Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, President & CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), will give the address at Molloy University’s commencement ceremony on May 22 at 1 p.m. at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. New York State Board of Regents Board member Roger B. Tilles, who represents the Long Island region, will receive an honorary degree.
In 2015, Sister Donna was named the first female president to lead CCUSA in the organization’s 105-year history. She has a doctorate in clinical psychology and a proven track record in organizational leadership.
“I am both honored and humbled to engage in this enormously important ministry,” said Sister Donna Markham after accepting the presidency. “There can be no greater call than to serve and advocate on behalf of persons who struggle to get by in a world where they are all-too-frequently relegated to the margins of society and where they long for dignity, hope, and compassion. I feel blessed to walk among the many dedicated Catholic Charities workers across the country who daily make the Gospel come alive through their care for their sisters and brothers in need.”
“We are pleased to welcome Sister Donna to this year’s commencement exercises,” said Molloy University President James Lentini. “The CCUSA mission aligns closely with Molloy’s, with an emphasis on respect and dignity for all people, and she will deliver a powerful message that I am sure will resonate with our students.”
Sister Donna is an Adrian Dominican sister and board-certified clinical psychologist. Prior to assuming the presidency at CCUSA she worked for Mercy Health, where she led the transformation of the delivery of behavioral healthcare services across seven major geographic regions. Before joining Mercy Health, Sister Donna served 10 years as the president of the Southdown Institute in Ontario, Canada and as Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Congregation. She also served for eight years as a member of CCUSA’s Board of Trustees, two of which as Board chair.
Sister Donna received her doctorate from the University of Detroit and was named a Fellow in the American Association of Clinical Psychologists. She was awarded the prestigious Harold S. Bernard Training Award from the American Group Psychotherapy Association in February 2014.
Roger Tilles to Receive Honorary Degree
Roger Tilles is currently serving his fourth five-year term on the New York State Education Department Board of Regents for the Tenth Judicial District. He was Chair and founding member of the Association for a Better Long Island, past acting Chair of the Long Island Regional Planning Board, served as a Chair of the Long Island University Board of Trustees, served on the Boards of WNET/Channel 13 and WLIW/Channel21 and has been Executive Vice Chairman of the Tilles Center for The Performing Arts, in addition to serving on the Board of Executive Board of Long Island Association. He has also worked to form the Long Island Arts Alliance, bringing together the cultural institutions of Long Island.
“Roger Tilles has been a friend of Molloy’s for many years and his support of higher education and the arts has benefited Long Island and all of New York State,” said President Lentini. “His dedication to the region is unsurpassed.”
Mr. Tilles is also involved with significant interfaith activities, including Project Understanding, which he formed with Monsignor Tom Hartman in 1987, bringing Catholic and Jewish teenagers together annually on a mission to Israel. He also served as the producer of the first Vatican commemoration of the Holocaust under the auspices of Pope John Paul II in Rome in 1994.
He is a member and past President of Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, was on the Board of The Jewish Outreach Institute and has been a member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet of the UJA.
Regent Tilles graduated in 1968 from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and from the University of Michigan College of Law in 1971. He became Director of Law and Legislation for the Michigan Department of Education, was elected to the Michigan State Board of Education, and in 1975, he became the Executive Secretary to the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. During this time in Michigan he taught education and the law at University of Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan Universities’ Schools of Education. He was also the counsel to the Michigan Teacher Tenure Commission as well as a Special Education Hearing Officer. After being a candidate for U.S. Congress, he opened his own law practice in Washington D.C. in 1978, until his return to Long Island in 1983 where he was the Director of the Tilles Investment Companies. He received a provisional N.Y.C teaching certificate in 1971, following education courses at C.W. Post. He is a member of the New York, D.C. and Michigan Bar Associations.