The Adelphi University Board of Trustees welcomed five new members this year, each with dynamic business and leadership experience, to help guide the University in achieving the goals of its Momentum 2 strategic plan and ensure its long-term mission success.
The new members, all Adelphi alumni, are industry experts in healthcare, finance, law, entertainment and technology. Their diverse range of professional experiences, educational backgrounds, gender, age and cultural identities deepen the board’s commitment to creating a balanced and elevated governing body aligned with the University’s mission, vision and values. Although they bring individual perspectives and unique skills, the new members are united in their dedication to service during a time of growing success at Adelphi and modern transformation across higher education.
Adelphi is thrilled to introduce these new trustees to the community and thank them for volunteering their time to help transform students’ lives.
Michael J. Sammis ’81
Michael J. Sammis is an alumnus of Adelphi University and graduated in 1981 with a BBA in accounting and finance. Following that, Sammis embarked on a career of 40-plus years, primarily focused on music and entertainment. He started his journey in public accounting, culminating with a 10-year career at Ernst & Young in New York City, specializing in audit, consulting and litigation support. In 1992, he relocated to Los Angeles, where his career focus shifted to the music publishing arena. In 1996, Sammis began a career of more than 25 years at Universal Music Publishing, first as worldwide executive vice president-operations and chief financial officer and later president of its Production Music division.
Sammis also received an MBA in 2002 from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and recently was hired as professor of practice and director of music business at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He and his wife, Susan, have two grown sons and (currently) two grandchildren.
June Collison ’81, MBA ’84
June Collison has served as president of the Community Hospital of San Bernardino since 2012. As the leader of this 343-bed acute care hospital, she is working to meet the demands of healthcare reform and the challenges of the local economy. Collison is no stranger to the Inland Empire of Southern California and understands the issues impacting its communities. She served in top leadership roles at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, California, from 2000 to 2007, first as chief operating officer and then as chief executive officer. Since that time, she has served as chief operating officer at Olympia Medical Center in Los Angeles.
A seasoned senior healthcare executive with more than 35 years of experience, Collison’s healthcare career began in finance, when she served as a controller and chief financial officer. She has an MBA in corporate investment and finance and a bachelor’s degree in banking and money management, both from Adelphi University. She has received many honors and awards, including Woman of the Year for the City of Pasadena. She is a former internationally ranked sprinter and was an Olympic contender in the 1984 games. She is also a former chairwoman of the California State Athletic Commission.
Mark S. Davis ’85
Mark Davis is an accomplished leader and soon-to-be-retired Big Four accounting firm partner with 38 years of diverse management and executive leadership experience with Deloitte, the world’s largest professional services firm. Davis has been a trusted adviser to Fortune 500, privately held and pre-IPO C-suite executives, corporate boards and audit committees across a broad set of industries, including technology, media, music, software and consumer products.
Davis began his career with Deloitte in the Long Island office audit group in 1985. He became a partner of the firm in 1997. In 1999, he transferred to the New York office to create and lead Deloitte’s Emerging Growth Company practice, focused on pre-IPO companies, where he helped build a network of more than 200 active clients that has generated over 100 new public companies. In 2009, Davis also became the managing partner of the Long Island office, where he grew Deloitte’s Long Island market share from the 10th to the second firm locally. As a community leader, he was chairman of the American Heart Association of Long Island and a member of the board and audit committee and finance committee chairman of NYU Langone Hospital Long Island. He received his BBA in accounting from Adelphi University and is a past recipient of the University’s Accountant of the Year award. He was also an active member of the President’s Advisory Council and the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board. He is a member of the New York State Society of Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Mahnoor Misbah ’14, JD
Mahnoor Misbah is an associate at Morrison Cohen LLP, where she specializes in business litigation. Misbah’s practice focuses on a wide variety of commercial and business disputes involving financial transactions. Prior to entering private practice, she was an attorney for the New York state government, clerking for three different judges in Manhattan on both the trial and appellate court levels.
Misbah is an active member of the New York State and New York City Bar Associations. She serves as secretary to the Judiciary Committee of the New York City Bar Association, which evaluates candidates for election to state and federal courts in New York City. She also serves as co-chair of the State Court Counsel Subcommittee of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association. She is a graduate of the Adelphi University Class of 2014, was a member of the Honors College, and majored in political science with a minor in English literature.
Alexandria Cisco ’15
Alexandria Cisco is a proud Adelphi alum from the Class of 2015. Having obtained a Bachelor of Science in information systems, she has found great exposure to technology applications across many different industries. Since securing her place in the corporate world, Cisco has continued to apply her Adelphi education to her vertical focus in human resources software within sales and implementation. She joins the Adelphi University Board of Trustees with a nuanced skill set and looks forward to bringing value to the priority areas and goals of the University. In her personal time, she enjoys spending time with her children and her partner and finds peace in her Christian faith.