The Board of Trustees of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids has appointed Sr. Maureen Geary as the college’s 10th president.
A longtime leader at Aquinas and a well-known Dominican sister of Grand Rapids, Geary brings more than four decades of experience in higher education, public accounting, law, financial administration, social justice advocacy, and congregational leadership to her new role leading the nationally ranked liberal arts institution.
She has served as interim president of Aquinas since April, but her leadership at the college spans decades. As both a certified public accountant and an attorney, Geary already has contributed much to Aquinas’ success in her roles on the faculty, as a member of the administrative staff, and on the board.
Geary has served Aquinas as:
- An assistant professor teaching business law and accounting.
- Vice president of finance and controller for six years.
- A trustee for 12 years.
During her time as a trustee, she also was active on the finance, investments, benefits, and Dominican heritage committees of the board.
During her time as interim president, Geary received great support from the Aquinas community due to her decades of success building trust, relationships, and deep institutional knowledge. In May, the Faculty Assembly passed a resolution recommending the Board of Trustees extend Geary’s presidential term.
A native of Grand Rapids, Geary has held many leadership roles within the Dominican Sisters, including prioress, vicaress, treasurer, and councilor for finance. In addition to her time at Aquinas, she has held various legal and accounting positions and has served on numerous boards and committees.
“It’s been an incredible honor to be a part of Aquinas’ growth over the years, and I’m deeply humbled and blessed to have been selected by the trustees to serve as our college’s 10th president,” Geary says. “After spending many wonderful decades building relationships both on and off campus, I feel uniquely called to lead Aquinas and keep our forward motion as we build our next chapter – together.
“As I step into this new role, I remain committed to leading with faith, deep listening, and an unwavering passion to ensure Aquinas can continue to thrive as a Catholic liberal arts institution guided by our Dominican pillars of prayer, service, study, and community.”
The Aquinas community will celebrate President Geary’s inauguration during Homecoming weekend on Sept. 18-20.
