Iona University has appointed 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 (JLL) Brokerage Inc.; and Joseph M. Murphy Jr., an experienced banking and investment president, as members of its 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, New York, 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.Â
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 is inspired by the power of academia and how it can fuel the arts. She is very much connected to her Irish heritage and envisions opportunities to expand extracurricular activities abroad for the students of 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.Â
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.Â
Riguardi started his real estate career at GVA Williams in 1983, where he was the youngest senior vice president in the firm”™s history. He holds degrees in marketing and finance from Iona, and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree.Â
An experienced president, Murphy is from the banking, finance and commercial real estate industries, and 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 Jan. 1, 2020. Prior to joining Country Bank, Murphy co-founded a commercial mortgage conduit, ValuExpress LLC. For more than 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.
A resident of Scarsdale, Murphy is a graduate of the University of Denver and also holds a Master of Science degree in real estate finance from New York University.
