Renowned Leaders from Performing Arts, Real Estate, and Banking Join Iona University Board of Trustees
Three new Trustees join as Iona continues strategic growth
New Rochelle, N.Y. – Iona University is proud to announce that Eileen Ivers ’87, ’19H, a Grammy Award-winning fiddler and musical pioneer; Peter G. Riguardi ’83, ’16H, chairman and president, New York tri-state region, Jones Lang LaSalle Brokerage, Inc.; and Joseph M. Murphy, Jr., an experienced banking and investment president, have recently joined the Board of Trustees.
Their appointments come as Iona continues to grow student programming in the performing arts while also expanding to a second campus in Bronxville, N.Y., where it will open the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences in January 2023.
“This is a pivotal moment in Iona’s history, as we work to add new opportunities for students, expand community partnerships and develop a premier school of health sciences in collaboration with one of the nation’s top hospitals,” said Iona University President Seamus Carey, Ph.D. “We are fortunate to have such distinguished and dedicated Trustees join the Board in service to Iona.”
Eileen Ivers ’87, ’19H
Hailed as one of the great innovators of Celtic and World music and dubbed “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin” by The New York Times, Ivers’ list of accolades includes a Grammy Award, an Emmy nomination and headline performances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops and over 50 orchestras worldwide.
A former member of the bands Cherish the Ladies, The Green Fields of America and The Hall and Oates Band, her recording credits include over 80 contemporary and traditional albums and numerous movie scores, including “Gangs of New York” and “Back to Titanic.” Her 2016 album, “Beyond the Bog Road,” reached number one on the Alt-Country Roots Music Chart, and was followed by her 2022 release, “Scatter the Light.”
Ivers has also thrilled audiences in the worldwide theater sensation “Riverdance,” and has shared the stage with The Chieftains, Patti Smith, Sting, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Al Di Meola, among many others.
Ivers said she is inspired by the power of academia and how it can fuel the arts, adding that her professional experience as a performer, composer, producer, musical director and business owner will benefit the University as it continues to grow in the areas of the performing arts and interdisciplinary entrepreneurship. She is also very connected to her Irish heritage and envisions opportunities to expand extracurricular activities abroad for the students of Iona.
“I am excited to serve with the Board’s incredibly talented members and to help further grow the arts component of Iona University’s School of Arts and Science,” she said. “The arts motivate creativity and bring people and communities together. Iona’s foresight and planning continue to expand this integral component of higher education.”
Born in the Bronx and currently residing in West Nyack, N.Y., Ivers majored in mathematics and graduated magna cum laude from Iona. In 2019, Iona conferred upon her a Doctor of Arts degree in recognition of her lifelong commitment to innovation, excellence and deep dedication to bringing people together through music. Ivers also was presented with an Iona 2020 Women of Achievement Award and Iona’s Brother Arthur A. Loftus Outstanding Achievement Award in 1997.
Peter G. Riguardi ’83, ’16H
As chairman and president of JLL’s New York tri-state region, Riguardi leads all operations for the firm in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. He is responsible for broadening the company’s local platform and oversees a team of almost 2,700 professionals in seven offices throughout the Tri-state area.
Under Riguardi’s leadership, JLL has established itself as a market leader in the New York Metropolitan area across all business lines, and the company’s market share, revenue and profitability have all increased substantially.
Riguardi has been a leading New York City broker for nearly four decades, with many of his completed transactions ranking as New York’s largest and most complex.
Prior to joining JLL in September 2002, Riguardi was vice chairman and principal of Colliers ABR Inc., a company that he helped found in 1994. He started his real estate career at GVA Williams in 1983, where he was the youngest senior vice president in the firm’s history. During his extensive career in commercial real estate, he has been actively involved in several of the largest and most noteworthy transactions in the New York Metropolitan area. Riguardi is consistently ranked by the New York Observer as one of New York’s most influential real estate executives.
Riguardi serves on the Board of Governors for the Real Estate Board of New York and is an active member of the organization’s senior leadership. In addition to many other boards and philanthropic endeavors, Riguardi is also an active board member of the American Red Cross NY Chapter. He is also a partner in the renowned baseball publication, Baseball of America.
“I am honored to be able to bring my experience to the table on behalf of my alma mater and the future of this prestigious institution, especially as Iona expands its footprint to a new 28-acre campus in Bronxville, N.Y.,” Riguardi said. “The future is bright for Iona, and it is truly a privilege to be able to serve in this capacity.”
Riguardi holds degrees in marketing and finance from Iona, and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree. He was also a 2022 Legacy Award recipient at the annual Trustees Scholarship Award Gala.
Joseph M. Murphy, Jr.
An experienced president from the banking, finance and commercial real estate industries, Murphy currently serves on the Board of Directors of OceanFirst Bank, OceanFirst Financial Corporation, and the OceanFirst Foundation.
He served from 2003 on the Board of Directors of Country Bank Holding Company, and from 1996 on the Board of Country Bank, a Manhattan-based community bank acquired by OceanFirst Financial Corp. on January 1, 2020. He served as Executive Vice President in 1997, President in 2008 and President/CEO from 2012.
Country Bank specialized in real estate lending to small businesses and commercial real estate investors. The Bank ranked in the “Top 200 Community Banks” nationwide by US Banker magazine five years in the past decade.
Prior to joining Country Bank, Murphy co-founded a commercial mortgage conduit, ValuExpress LLC, which had originated over $2 billion in loans for the real estate capital markets. For over 30 years he has owned and managed family real estate investments in various commercial properties throughout the United States. He is also President of Value Investors, Inc., his family’s investment office.
Murphy has served on the Board of Directors for the New York Chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; the Finance Advisory Committee of the Congregation of Christian Brothers; and the Board of Trustees for the Greater New York Chapter of the American Red Cross. He also served on the Community Bankers Council of the American Bankers Association. He is a Knight of St. Patrick, which supports the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. He is also a member of the Finance Advisory Council for his Parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary.
“Iona has played such a transformative role in the lives of its students and alumni over the course of the past 82 years,” Murphy said. “As the school continues to rise now as a University, it is a privilege to join the Board and support Iona’s continued success on the path ahead.”
A resident of Scarsdale, Murphy is a graduate of the University of Denver with a BSBA. He also holds a Master of Science in Real Estate Finance from New York University. He continues the family legacy set forth by Joseph M. Murphy ’59, ’83H and the late JoAnn M. Murphy ’98H, who together served a combined 50 years on the Board of Trustees as active philanthropists.
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.