About the President

Maureen F. Finney, Ed.D., PA-C, takes office as the University’s 11th president on July 1, 2026. Since joining Nazareth University as provost in 2022, Finney has transformed key aspects of the University’s academic and student life programs. With vision, energy, and unwavering commitment to the University’s mission, she has driven initiatives that strengthen student success, elevate academic excellence, and position Nazareth for a bold and promising future.

Finney has forged a unique, diverse career, with experience in both higher education and community health care, which will inform and enhance her approach as president. She previously served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Hilbert College in Hamburg, N.Y., and dean, department chair, and professor in D’Youville University’s School of Health Professions for 20 years. Finney is a New York State registered physician assistant who practiced clinically as a physician assistant in an underserved area of Buffalo for 24 years, and she maintains her active clinical licensure. She proudly serves as a board of trustees member at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute and Olivia’s Bears.

A Buffalo, New York, native, Finney is a graduate of the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, a private high school for young women. Finney earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Niagara University, a physician assistant bachelor’s from D’Youville University, a master’s  in natural sciences from State University of New York at Buffalo, and a doctorate in health policy and education from D’Youville University.