Berkeley College said Tuesday that it named Diane Recinos president, effective immediately. Recinos, who has served the college for 30 years in various leadership roles, was appointed to the role of interim president in October 2021, succeeding Michael Smith.
Throughout her career, Recinos has been on the front lines of serving students — and is their biggest advocate. She views leadership as “putting yourself in a place to mentor students.” Her priorities are to focus on sustainable strategic initiatives and to ensure that students have access to quality support services and career possibilities.
The private college with four campuses in New Jersey and one in Manhattan offers students master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees and certificate programs in more than 20 career fields. The college also offers continuing education programs to enhance career credentials.
“The board of trustees values President Recinos’ strong leadership and proven track record,” said Kevin Luing, board chairman, Berkeley College. “Her unwavering commitment to student success and her experience working with numerous departments across the college during her tenure have earned her the respect of the entire institution.”
“It is a great honor to be the president of Berkeley College,” Recinos said. “I am committed to collaborating with our students, faculty, staff and community members in a way that preserves our 91-year history and positions us for future success.”
A trusted and respected higher education leader, Recinos has mentored students for three decades. She began her career at Berkeley in 1992 as director of financial aid and took on expanded roles in technology and analytics.
One of the primary roles of higher education, according to Recinos, is to prepare students for an evolving remote and digital workforce. Berkeley College has been at the forefront of online education for 24 years and is widely recognized as a leader in distance learning.
Recinos holds a doctorate in education from St. John Fisher College, an MBA in management from Wagner College and a Bachelor of Science from Davis and Elkins College.
