City College Alumnus Richard J. Henley Endows Colin Powell School Deanship

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The City College of New York is pleased to announce a major gift to establish the Richard J. Henley and Susan L. Davis Deanship at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. This named deanship is the first of its kind since the Colin L. Powell Center for Leadership and Service was consolidated into the Division of Social Sciences to form the Colin Powell School in 2013.

Richard J. Henley, an émigré from Poland whose family fled from communism and anti-Semitism when he was a toddler, received his primary education in New York City public schools. After graduating from Franklin School, he simultaneously earned a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude, from CCNY in 1978.

Henley serves as President and CEO at Healthcare Strategic Solutions, LLC, an advisory firm focused on optimizing enterprise value for health systems, private equity firms, portfolio companies, and other business entities through strategy, leadership and business development. Susan L. Davis, R.N., Ed.D., an experienced healthcare executive, is managing partner at the firm.

"Richard and Susan's gift to the school is inspiring and visionary, and this endowment will allow the Colin Powell School dean the flexibility to select and invest in programs that advance his vision," said Vincent G. Boudreau, CCNY President. "For donors to give this kind of support demonstrates a profound understanding of how best to cultivate innovation, and generations of CCNY students will benefit from their generosity. This gift will reshape the work of the school, and I am profoundly grateful for it."

The Colin Powell School's dean is Andrew Rich, a political scientist who has held the position since February 2019.

"It is always so inspiring to work with alumni who wish to make an impact on the College, and this gift to the Colin Powell School reaffirms the vision of the school as a leader across diverse educational departments," said Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Communications Dee Dee Mozeleski. "The School will benefit from this in so many ways, and Richard and Susan's continuing involvement in the leadership of the School will transform the CCNY experience for thousands of students every year."

During his studies at CCNY, Henley became interested in healthcare and economics, and he credits the College's placement office for helping him to land his first job after graduation, at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Over the next few decades, he worked at a series of healthcare organizations in senior leadership positions as a CEO, COO, CAO and CFO, culminating in his founding of Healthcare Strategic Solutions in 2008.

"For us, this gift is about paying it forward by helping to create academic opportunities for students at the Colin Powell School so they can help make our world a better place," said Henley.

Contact: Jay Mwamba, CCNY communications, 917.892.0374, [email protected].

SOURCE City College of New York, Office of Institutional Advancement and Communications