As we open the new school year, we note the number of good changes throughout. Please welcome our new leaders in Lasallian ministries throughout DENA.
Cheryl Harrison, Ph.D., has been named the new executive director of the school of continuing and professional studies and will oversee the development of the school and its future success. “Dr. Harrison brings a vast range of experience in adult education, as faculty and administrator in both academic and corporate environments, including Quinnipiac University, Central Connecticut State University, Tufts University, Rhode Island College, CIGNA Healthcare, Aetna Life and Casualty, and NYNEX,” said William Clyde, Ph.D., executive vice president and provost at Manhattan College. “With Dr. Harrison’s management skills and educational background, I am confident that adult education at Manhattan will continue to flourish.” Prior to joining Manhattan College, Harrison served as executive director of organizational leadership programs for the college of professional studies at Quinnipiac University, and helped to integrate all of the undergraduate and graduate programs for adult learners in the classroom and online.
From 1997-2002, Harrison was an assistant professor for the school of 
business at Central Connecticut State University and taught courses in management and organizational behavior and theory. She also worked as a team leader for a leadership development system for healthcare clinical managers. Harrison’s educational experience includes working at: Tufts University as a senior fellow assisting in designing the curriculum for the Management and Community Development Institute (MCDI) and Rhode Island College as a director of the learning skills center for mid-career adults. Before starting her career in higher education, Harrison spent 15 years developing her business skills in corporate America. She was a director of organization and leadership at CIGNA Healthcare, a consultant and human resources director at Development by Design, a manager for targeted selection and development at Aetna Life and Casualty, a consultant at NYNEX (now Verizon) and a corporate consultant at John Hancock Life Insurance Company. Harrison holds a doctorate in the area of organizational behavior from Harvard University, a master’s in instructional design and technology from Boston University and a bachelor’s in comparative literature from University of Southern California. “I am thrilled to be a part of Manhattan College as it introduces another school that will be dedicated to offering exciting and timely programs for the adult student population,” said Harrison.
St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute is pleased to announce that Jeffery D. Hazel will be joining the school in early July, as principal,
“We are looking forward to Mr. Hazel joining the St. Joe’s community. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience, and a passionate commitment to educating the whole student,” said Robert T. Scott, AFSC, President/Principal of St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics/Economics from the University at Buffalo, Mr. Hazel secured his first teaching position with the Thomas J. Edwards Learning Center at the University at Buffalo. Subsequently, while completing master’s degrees in both Mathematics Education and Educational Leadership, Mr. Hazel served Niagara-Wheatfield High School as a mathematics teacher and most recently, as principal.
“We look forward to going back to a model of President and Principal – a model 
that worked well for the school in the past, and will work well in the future” Scott added. The division of the roles will allow the President, to focus on the business side of the school and will allow the Principal to focus on academics.
We are elated to have Brother Thomas Lackey come home to serve as our new President. The Board is confident that Brother Tom’s intelligence, experience, and relationship with the De La Salle community will guarantee that the standard of excellence will continue at De La Salle for years to come. He can continue the many positive accomplishments he achieved during his previous leadership at DLS. Brother Tom served as a leader and administrator as De La Salle transitioned from Detroit to the current Warren campus during 1982 to 1985. He then served as the school’s principal for nine years as the school became established as Macomb County’s only all-boys’ Catholic college preparatory high school. Brother Tom recently completed his leadership as the Director of Lasallian Formation for the United States Toronto Region, based in Washington DC.
“I am exceedingly happy to be returning to De La Salle Collegiate after being 
away for seventeen years,” said Brother Tom. “I look forward to working with the De La Salle faculty and administration, as well as parents, past and present, and alumni to strengthen the holistic approach to education, which is a hallmark not only of De La Salle Collegiate, but of all Lasallian schools.”
Brother Tom will provide a seamless transition because of his commitment to the Lasallian mission, his leadership experience, and his devotion to his alma mater and the Detroit area.”
Education
- Ph.D., 1985, Union Theological Seminary,
- M.Phil., 1984, Union Theological Seminary,
- M.T.S., 1979, Boston University School of Theology
- A.B., 1975, Boston University
Areas of Interest
- U.S. Catholicism
- Religion in America
- History of women religious
- Religion and social justice
Recent Publications and Presentations
- American Catholic Studies; Catholic Studies Reader, co-edited with James T. Fisher, Fordham University Press, forthcoming 2010.
- Settlement Sisters: A History of the Sisters of Christian Doctrine, University of Scranton Press, forthcoming 2010.
- “Urban Settlement Houses and Rural Parishes: The Ministry of the Sisters of Christian Doctrine, 1910-1986.” U.S. Catholic Historian, 2008.
- “American Catholic Studies: The Field and the Journal.” Catholic Library World 78 (September 2007).
- “Let Us Go To The Altar: American Catholics and the Eucharist, 1926-1976” in Habits of Devotion, James M. O’Toole, ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2004.
Andrew Ryan, P.E., a resident of Nanuet, N.Y., has been appointed vice president for facilities at Manhattan College. He comes to Manhattan College from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. An alumnus of the College, Ryan will have responsibility both for the daily operation of Manhattan’s physical plant and for project development, design and management of new projects. His first major project will be overseeing the construction of the College’s Student Commons, a centerpiece in Manhattan’s new strategic plan. A professional engineer with extensive operations experience, Ryan has worked on projects with Perkins East-man, Syska Hennessy and Langan Engineering. At Weill Cornell Medical College, he had overall responsibility for the maintenance and operation of more than 1.6 million square feet of combined state-of-the-art research, medical, educational, business and residential space. His work included extensive collaboration on construction projects, and in strategic planning and implementation. “We are delighted to welcome Mr. Ryan back to his alma mater,” said Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., president of Manhattan College. “Andy’s excellent engineering education combined with broad and deep experience and an impressive record of accomplishment will make him a great addition to our administrative team.” Ryan’s duties will include providing leadership for the College’s extensive sustainability initiatives. Energy 
con-servation has always been one of his main goals, and during his time at Weill Cornell Medical College, Ryan brought the institution into the Mayor’s University Challenge to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by 30 percent by 2018.Cornell has already reached that goal and has programs in place to reduce emissions further by 2018. Throughout much of his career, Ryan has worked at medical and higher education institutions. He spent the first decade at the New York Power Authority in White Plains, where he began as an assistant operations engineer in Plattsburgh. While there, he was the lead engineer for a major expansion of a substation. Ryan held several positions at the New York Power Authority, finishing his time there as senior electrical engineer. In the early 1990s, he became the director of plant operations at Hackensack University Medical Center, and he also served at Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Paterson, N.J., before joining Weill Cornell Medical College in 1998. Ryan graduated from Manhattan College with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and also holds an M.B.A. from Iona College. He is a member of a number of professional organizations, such as the APPA, the American Society for Healthcare Engineering, the Hospital Engineers of Greater New York, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is a licensed engineer in both New York and New Jersey. “I am thrilled to be returning to Manhattan College and to be a part of the development of the College’s Student Commons,” said Ryan. “At the same time, we will be looking at opportunities for energy conservation throughout the campus.”
We are pleased to announce that Carol Soltys has been hired by The San Miguel School as the new Academic Dean and began her duties on July 1, 2011. 
Carol has been an educator in the Diocese of Providence for 26 years and served most recently as the Principal of Providence’s Holy Ghost School on Federal Hill, a position she held for 14 years. Besides an undergraduate degree in education from RI College, Carol holds a Masters Degree in Counseling.
Carol says, “I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Academic Dean of The San Miguel School of Providence. I have always considered my profession as a ministry and I feel blessed to be able to share my ministry with a great staff and a group of kind and respectful young boys. I look forward to working in this faith-filled environment where the power of the Holy Spirit works in a loving and powerful way.”
Carol has taught, nurtured, and inspired many children during her years as an educator. All of us in the San Miguel community welcome her as the newest member of our team!