Presidential Search 2023-24
In September 2023, Wagner College’s 20th president, Angelo Araimo, announced that he will retire after the 2023-24 academic year, having served for 30 years in leadership roles at the college.
The Wagner College Board of Trustees will charge a Presidential Search Committee (to be announced) with conducting a national search for Wagner College’s next and 21st president.
The search committee will be chaired by trustee Thomas Kendris ’78. President Angelo Araimo will serve as non-voting vice chair of the committee. Storbeck Search, a Diversified Search Group Company, has been chosen as the firm to assist Wagner with the search. Dr. Ruth Shoemaker Wood, Managing Director at Storbeck Search, will be working closely with the committee and will lead the Storbeck team.
Updates about the search will be provided via email to the campus community and published on this webpage.
Dear Wagner College:
As Board Chair Jeff Forchelli ’66 shared in his message yesterday, next Friday, September 29, the Board of Trustees will host open sessions to gather the perspectives, ideas, and recommendations of campus community members as they commence the search for Wagner’s 21st president.
These sessions will be facilitated by Thomas Kendris ’78, chair of the search committee, alongside lead search consultant Dr. Ruth Shoemaker Wood and Dr. Fiona Jaramillo from Storbeck Search, the college’s executive search partner.
Please find below the confirmed times and locations of those sessions.
Friday, September 29, 2023
Faculty Open Session – 11:00-12:00 pm in the Manzulli Boardroom, Foundation Hall
Staff Open Session –12:15-1:15 pm in the Manzulli Boardroom, Foundation Hall
Student Open Session – 3:00-4:00 pm in Main Hall 12
These sessions are in-person and will not be recorded. All community members–especially those unable to attend the open sessions–are urged to share their perspectives confidentially by completing this survey. You are also welcome to recommend outstanding prospective candidates or contacts who might know such candidates in the form or by email to WagnerPresident@
As a reminder, regular updates about the search will be shared via email and published at wagner.edu/presidential-search
Thank you very much for your engagement at this vital early moment in the search.
Wagner College:
As you read yesterday, President Angelo Araimo has announced that after 30 years of distinguished service, he will retire from Wagner next summer. The Board of Trustees joins the faculty, staff, and wider Wagner community in extending profound gratitude to President Araimo for his steadfast leadership.
The national search for Wagner College’s 21st president will begin right away, with the goal of selecting a president to begin in fall 2024. This initial update and subsequent messages will be shared by email and published at wagner.edu/presidential-search.
Presidential Search Leadership
The presidential search will be led by trustee Thomas Kendris, Esq. ’78. The son of a beloved Wagner College English professor, an alumnus himself, and the parent of an alum, Tom has served as a trustee for eight years. He recently retired as U.S. country president of Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
Because of the great confidence the board and Wagner community place in him, I have also taken the extraordinary step of asking President Araimo to serve as non-voting vice chair of the search committee. We believe his deep understanding of our college and what we need in our next leader will be a great boon to the search.
Storbeck Search, a Diversified Search Group Company and global leader in higher education executive recruitment, has been selected to assist us with the search. Dr. Ruth Shoemaker Wood, Managing Director at Storbeck Search, will lead the consulting team. The full Presidential Search Committee, comprising trustees, faculty, administrators, and a student representative, will be announced soon.
Save the Date – Friday, September 29
It is vital at this early stage of the search to engage as many voices and views of the Wagner community as possible. To this end, on Friday, September 29, separate open meetings with faculty, staff, and students will be scheduled for community members to share their ideas and feedback. Meeting times and locations will be shared soon.
Students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends of the College are also encouraged to complete this confidential survey to share their perspectives. The insights gained from these conversations and surveys will inform the creation of the search profile, an important recruitment tool which will describe the College and frame the leadership agenda for our next president.
Finally, I encourage you to recommend outstanding prospective candidates or share those contacts who might know of strong potential candidates. Please add your suggestions on the survey or forward names to our Storbeck Search team at WagnerPresident@storbecksearch.com.
We will continue to update the community as the search progresses.
Sincerely,
Jeff Forchelli ’66
Chair, Wagner College Board of Trustees