President-elect Maureen Finney is named a Woman of Excellence by Rochester Business Journal

Nazareth University President-elect Maureen F. Finney is among the recipients of the Rochester Business Journal’s 2026 Women of Excellence awards.

The Women of Excellence awards recognize high-achieving women for their career accomplishments, including professional experience, community involvement, leadership, and sustained commitment to mentoring. This year’s class features 53 women from a variety of industries.

Finney was announced as Nazareth University’s 11th president on March 5, 2026. She will take office 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, including a full-scale student success self-study highlighting the importance of strengthening support for critical transition points – first-year entry, transfer integration, and persistence through to graduation. 

“To be recognized alongside the other 2026 Women of Excellence is such an honor. I am grateful to be in their company, and I look forward to celebrating with this group of intelligent, powerful, and community-focused women who are doing remarkable work for the Rochester region,” said Finney.

She 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. 

She was recently named a 2026 Insight Into Academia Trailblazer in Higher Education. 

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. Before 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.   

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.

• published: 2026 March
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