Joan Mazzotti has become the first woman to lead the Board of Trustees at Rider University … again.
Mazzotti, who was appointed to the role on July 1, previously served in the position from 1998-2002 – one of the numerous ways Mazzotti has given back to the school from which she graduated in 1972.
Mazzotti, who most recently served two consecutive, two-year terms as vice chair of the board currently serves as vice chair of Transforming Students – Transforming Lives: The Campaign for Rider University, the institution’s largest fundraising campaign in its history. In 2006, she and her husband created the Mazzotti Awards in Women’s Leadership, which have provided leadership development opportunities for hundreds of Rider female faculty and staff. And in 2018, a $1 million gift to Rider established The Joan C. Mazzotti ’72 and Michael C. Kelly Endowed Scholarship, which benefits first-generation, underrepresented students.
“My ongoing commitment to Rider is grounded in my profound belief in the power of education and in the university’s mission,” she said. “I am honored to be leading the Board at this critical juncture in higher education.”
Being of service is central to Mazzotti’s leadership.
“Rider’s sweet spot has always been transforming the lives of first-generation students,” she said. “It was that way when I attended Rider, and it remains so today. Providing access to a quality education for students historically underrepresented on college campuses is one of my core values.”
Mazzotti received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rider and a Juris Doctor from Villanova University. She is the recipient of the Harold L. Conover Award for Distinguished Leadership as well as honorary doctorate degrees from Rider and Haverford College.
The school also announced four new members to the board: Chris Carothers ’91, ’94, Neil Gerard ’89, Meghan Holohan ’99, ’01 and Christopher Nikolich ’92. William M. Rue ’69 was also named a trustee emeritus for his 27 years of service to the Board.
Carothers is the founder, president and CEO of FCC Consulting Services, LLC, an information technology consulting and professional services firm that supports the needs of the financial, telecommunications, health care, manufacturing and government markets. Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to work with Fortune 500 companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, J.M. Huber Corporation, S&P Global, Madison Square Garden, AT&T, Hunter Boots, Inc. and McGraw Hill Financial.
Gerard is a tax partner at CohnReznick with more than 25 years of diversified public accounting experience. He is the firm’s top resource in tax provision and compliance consulting and is a member of the firm’s manufacturing and distribution, consumer products, and technology and life sciences industry practices.
Holohan is a sales executive with over 20 years of professional experience. In her current role as vice president of North America sales for the Altus Group, she leads a group of 35 salespeople and customer success representatives. The Altus Group is an industry leader in software, data and valuation services for commercial real estate investors.
Nikolich has nearly 30 years of experience at the global investment firm AllianceBernstein. Currently, he is the head of U.S. glide path strategies in the organization’s multi-asset solutions group. He previously served as a senior investment director and blend strategies senior portfolio manager, based in both New York and London, and as a portfolio manager for the Index Strategies Group.
