As Americans observed Presidents’ Day last week to honor the country’s great presidents of the past and present, the Iona College community followed suit, as it prepares to welcome its eighth president, Dr. Joseph E. Nyre, who will succeed current President Br. James A. Liguori at the end of this semester.

Nyre currently serves as chief executive officer and president of The Hope Institute for Children and Families, a university affiliated, nonprofit organization impacting about 30,000 children each year.

Stationed in Springfield, Illinois, it provides educational, residential and health services to children ages 5-21 with various developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorders. 

“Dr. Nyre has current international research and training program initiatives in autism, mental health service delivery and system development. He is actively involved, publishes and presents nationally in the areas of developmental psychopathology and systems of health and educational service delivery to children and families,” states the Institute’s website.

Nyre earned a Masters degree in Educational and Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri, an Ed.S. and Ph.D. in School Psychology with a minor in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Kansas and fulfilled pre and postdoctoral fellowships in Clinical Child Psychology at both Harvard Medical School/Children’s Hospital and the University of Kansas.

Nyre was selected as Iona’s next president from a pool of over 60 candidates, including sitting Presidents, Provosts and Deans.

“We are very gratified by the tremendous response to our presidential search,” said Liguori, who completes his 17th and final year as president on May 31. “It’s a reflection on how Iona has become a nationally recognized institution of higher learning. The quality of the candidates and the breadth of their experience were extremely impressive.”

In the midst of such an impressive selection of candidates, it was Nyre’s unique experiences, skills and education that made him stand out. Chairman of the Board of Legal Trustees of Iona College James P. Hynes said that Nyre’s unique background and special skills have the potential to take Iona to national prominence.

After his eight years at the Institute, Nyre knows a lot about how to expand the prominence of an organization.

Under his leadership, the Institute reversed years of annual losses, reorganized and launched centers of excellence, increased corporate partnerships and raised significant private and grant funds. Nyre also helped influence the passing of state and federal legislation, which greatly impacted the system of care and higher education.

Nyre looks to bring similar benefits to Iona.

“I am honored to have been selected to lead Iona and to have the opportunity to build upon the success the college has enjoyed during Brother Liguori’s leadership. I look forward to working with the entire Iona community in continuing to expand Iona’s reputation, to further enhance its academic standing and to embrace its Christian Brothers’ tradition,” he said.

“Iona College is truly dedicated to the Christian Brothers’ ideals,” he added in an interview with The New York Times. “It’s well positioned, both with its liberal arts and professional programs, to continue its contributions to higher education, while also maintaining its faith-based mission.”

Following in the footsteps of the Congregation of Edmund Rice Christian Brothers, who founded Iona in 1940, Nyre has founded many organizations himself. According to the Institute’s website, he founded: a nationally recognized program of research, five partial hospital programs, a private practice, the Noll Medical Pavilion, Noll Dental Clinic, the Children’s Healthcare Partnership, Central Illinois DD Dental Advisory Commission, The Autism Program of Illinois Service Network, the Hope Institute Learning Academy, the Kansas Psychology Training Consortium in clinical, school, and counseling psychology and the Baylor Evaluation Services Center.

In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Nyre finds time to raise his three children – Hadley, Henry, and Charlie – with his wife Kelli. Nyre and his family were officially introduced to the Iona community on Tuesday, March 1, in the Mulcahy Gymnasium, Hynes Athletics Center, which was followed by a reception.

“I am confident that Iona will be in very good hands under Dr. Nyre’s leadership and will continue to make strides in academic excellence,” Ligouri said.