Award for Lifetime Achievement
Irene Buckley

Irene Buckley retired in February 2020 from Mercy College after an illustrious 39-year career. At just 21-years-old Buckley started her career working in the President’s office, where she would eventually rise in the ranks from secretary to chief of staff and Board secretary.

Acting as a trusted confidante and advisor to presidents, trustees, faculty and staff, she has served nine successive leaders of Mercy since joining the College in 1981. She has worked collaboratively with every president to implement their visions for the College, and she was part of the execution of numerous major initiatives throughout her Mercy years. Among these were campus moves, expansions and renovations, the addition of an on-campus residence program, the development of the College’s flagship student success and retention program - PACT - and most recently, the integration of former students, faculty and staff from The College of New Rochelle in 2019.

A member of the executive staff and the President’s Cabinet, Buckley joined with faculty and staff colleagues in serving on many committees and task forces over her time at Mercy including the College’s Strategic Planning Committee, the Economic and Fiscal Matters Committee, and the Committee on Student Success and Engagement.

Lovingly deemed the Mercy College historian, Buckley is known for upholding the College’s message and values, and as the keeper of continuity through numerous transitions. In her dual roles as chief of staff and Board secretary, Buckley felt privileged to have the opportunity to be a witness to and a participant in the College’s continuous evolution while it always held tight to a meaningful mission in service to its students achieving their greatest level of success. 

Buckley is a committed donor to the College including its Mercy Scholars program, which rewards qualified high school students with full tuition support for all four years of college and includes a myriad of exclusive benefits. As a donor to the first cohort of Mercy Scholars, Buckley became a mentor in the life of Elizabeth Braban ’20, who will graduate in May and has been accepted to graduate school.

A life-long resident of Yonkers, Buckley and her family, which includes a couple of Mercy alums, look forward to a long and happy association with the College in the future.