I am thrilled to share some exciting news about one of our distinguished alumni who is making an incredible impact in our community. The Adelphi University Board of Trustees appointed Leonard C. Achan ‘99, MA, RN, ANP, as our new board chair following a special meeting in July, taking over from Trustee William Fuessler ’79, who stepped up as acting chair for the past five months.

Chair Achan’s story truly embodies the Adelphi spirit. A proud first-generation American born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, he began his professional journey right here on our campus, earning his bachelor’s degree in nursing. Like so many of his fellow nursing alumni, Chair Achan started his career at the bedside as a medical ICU nurse and adult acute care nurse practitioner—an experience that deeply informed his compassionate approach to leadership as he became an accomplished healthcare executive and community and business leader.

Today, Chair Achan serves as president and CEO of LiveOnNY. He previously served as the inaugural president of the Innovation Institute at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) after serving as their chief innovation officer. Prior to that, he led major executive initiatives across several roles at the Mount Sinai Health System and served as senior associate dean for global communications, branding, and reputation at the Icahn School of Medicine. As co-founder and chairman of Quality Reviews Inc., he built a digital health platform deployed in more than 150 hospitals, elevating the care experience for more than 30 million patients nationwide.

Throughout his career, Chair Achan’s devotion to Adelphi has never wavered. While serving for more than a decade as a trustee, including five years as a board officer, he has consistently invested back into our campus—returning to lecture, establishing two endowed scholarships, and founding the Achan Family Interfaith Center.

Having worked with him during my time on the board and in our recent conversations, I have seen his razor-sharp mind, energy, and deep passion for our university firsthand. He is a shining example of our strength in producing leaders in nursing, health care and business. I have the utmost confidence that his ambition and commitment to higher education will continue to drive Adelphi forward.

I also want to thank Trustee Fuessler for his steady leadership of the board. His partnership with our senior leaders helped maintain our standard of excellence during an important time of transition at Adelphi. As one of our longest-tenured trustees and someone who has built a family legacy here, it came as no surprise that he approached this responsibility with great care. His ongoing service on the board will continue to benefit our University and serve as a trusted resource for our new chair.

Please join me in celebrating Chair Achan and thanking Trustee Fuessler for their outstanding service to the University.

Warm regards,

Michael Balboni ’81, JD
President

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The Knicks’ championship run was magical. What was it like for you?

As clichéd as it sounds, it was emotional and incredible for many reasons. After the final buzzer went off, I couldn’t help but think back to when I was a freshman in high school, when I knew I wanted to become an athletic trainer, and to my journey from Adelphi as an exercise science major all the way to the ultimate mountaintop—an NBA championship. It also made me look back at the support my friends and family have given me. They know firsthand how many birthdays, weddings and major life moments that I have missed since I started working in the NBA in 2016, and they have been so gracious throughout the years. Reflecting on all of that made me immensely grateful.

Were you part of the ticker-tape parade?

I was! It was truly the most magical hour and a half of my life. To see hundreds and thousands of people along the route was insane and intense in the best way possible. From the people on the street, to the folks within the buildings releasing shredded paper from floors above, to workers in the rafters of construction sites and people climbing the street signs and lights, it was nothing that I have seen before! It was incredible, something that I will remember for a long, long time.

How did you celebrate the championship?

I celebrated with my co-workers and our significant others and families in the back of the locker room after the game. It was an incredible two-and-a-half-hour display of pure joy and it was amazing to celebrate that moment with your co-workers who went through the grind of the longest season in NBA history with you, and your loved ones who have also experienced all of the ups and downs of the season with you.

The players were obviously under a lot of pressure during the playoffs. Did the pressure grow for you in each round?

Not really, to be honest. During times of pressure, I like to lean on routine. This has remained the same since . Stick to your routine, expect the unexpected, remain calm during times of adversity and figure out a solution when problems arise, and everything will be fine. I focused on what I always do as a trainer—help manage player injuries, create and establish injury prevention plans for the players assigned to me, and assist in the day-to-day operations of the athletic training room.

You had a quick cameo appearance on TV that eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed during Game One of the Finals. Did you hear from people who saw you?

Yes I did [laughing]. All my friends and family from back home in Hawaii and along the East Coast texted me to let me know that they saw me. It put a smile on my face and reminds me of how lucky I am to have a great support system.

Tell us about your journey from Adelphi to the Knicks. How did your experience as a trainer with the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals help you this year?

My journey from Adelphi to the Knicks has been a long one. After I graduated with an exercise science degree from Adelphi [now within the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences], I went on to earn my master’s degree in athletic training from Division I schools in California.

I started my professional career in college athletics, which set the foundation of my athletic training skills and management. I then moved into professional basketball as the head athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Lakers’ minor league team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders/South Bay Lakers [now the Coachella Valley Lakers].

Three years later, I received my “call up” to the NBA in 2019 and started working for the Dallas Mavericks as the assistant athletic trainer. In my fifth year with the team, we ended up going to the NBA Finals. Sadly, we lost to the Boston Celtics in five games, but it was a very eye-opening experience. Getting so close but falling short of your goal fuels you to get to the Finals even more. And if you are lucky enough to get there, you know what to expect when it comes to the media madness and the heightened feeling in the locker room and arena; everything becomes a little more familiar and not so new to you.

I took that previous Finals experience and applied it this past season. I was able to help my co-workers and other players by letting them know what to expect when it came to the Finals. The schedule is different than in any other series, so having that previous experience truly helped me remain calm and focused.

This is something of an on-court interview kind of question, but what did winning an NBA championship mean to you?

Winning an NBA championship means to me the culmination of all of my hard work and sacrifice that I have put in over the last 13 years. You think back on the times where you weren’t making a lot of money, working 14 hours a day, seven days a week with no days off in sight for months, and you say to yourself, “It was all worth the struggle.” Because the feeling of winning an NBA championship is something that money can’t buy.

How did your degree in exercise science at Adelphi prepare you for this experience?

It helped me understand the demands of the body during exercise and what it does physiologically, hormonally and scientifically to the individual or athlete. The part of exercise science that I truly enjoyed during my time at Adelphi was learning about the heart, reading an ECG and being able to understand what is happening physiologically at the Human Performance Lab.

What would you say to other exercise science majors who are reading this article?

I would say to really explore the various career paths open to you while you’re majoring in exercise science and decide whether you will need to pursue a master’s degree or doctorate. From there, make sure you do your research on the programs that you want to apply to, paying attention to the connections or affiliations that professors have access to and may share with you. It is true what they say: “It’s all about who you know and sometimes not what you know” when entering the job market.

Most important, be true to yourself, and always do the right thing. I have learned that in life and in my career. If I make sure that I do the right thing, it usually results in fewer issues and better results.

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A 75-Year Legacy on Campus

Hitting a 75th anniversary isn’t just a fun milestone—it’s a testament to student grit.

Launching right after World War II, The Delphian quickly became the heart of campus conversation. Whenever history unfolded, Adelphi communications, history and political science majors were on the front lines, documenting everything from cafeteria menus to major national turning points like the Vietnam War protests, the Civil Rights Movement, Watergate and the COVID-19 pandemic.

While earlier publications existed—like the Adelphi College Fortnightly (1921–1946) and the Adelphi Guidon (1946–1951)—it was The Delphian that truly took root, growing from a scrappy four-page weekly paper into an award-winning newsroom.

In its very first issue, the inaugural student editors issued a bold call to action that still drives the team today:

“Take notice, Adelphi, and give your representative voice all your backing. The Delphian is new, but most of all, the year is new. What better time is there to get those dingy scowls off our faces and ‘do something’?”

Today, The Delphian is winning recognition—including three awards in 2025 from the Press Club of Long Island, and many others over the years, including Best College Newspaper and Best College Reporter.

Time Travel in the Campus Archives

How did past generations handle absolute chaos? In the spring of 2026, Professor Maria Cristina Zaccarini, PhD, took students from her sophomore history deep into the archives at Swirbul Library to find out.

Heading down the stairs and into the stacks, students cracked open old issues of The Delphian from the 1960s and 1970s, analyzing how past Panthers reacted to the Vietnam War, the political earthquake of Watergate and the fight for gender equality.

“Adelphi was ahead of the curve in many ways with the free speech movement and protesting the Vietnam War,” Dr. Zaccarini explained. “There were incredible insights that made you understand the mindset of the entire community, just like our newspaper today helps us understand who we are right now.”

Launching Real Careers (and Bestselling Authors)

Joining the Delphian team isn’t just an extracurricular—it’s a hands-on career accelerator. You learn how to ask tough questions, connect with people of all kinds, meet real deadlines and lead teams.

Consider Alice Hoffman ’73, ’02 (Hon.). Before she became the New York Times bestselling author of the hit novel Practical Magic, she was sitting in the Delphian newsroom developing her writing voice.

Liza Burby, senior adjunct at Adelphi and faculty adviser for The Delphian from 2013 to 2025, emphasizes that student journalism pushes people out of their comfort zones in the best way possible, preparing them for their careers.

“Having to come up with article ideas, figure out how to get the information you need to tell the story, and then being able to either interview someone on the phone or across a table—those are skills that a lot of people are really hesitant to pursue,” she said.

Professor of communications Paul Thaler, PhD, who preceded Burby as advisor to the paper, sees work on the paper as a powerful rite of passage for students.

“As a student-journalist, you are an active witness to events and also a commentator to ongoing matters of importance on campus, with the power to heighten the collective consciousness of the University,” he said. “In short, a student writing for The Delphian now wears the badge of a journalist—and that is an empowering feeling.”

That culture of mentorship creates a chain reaction where experienced editors help train the newest writers on campus.

“I’ve grown so much as a writer,” said Arpan Josan, a recent editor-in-chief who will graduate in December 2026. “It has challenged me to create meaningful articles and engage with different topics. As an editor, I’ve been able to help younger writers develop their skills while sharpening my own.

The Next Page

The Delphian is not standing still. Current faculty adviser Suzanne Valenza and the student staff are focused on leveling up their digital footprint.

“Our goal is to make the absolute go-to spot for campus news,” Valenza said. “We are building a strong staff with regular meetings in our redesigned office—a space where students can hang out, swap story ideas, debate current events or just kick back with friends.”

Alumni and current students are also invited to celebrate 75 years of student voices at a special anniversary event on October 17 as part of Spirit Weekend.

It’s a homecoming for generations of writers, photographers and designers who left their mark on campus—and proof that student voices at Adelphi continue to shape the future.

The post 75 Years of Unfiltered Student Voices: Inside Adelphi’s Award-Winning Newspaper, The Delphian appeared first on Adelphi University.

How do you go from the classrooms of Hagedorn Hall straight to the high-octane energy of a World Cup stadium? Just ask Chris Leonard ’26.

A marketing major in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, Leonard never imagined he’d land on soccer’s biggest global stage with FIFA. But looking back at his relentless drive on and off campus, every single piece fits.

Leonard receives the 2026 Panther Leadership Award.

On campus, he served as a marketing intern for Adelphi Dining Services and had a seat on the Dining Advisory Board. A dedicated student-athlete, he served as captain of Adelphi’s and teams, held an executive board position on the , and earned both and distinctions. In May 2026, his campus contributions were recognized with the prestigious Panther Leadership Award in athletics.

Leonard’s global credentials took off when he secured an internship in Croatia through Adelphi’s business school, managing social media for a regional coffee brand.

That résumé—academic excellence, athletic experience, strong internships and global experience—helped him land his current role as an event ambassador for , where he stepped into a job as a ticket resolution assistant for the FIFA World Cup.

Working behind the scenes, Leonard managed complex ticketing software issues and resolved fan discrepancies to help Gillette Stadium—which hosted seven matches during the 2026 World Cup—rank number one in fan experience across the United States during the tournament.

Leonard reflected on his time at Adelphi, his World Cup experience and his key advice for current students looking to break into competitive industries.

Leonard competing in a cross country run for the Adelphi Panthers.

Q: What did the typical match look like for you at the stadium during the World Cup?

The call time was about five hours before the match started, so the rest of the ticketing staff and I would all meet for rundown of what to expect: who’s playing, the kind of reputation of the fans, any issues with the software that we were operating on, and then I went to the ticketing offices I was stationed at, right around the entrance gates to the stadium. We opened about four hours before the match started, and we had an influx of fans from there. It was my job to sort any issues out, de-escalate any tense situations with fans and get them into the game as soon as possible. Our operation closed down around halftime, so at that point, I was able to go into the stadium and watch the rest of the game, which was super cool.

Leonard, eighth from left, with stadium staff after the final World Cup game. (The sign, No Ticket Sales, answered the question he was posed most frequently; no tickets were left, but hundred of ticket and seating questions needed to be resolved. )

Q: The stadium ranked number one in fan experience in the United States. What specific initiatives contributed to that?

Seeing those rankings every week was a big motivator for the team, to push boundaries and elevate that fan experience. What we really tried to focus on was that these fans are coming from all over the world—so how can we centralize things and try to bring everyone that same positive experience?

Q: Looking back at when you were an Adelphi student, were there any key courses, professors or general experiences that you feel best prepared you for the demands of your industry?

My courses taught me so much about business professionalism and presentation skills, which all play a factor, but I think International Business with Associate Professor Sviatoslav Moskalev, PhD, was crucial for this role. Learning the different cultures in a classroom applied almost directly to this job because I’m speaking with people from Norway, Ghana, every continent, so learning about those different cultures in the classroom beforehand really set me up well to communicate effectively with fans from all over the globe.

And I think without that, I would kind of be focused on our country and what’s happening here, but to travel overseas and work with these global operations really taught me a lot about global business.

Q: What college networking helped open doors for you to secure the role that you have now?

Primarily for this role, I was able to utilize my own network, but it was actually Adelphi that helped me close the deal. The business school demanded boardroom-level professionalism and presentation skills from day one, pretty much. By the time I sat down for the interview, I already had that corporate polish they required to prove that I could handle such a massive, high-stakes operational role. The professors at Adelphi place a really big emphasis on that.

Something I learned at Adelphi is that taking those extra 90 seconds to just send that email and say, “Hi, I graduated from Adelphi, and this is who I am and what I’m interested in…”—you’re going to get picked out of the crowd. You’d be surprised about how far that will take you.

Q: Were there any strategies you used in creating your résumé or interviewing that helped you stand out?

In the sports industry, your résumé is almost secondary to your relationship-building skills. I think you can have the most qualified candidate on paper, but a company’s front office might feel more connected with someone with almost less experience, but more upside and opportunity. I think that’s where networking really shines over a résumé because I had my marketing internship with Adelphi and my experiences abroad, and I’m able to beat out a lot of these very qualified candidates.

Q: Is there a key piece of advice for searching for those opportunities?

I think a big thing that students tend to do is just hit the “apply” button on LinkedIn, which I think is a big trap for students nowadays because it’s very quick and easy. I think you can really maximize your network by reaching out to those Adelphi alumni who are very well-connected, asking for those 15-minute informational calls, building those genuine relationships before even looking at those kind of jobs because it makes it so much easier to look into a career when you know people, rather than going in fresh.

The post From Adelphi to the World Cup: How Chris Leonard ’26 Went From the Graduation Stage to a FIFA Stadium appeared first on Adelphi University.

Kristopher Amplo ’00 is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive with a dynamic career spanning construction, real estate and philanthropy. As president and CEO of J.C. Steel Erectors Corp., he leads a commercial steel company of more than 300 employees and $100 million in annual sales, delivering landmark projects such as UBS Arena, LaGuardia and JFK Airports, and TSX Broadway. His real estate ventures include multifamily developments, self-storage facilities and vacation rentals across the United States. He is also deeply committed to charitable work, founding the Amplo Family Foundation and co-founding the DezyStrong Foundation, while serving on the boards of multiple nonprofits. With prior experience as a history teacher and business owner, he holds degrees from SUNY Farmingdale, Adelphi University and Stony Brook University, and currently contributes his expertise to several industry boards, including the Subcontractors Trade Association and Allied Building Metal Industries.

LeeAnn Black ’83 is the chief operating officer of Latham & Watkins, where she oversees the firm’s global business operations, financial management and strategic direction. Under her leadership, Latham has expanded significantly, while maintaining the culture that defines its success. Black has been instrumental in Latham’s rise as a top global law firm, overseeing its international growth and operational evolution. She has championed innovation and the early adoption of technologies to enhance efficiency and client service. A certified public accountant, she began her career as a senior auditor at Arthur Andersen & Co. and now draws on three decades of leadership experience at Latham. She has been recognized as a trailblazer in the legal sector and was named one of the Top 10 Innovative Individuals in North America by The Financial Times in 2017. Black previously served on the Adelphi University President’s Advisory Council, chairs the board of trustees of The Chapin School, and devoted 15 years to the board of Pro Bono Net, an organization dedicated to expanding access to justice. She is also co-chair of Adelphi’s annual Women’s Leadership Conference.

Bruce A. Jones ’82, PhD, is a renowned educational leader, scholar and administrator who is currently a professor of political science in the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University. He previously served as Howard University’s senior vice president for research and was instrumental in securing its historic R1 Carnegie Classification. Over a dynamic career spanning higher education and public education policy, Dr. Jones has held prestigious academic and administrative posts, including vice provost for academic affairs and interim dean of the Graduate School at the University of Houston. He has also held endowed faculty chairs at the University of South Florida and the University of Missouri. A proud alumnus who earned his undergraduate degree from Adelphi, he has a PhD in political science from Columbia University. His research foci include leadership and public policy in higher education and K–12 education, the politics of education, the sociopolitical history of education, studies in community development, and institutional assessment and program evaluation in education and the nonprofit sector.

Walter P. Schmidt ’84 is a co-founder of Rockwood Capital, a prominent private equity real estate investment firm, and has 40 years of experience in real estate investment on behalf of institutional clients. He served as a senior managing partner until 2022, when he became senior partner focusing on strategic client relationships. With the formation of Harrison Street Asset Management in 2025, he continued as senior adviser. He began his career in 1984 with Touche Ross & Co (currently Deloitte). He is a member of the Pension Real Estate Association, AFIRE and INREV and served on the President’s Advisory Council of Adelphi University. He also serves on advisory boards serving youth development programs in the United States and Central America.

In addition to welcoming new trustees, the board welcomed back Charles J. Fuschillo ’83, Dennis J. McDonagh ’78 and Michael J. Tiedemann ’89 during the past year after they had previously stepped away due to other obligations.

Learn more about the Adelphi University Board of Trustees.

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Robert Darling ’81 with President Bill Clinton in the White House

Rather than steering Darling toward a traditional medical career, Eickelberg encouraged him to apply to the newly established (USUHS), the nation’s military medical school. It proved to be one of the most consequential conversations of Darling’s life.

That single conversation launched a career that would eventually take him aboard Air Force One, into the White House and to the front lines of some of the nation’s most significant medical and national security challenges. In fact, Darling often reflects on the professors who helped shape his future, crediting Eickelberg—as well as biology faculty members Ramon Grillo, PhD and Gayle Insler, PhD—with providing the encouragement, mentorship and educational foundation that made an unconventional path seem possible.

Commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy while attending medical school, Darling earned his medical degree in 1985 before training as a naval flight surgeon. His early assignments took him aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, where he helped care for more than 6,000 sailors and supported naval aviators operating some of the military’s most advanced tactical aircraft.

As his career progressed, he served at the , cared for and later joined the U.S. , where he helped strengthen the nation’s medical defenses against biological threats.

In 1996, Darling became the first emergency medicine physician to serve the President of the United States at the White House and aboard Air Force One and Marine One. Working alongside the Secret Service, he prepared for every imaginable medical emergency while helping safeguard the nation’s highest elected leaders.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Darling participated in the investigation and medical response to anthrax attacks in several U.S. locations, another chapter in a career dedicated to protecting others. After more than 25 years of active-duty service, Darling retired from the Navy as a captain and shifted from caring for individual patients to ensuring entire hospitals and healthcare systems were prepared for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats.

Military retirement did not mark the end of Darling’s service. Returning to the institution where his own military medical journey began, Darling joined the faculty at USUHS, mentoring future military physicians and directing disaster preparedness and worldwide humanitarian medicine programs. Since 2009, he has been in private practice and serves as medical director at .

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Elliot Gordon, MA ‘68 pictured at the Waterfront marathon on April 23, 1988.

It’s an oath.

“In stark contrast to some of the politics today,” Gordon says, “I clearly remember raising my right hand and swearing an oath to our Constitution. The graduation ceremony is long forgotten. The oath, never.”

That sense of purpose has guided Gordon’s remarkable career spanning military service, scientific research and decades of work protecting public health. After earning his commission through Cornell University’s Naval ROTC program, Gordon served aboard the USS Cheboygan County, an LST that operated throughout Latin America before returning to Virginia.

Later stationed in Kodiak, Alaska, he applied to Adelphi University. It proved to be a pivotal decision.

Working in biology professor Dr. Raymond Grillo’s laboratory while earning his master’s degree, Gordon immersed himself in scientific research. Adelphi not only provided an education, but it also opened the door to doctoral studies at New York University and a career in toxicology. Over the next several decades, Gordon worked in cancer research before joining an Israeli agricultural company specializing in pesticide safety. When the company relocated to North Carolina, he established his own consulting practice, advising clients around the world, including one he continues to serve in New Zealand.

Even while building that scientific career, Gordon never truly left military service. After arriving at Adelphi, he received a reminder of his continuing reserve obligation. What followed were years of additional Navy Reserve service, culminating in retirement as a commander.

“I was told Navy uniforms ‘pick up lint and women,'” he jokes. “So naturally, I signed up.” His trademark humor has remained intact alongside an extraordinary list of accomplishments!

A lifelong runner, Gordon completed 42 marathons before surviving an aortic dissection—a medical emergency he credits his physical fitness with helping him overcome. Today, he looks forward to spending more time in his garden, at the piano and, as he jokes, with “a good Padrón”—his favorite premium handmade cigar.

Looking back, Gordon sees each chapter naturally leading to the next. Cornell prepared him for military service. The Navy brought him to Alaska. Alaska led him to Adelphi. Adelphi opened the door to a doctorate. The doctorate became a lifetime devoted to science.

It’s a journey he could never have predicted when he first raised his right hand.

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