Herrera, who serves as the associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Western New Mexico University, will join Mercy College on Jan. 17.
“Dr. Herrera embraces the mission of Mercy College,” college President Tim Hall said. “His commitment to seeing students succeed, from all walks of life, is what made him stand out.”
Herrera, a first-generation college student, earned his bachelor”™s and master”™s degrees in biology from Northern Illinois University and his doctorate in microbiology from Kansas State University. He spent the early part of his career as a high school biology teacher in Illinois and later was a program director for the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Va.
Herrera will replace Concetta Stewart, who has served as college provost and vice president of academic affairs since August 2012, and who served as interim president during the 2013-14 academic year.
Mercy College operates campuses in Dobbs Ferry, Yorktown Heights, the Bronx and Manhattan.