SUNY Board Announces Leadership at Upstate Medical University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nassau Community College, Clinton Community College

September 10, 2015

Albany, NY – The State University of New York Board of Trustees today appointed Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena as president of Upstate Medical University; and approved the appointments of Dr. Lorin Dean Warnick as interim dean of the SUNY College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University; Dr. Thomas P. Dolan as interim president of Nassau Community College and Frederick G. Smith as interim president of Clinton Community College.

Danielle Laraque-Arena, Upstate Medical University

Danielle Laraque-Arena, M.D., is an accomplished scholar with extensive experience managing and leading academic-medical organizations. She is currently the chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Maimonides Medical Center; vice president of the Maimonides Infants and Children’s Hospital of Brooklyn; and a professor of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University. From 2000 to 2010, she served as professor of Pediatrics and the endowed Debra and Leon Black Professor of Pediatrics, as well as the chief of the Division of General Pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Over the course of her career, Dr. Laraque-Arena has worked with local communities, including founding three separate child protection, multi-disciplinary teams evaluating and treating abused and neglected children (Harlem Hospital Pediatric Resource Center, Family Support Program (1990-2000), Mount Sinai Child and Family Support Program (2000-2010), and the Maimonides Infants and Children’s Hospital of Brooklyn, Pediatric Specialty Consultation Program (2010-present).

Dr. Laraque-Arena is a leader in her academic field, having been a United States Public Health Service Primary Care Policy Fellow, a president of the Academic Pediatric Association, and a member of the National Institute of Mental Health Standing Committee on Interventions for Disorders Involving Children and Their Families. She is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in injury prevention, child abuse, adolescent health risk behaviors, and issues critical to health care delivery in underserved communities. Dr. Laraque-Arena is the recipient of numerous academic, research, community and public service awards.

Dr. Laraque-Arena received her M.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine and her BS in Chemistry from the University of California at Los Angeles. Her internship and residency were completed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Laraque-Arena’s appointment is effective January 14, 2016 at an annual state salary of $400,000, with an additional supplement of $200,000 from the Research Foundation for SUNY.

Dr. Lorin Dean Warnick, SUNY College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University

Dr. Lorin Dean Warnick, professor of ambulatory and production medicine at the SUNY College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, has served as the associate dean of Veterinary Education since 2010 and director of the Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) since 2012. Dr. Warnick is an accomplished scholar whose current research focuses on the epidemiology of zoonotic infectious diseases and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. He has served on the Board of Cornell University Veterinary Specialists in Stamford, Connecticut; has had oversight of Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists in Elmont, NY; and is leading the planning for a Community Practice Service facility in Ithaca, New York. Dr. Warnick received his DVM degree from Colorado State University and his Ph.D. in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. He is a diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. He joined the Cornell faculty in 1996 after two years at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Warnick’s appointment is effective August 1, 2015, at a salary of $200,000.

Dr. Thomas P. Dolan, Nassau Community College

Dr. Thomas P. Dolan has a career spanning more than 30 years in educational administration, most recently serving as superintendent of the Great Neck Public School District (2009-2015). Dr. Nolan has also served as principal of the Frank Carey Junior-Senior High School in Elmont from 1993 – 2000, as assistant superintendent for personnel of the Manhasset School District from 2000 – 2003, as Principal of the Cold Spring Harbor Junior – Senior High School from 2003 – 2006, and as superintendent of the Franklin Square Elementary School District from 2006 – 2009. Dr. Dolan received an A.B. in History and Psychology from Hamilton College, an M.S. in Social Studies Education from Queens College, a Professional Diploma in School Administration from Queens College and an Ed.D. from Hofstra University.

Dr. Dolan’s appointment is effective September 9, 2015, at a salary of $225,000.

Frederick G. Smith, Clinton Community College

Frederick G. Smith has served as the College’s interim president since September of last year. He began his academic career at SUNY Cobleskill, where he served in a variety of capacities including department chair, dean of the Business Division, and on two occasions, acting vice president for Academic Affairs. His community college experience includes academic dean and interim vice president for Student Affairs at Clinton Community College, and interim president at North Country Community College. Smith received his CPA license from New York State, his MBA from Syracuse University, and his Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University at Albany.

Smith’s appointment is effective September 9, 2015, at a salary of $120,000. The appointment will continue until August 31, 2016, or until a permanent president is appointed.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.