Garden City native and Adelphi alumnus Michael A.L. Balboni will return to the campus where he once studied biology, this time to lead the university through a period of growth, financial strength and change in higher education.
The Adelphi University Board of Trustees named Balboni, a 1981 graduate and longtime public safety and government leader, as the university’s 11th president. He will begin the role June 1, 2026, succeeding interim President Christopher K. Storm Jr., who will become senior executive vice president of academic affairs and provost.
Balboni becomes the first Adelphi alumnus, first parent of an Adelphi graduate and first Long Island native to serve as president of the private university.
Board leaders said Balboni emerged from a national search as the candidate best equipped to expand public-private partnerships, raise Adelphi’s regional and national profile and guide the institution through a rapidly changing higher education landscape.
“The landscape of higher education is undergoing rapid and profound changes,” said William Fuessler, acting chair of the board of trustees and chair of the presidential search committee. “To thrive, Adelphi requires a president who is a relentless external advocate and a proven executive.”
Balboni earned his biology degree fromAdelphi Universityin 1981 and later completed a law degree. He served as an adjunct political science professor at Adelphi from 2000 to 2014.
He was first elected to the state Assembly, where he served seven years, before being elected to thestate Senatein 1997 as a Republican. He left the Senate in 2007 to serve in senior public safety and homeland security roles under two Democratic governors,Eliot SpitzerandDavid Paterson, after Paterson assumed office following Spitzer’s resignation.
Balboni currently serves as president and managing director of RedLand Strategies, a consulting and lobbying firm, and as executive director of the Greater New York Health Care Facilities Association, which represents nursing homes.
Over the years, Balboni remained closely connected to Adelphi, joining the university’s board of trustees in 2018 and becoming board chair last June. He stepped down from the board in March to be formally considered a candidate for president.
Balboni earned his biology degree from Adelphi in 1981, followed by his law degree. Over the years, he remained closely connected to the university as an adjunct faculty member, guest speaker and chair of the board of trustees. He is also the parent of an Adelphi alumna.
Source: LI Press
