Maureen F. Finney, Ed.D., PA-C, Named Nazareth University’s 11th President
Nazareth University, on behalf of its Board of Trustees, announced today that Maureen F. Finney, Ed.D., PA-C, has been selected as the University’s 11th president, effective July 1, 2026. Finney, who has served as provost at Nazareth since 2022, was unanimously selected after a rigorous, six-month national search that yielded over 100 qualified applicants and a multi-phase interview process involving board members, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. She will succeed President Elizabeth “Beth” L. Paul, who will conclude her successful six-year tenure at the University in June 2026.
“Maureen is a multi-talented executive who is uniquely positioned to lead the University in a time of growth and the evolving academic landscape,” said Nazareth Board of Trustees Chair John Drain, senior vice president, finance, of Hearst Television, Inc. in New York City. “Maureen has been a champion of the student experience and outcomes at Nazareth, as well as of new academic offerings that meet the needs of changing marketplaces. Maureen, through her actions each day, reflects the Nazareth mission and values.”
A Track Record of Transformational Innovation
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.
“I am deeply honored and thankful to the Nazareth University Board of Trustees for their confidence in my vision to further lead Nazareth towards a thriving future. As president, I will lean into our university’s academic excellence and student success outcomes, ensuring we extol our institutional values of serving neighbor to neighbor, without distinction,” said Finney.
Finney led the design, implementation, and continuous monitoring of a Nazareth Provost Area Strategic Plan that yielded measurable outcomes, including increased new student enrollment and retention, fiscal strengthening, enhanced community brand recognition, and external partnerships. She spearheaded the University’s academic restructuring from five schools to three defined colleges — highlighting institutional strengths and maximizing organizational efficiency — and established Nazareth’s first Academic Program Portfolio Review data system, resulting in internal capacity building for continuous improvement toward a more feasible academic economy.
Finney has guided the launch of several important new academic programs, including a 30–student cohort hybrid master’s-level physician assistant program, an innovative online graduate program in music education, and a recently launched school psychology graduate degree program. Other new academic programs added during her provost tenure have included Nazareth’s pioneering bachelor’s degree in technology, artificial intelligence, and society, as well as applied behavioral analysis and social innovation and entrepreneurship bachelor’s degree programs.
Student life and experience are paramount to Finney. She and her leadership team created and implemented a new student-centered ecosystem redesign at Nazareth, including restructuring of Student Life to support a thriving student experience, resulting in a record fall-to-fall student retention rate. Multiple residence hall renovations occurred during Finney’s provost tenure, leading to record increases in on-campus undergraduate student participation in housing. She played a central role in the adoption and implementation of EAB Navigate360, a technology platform for student success, emboldening Nazareth’s efforts to ensure a university-wide, proactive approach to student success. These efforts have led to strong student-first destination outcomes, with 99% of graduates employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation.
Finney has already identified advancement and external funding as major priorities for Nazareth. Her fundraising and friend-raising efforts have previously yielded $16 million in foundation and federal/state grants, and she led a United States Department of Education Title III Strengthening Institutional Programs grant resulting in a $2.2 million award to support student success.
Notably, in 2025, Finney led a cross-university effort that resulted in full accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, earning the longest accreditation term possible with no additional requirements.
“The search committee conducted a comprehensive and thoughtful process, identifying an exceptionally strong pool of candidates for the Board’s final consideration,” said Sergio Esteban, chair of the presidential search committee, Nazareth trustee emeritus, and principal of Rochester-based LaBella Associates, PC. “Throughout each stage of the selection process, Maureen consistently rose to the top by distinguishing herself through her unwavering belief in the mission of Nazareth University. Her clarity of vision, depth of experience, and demonstrated commitment to our values consistently set her apart among a highly qualified field.”
Finney brings a clear strategic mindset, seasoned leadership experience, and a deep appreciation for Nazareth’s mission, paired with an ability to communicate vision with authenticity and precision. Her expertise equips her to lead with focus and momentum as Nazareth University enters its next chapter.
Education and Background
Finney has forged a unique, diverse career, with experience in both higher education and community health care, that will inform and enhance her approach to the role of president. Prior to assuming the role of Nazareth’s provost, she 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 went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Niagara University, a physician assistant bachelor’s degree from D’Youville University, a master’s degree in natural sciences from State University of New York at Buffalo, and a doctorate in health policy and education from D’Youville University.
Finney’s family includes her husband, Tim Finney, general manager and vice president of human resources at Innovative Concepts in Entertainment, Inc., and daughters Maeve, an oncology nurse, and Meghan, who will be attending law school in the fall.
Contact
Julie Long: 585-389-2456 or jlong2@naz.edu
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
Maureen Finney