NEW YORK—Mary Ann Quaranta, D.S.W., who has been associated with Fordham University for more than 40 years, will serve as the Special Assistant to the President for Community and Diocesan Relations, a newly created position. Quaranta began her Fordham career in 1959, and served as dean of the Graduate School of Social Service for 25 years and as provost of Marymount College for the past four, overseeing the incorporation of Marymount into the Fordham family of schools.
“Westchester is a highly competitive educational community,” said Quaranta, who as provost developed relationships with many of the organizations she’ll be working with. “My job will be to continue to raise the visibility of Marymount and Fordham.”
From her office at Marymount, Quaranta will serve as the University’s representative to a number of Westchester area charities and local governments. She will serve on boards and attend events of organizations including the United Way, Rotary Club, chambers of commerce and the NAACP; and will represent Fordham to area governments including the City of White Plains, the Village of Tarrytown and Westchester County.
In addition, Quaranta will serve as the University’s liaison with the archdioceses of New York and Newark, and the dioceses of Brooklyn, Paterson and Rockville Centre, as well as with the communities of religious men and women in the metropolitan New York area.
Throughout her career, Quaranta has held a wide variety of leadership posts with national organizations including the National Association of Social Workers, Catholic Charities, USA, the National Association of Deans and Directors of Graduate Schools of Social Work, and the chairpersonship of the Commission on Accreditation for the Council on Social Work Education. She has also been active in local organizations and is presently on the Board of Directors of the United Way of New York City.
“Dr. Quaranta is a well-known, much-loved and deeply respected member of the University community,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. “In spite of the many demands on her time by various administrative posts and appointments, she has remained an active scholar and researcher, contributing articles to many of the journals of her field.”
