Iona University Hosts New York State Senator Shelley Mayer for Women’s History Month
Left to right: Dr. Alison Munsch, New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, Shakinah Silverberg ’24.
New Rochelle, N.Y. – New York State Senator Shelley Mayer visited Iona University earlier this month for a discussion on the theme, “What every woman needs to know about empowerment.”
Hosted in honor of Women’s History Month by the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB), the event fostered a deeper understanding of the distinct obstacles women face and provided concrete strategies for both self-empowerment and advocacy.
A resident of Yonkers, Mayer was elected to the New York State Senate in an April 2018 Special Election, and was subsequently re-elected in November 2018, 2020 and 2022 to represent the 37th District. Prior to this, she served in the State Assembly for six years.
During the discussion, Mayer shared stories about her career journey, including overcoming challenges in a traditionally male-dominated field while also balancing work and life.
“I want to thank Senator Mayer for a thought-provoking discussion,” said Dr. Alison Munsch, chief DEIB officer and associate professor in the LaPenta School of Business, who facilitated the conversation. “We are grateful for her valuable insights and perspectives and I truly believe this discussion will inspire both confidence and action within our students.”
To learn more about upcoming DEIB events, please visit the Diversity Events Calendar.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.