technology Board of Trustees Chair Kevin D. Silva completed his term as board chair, and Peter J. Romano (B.S. ‘76), who has served as vice chair since 2015, was selected to succeed him.

On behalf of New York Tech, I’d like to thank Kevin, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Voya Financial, for his participation on the board since 2007, for his leadership as chairman since 2015, and for the steadfast guidance and support he and his wife, Julie, have provided me since I joined New York Tech as president. We presented Kevin with an honorary Doctor of Science in 2019, in recognition of and appreciation for his exceptional advocacy of students through his guidance, mentoring, and the Kevin D. Silva Endowed Presidential Scholarship and Annual Scholarship fund. When he fulfills his trustee term this September, he will become an Emeritus Trustee.

We wholeheartedly welcome alumnus Peter Romano, who just completed six years as vice chair, to his new role as board chair. He is the president and founder of Peter J. Romano & Co., a project development and management consulting firm located in Bellport, N.Y. Peter’s longstanding dedication to New York Tech and his passion for educating the next generation of doers, makers, and innovators will be critical as we continue to reinvent the future of our university. As a testament to his commitment, he and his wife, Jane, established an endowed scholarship fund in support of students in the School of Architecture and Design.

Additionally, to ensure a smooth succession, Michael Merlo, former chief credit officer of Signature Bank, was re-elected to a term as vice chair and Dan Ferrara (D.O. ’86), Northeast Regional President of Alteon Health, was elected to his first term as vice chair. Santhosh S. Keshavan, executive vice president and chief information officer at Voya Financial, has been elected as a new trustee and will join the board in September.

This orderly transition of roles will provide the board and the university with continuity in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Hank Foley, Ph.D.
President, New York Institute of Technology