Dr. Myra Henry '20
President & Chief Executive Officer at YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County
For Myra Henry, civic engagement is a way of life. After graduating from Keuka College in 2014, Henry served as deputy dean at the University of Rochester while also enrolling in the Ed.D. program at Fisher in 2017.
The social justice aspect of the Ed.D. program appealed to Henry. “The program created opportunities for me to dig deeper into my own understanding of how I could work in service of others, at a macro and systems level,” she explained. “My research comes to life every day, as I think about the paradigms and theoretical frameworks that I lean on to support my day-to-day work as a non-profit leader—these are frameworks I had the privilege to explore while in the Ed.D. program.”
Henry believes the Ed.D. program equipped her for her endeavors in civil service and social justice. Since December 2020, she has served as the president and chief executive officer of YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County. In this position, and with the skills gained during her time in the Ed.D. program, Henry works to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
Henry tells others the cohort model is a lasting and meaningful experience in the program. “To this day, my cohort members are like family. We bonded as thought partners, robust debaters, and scholars during our time together in the program.”
Raina Hinman ’23
Principal of Oswego High School
From a young age, Raina Hinman set very high goals for herself and dreamed of getting her doctorate. Now, Dr. Hinman has achieved her goal of completing a doctoral program to build upon her foundation as an educator.
“The program brought in professionals from all areas of leadership. Because this is an executive leadership program, I did not just learn from fellow educators, but also leaders in other areas.” Hinman now leads Oswego High School as the principal. She draws upon several skills she fine-tuned in the executive leadership program.
Some of Hinman's instructors included superintendents, government executives, nonprofit leaders, and business professionals. “Instruction from leaders in various fields provided depth and variety to the educational experience,” she explained.
Now, she recommends Fisher's Ed.D. program because of the focused development in professional leadership. “The program expands on the foundations of leadership through reflection. The learner reflects on their attributes to target specific growth areas.”
Dr. Torrance Jones '19
Monroe County Sheriff's Community Affairs Executive and Assistant Professor at Houghton University
Torrance Jones is proud to be a first-generation college graduate. Inspired by his parents, he always cherished the dream of higher education. “I was taught that faith and higher education are powerful combinations to make lasting change.”
As the sheriff’s community affairs executive at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and assistant professor at Houghton University, Jones leads and inspires change in each of these roles. “The Ed.D. program at Fisher deepened my understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods and their indispensable value for leaders today.”
Jones believes the executive leadership program equipped him to meet his goals. His first book, Leading While Black: The Intersectionality of Race, Leadership, and God, resulted from original research as part of his dissertation. “The program gave me the tools to be intentional about research and data while also viewing the workplace as a shared environment of people with lived experiences and life stories.”
Now, Jones recommends Fisher’s Ed.D. program to anyone interested in growing as a leader and gaining a better understanding of the most crucial resources in their organization—“people.”
Dr. Diane Recinos ’17
President at Berkeley College
Diane Recinos embarked on a career in higher education more than 30 years ago. Then, what started as a personal journey toward accomplishing a goal became a pivotal move for her career advancement. “I had no idea the impact the Ed.D. would eventually have on my career.”
Throughout her time in higher education, she worked in many student support services roles at Berkeley College. While each one prepared her to understand the inner workings of a college, she never imagined she would take the helm as president. “The doctorate degree not only gave me the credentials to be a president at a college but also prepared me to have a voice and the confidence to be in the position.”
Recinos believes the Ed.D. program at Fisher equipped her to lead. “The wealth of knowledge from the faculty and what I learned from my classmates and their own experiences was priceless.”
She now encourages others to consider the executive leadership program at Fisher. “The program will provide you with the education to expand your role as a leader and unexpectedly open doors you never thought were possible.”
Mike Seils, PT, DPT, Ed.D. '22
Assistant Professor at Daemen University
Mike Seils was a high school athlete who experienced a very challenging sports injury that landed him in physical therapy. Through this experience, he decided he wanted to be in a position someday that allowed him to help others. Eventually, he became a physical therapist working in complex rehabilitation and started to teach as an adjunct. “I wanted to assist the next generation of physical therapy students.”
His roles became increasingly focused on leadership when he worked at Rochester Regional Home Care as a home care therapy supervisor. “I really enjoyed this position but had minimal leadership training.”
Seils considered pursuing another degree to prepare him for his increasing leadership responsibilities. “My colleagues recommended I pursue my Ed.D. in executive leadership at St. John Fisher University.” He enrolled in the program and said that his leadership, teaching, and research skills “significantly improved.”
He explained the field experiences as part of the Ed.D. were one of the most crucial elements of the program. “My projects and work experience included assisting with the merger of RRH Home Care and Lifetime Home Care, developing a continuing education course, and developing a committee focused on improving staff engagement and satisfaction.”
Seils sees that his journey has always included helping others, and—through his position as a full-time assistant professor at Daemen University—he now prepares others for service careers. “I can say that all of this would not have been possible without the Ed.D program. All of these experiences prepared me for a successful career in health care and academia.”