Albany, NY. Maria College will honor three outstanding individuals with Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degrees and recognize the winner of the College’s most prestigious honor, the McAuley Award, at its Commencement on Saturday, May 19, 2024, at the Convention Center on the Empire State Plaza.
“All honorees personify the Maria College values of service, scholarship, justice, hospitality, and diversity,” said Dr. Lynn Ortale, President of Maria College, when announcing the honorees. “I look forward to celebrating their leadership and service to the Capital Region and honoring the transformative impact they have had on our community at our Commencement ceremony.”
Speaker for the 62nd Maria College Commencement and Honorary Degree Recipient:
Harris Oberlander, a degreed social worker and CEO of Trinity Alliance since 2004, embodies the mission of the Sisters of Mercy by serving the underserved with unbridled passion, respect, sincerity, and dignity.
Oberlander graduated from the University at Albany School of Social Welfare with a bachelor degree in 1980 and a master degree in social work from Yeshiva University in 1983.
After a career as an individual and family therapist, clinical supervisor, and administrator, Oberlander joined Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region as CEO and quickly became universally recognized as a transformational leader in the Albany community, advocating for those on the margins to improve the quality of life of disenfranchised communities throughout the Capital District. His vision and leadership have created groundbreaking initiatives, partnerships, and alliances.
His achievements include merging Trinity and the Arbor Hill Community Center to expand accessibility to Trinity’s services and launching the renowned Family and Neighborhood Resource Center at Trinity. In response to escalating youth gun violence, he was instrumental in creating SNUG (GUNS spelled backward), an anti-violence program focused on reducing gun violence by providing proactive intervention for gang activity for at-risk youth. He created the Capital South Campus Center (CSCC), which allows adults to participate in the growing technology economy, earn their GEDs, and obtain vocational training.
Honorary Degree Recipient:
Dr. Mary Jo LaPosta, Ph.D., RN, NEA-BC, Maria College Board Chair, retired Senior Vice President for Patient Care and Organizational Excellence/ Chief Nursing Officer at Saratoga Hospital, and past President of the Northeastern New York Organization of Nurse Executives, has been the epitome of the Sister of Mercy values throughout her nearly five-decade nursing career.
Before earning her Doctorate from Adelphi University, Dr. LaPosta received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Russell Sage College, where she was named the Kellas Scholar.
During her distinguished career, LaPosta has held numerous executive leadership positions, including Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at North Shore University Hospital, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Albany Medical Center, and Director of Women’s and Children’s Services and Social Work/Continuing Care at St. Peter’s Hospital.
For her contribution to the nursing profession and her service to others she has been recognized with awards including the Partners in Lifelong Learning Award from Excelsior College, NYONE Leadership Award – Northeastern Region, the NYSNA District 9 Nursing Excellence in Administration/Management Award, and the Distinguished Leader Award, Delta Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau.
In addition to her career contributions, Dr. LaPosta has shaped the nursing profession and the careers of other nurses as a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, the New York Organization of Nurse Executives, and the New York State Nurses Association (District 9) and as an active advisor to Maria College, Hudson Valley Community College, Russell Sage College, and Excelsior College.
Honorary Degree Recipient:
Sister Gail Waring, RSM, ’63 Board Chair Emerita, Maria College.
Sister Gail Waring, RSM, ‘63 has committed her life to serving others as a Sister of Mercy. A St. Peter’s Hospital graduate nurse of 1960 and a Maria College graduate in 1963, she credits her many accomplishments in community health directly to being a nurse and loving the profession. After graduating from Maria College, she has served with dignity, good grace, and humor as a faculty member and board member at Maria College, Vice President of Mission Services at St. Peter’s Health Partners, member of the Circles of Mercy’s Board of Trustees, and member of the Health Partners Board at Whitney Young.
As she’s affectionately known, Sister Gail has long supported community health planning at St. Peter’s Health Services, the Neighborhood Based Alliance, the Healthy Capital District Initiative (HCDI), and other organizations. She was awarded the NYSPHA (New York State Public Health Association) Community Leadership Award in 2009, and she received further recognition from the New York State Legislature in 2012 for her accomplishments and contributions to the benefit of others.
She has contributed her time and talents to countless civic and charitable endeavors and has always given of herself unconditionally. Her 30-year career at St. Peters Health Partners and her work in the community has created new or expanded health services, including school-based dental programs, enrollment programs for public health insurance applicants, neighborhood-based addiction recovery services, pediatric care, and dental services. Her dedication to protecting vulnerable populations has resulted in the development of the St. Peter’s Charity Care program, which enables more than 1,000 St. Peter’s patients to receive free or subsidized health services each year.
The McAuley Award honoree:
Sister Katherine ‘Kay’ Graber, RSM, ’61, a devoted member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, has been chosen as this year’s Maria College McAuley Award recipient. Her outstanding contributions to the healthcare community and unwavering commitment to the Mercy mission are a testament to her character and dedication. As a member of Maria College’s inaugural graduation class, Sister Kay’s transformative leadership at St. Peter’s Hospital and as a past President of the Sisters of Mercy in Albany, New York, has left an indelible mark on the Capital Region.
Throughout her remarkable 56-year career at St. Peter’s Hospital, Sister Kay served in various capacities, including Director of Nursing, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services, Chief Operating Officer, and Major Gifts Officer. Her leadership and compassion were evident in every role she undertook, as she tirelessly worked to ensure high-quality, compassionate care for all patients and their families. Her steadfast belief was that St. Peters wasn’t a collection of buildings but rather the sum of all the skilled and caring people who gave of themselves to make St. Peter’s special. This belief permeated the organization, helping it to earn an unmatched reputation in the community for comprehensive, compassionate care, and she was recognized with the prestigious, Eastern Mercy Health Systems award for Spirituality and Visionary Leadership, for her contributions to St. Peter’s Hospital.
Sister Kay’s initiatives have not only left a legacy on the Capital District and beyond but have also significantly impacted the healthcare needs of the community. Her championing of innovative healthcare initiatives, including the region’s first addiction service program, has been instrumental in recognizing and addressing the impact of substance abuse on families and individuals. The creation of St. Peter’s Addiction and Recovery Center (SPARC) was a groundbreaking local first, providing the full continuum of care to those suffering from addiction.
Her recognition that end-of-life care was an essential, yet under-recognized part of healthcare, inspired her to create a working group and a strategy to fill that void. Her leadership on this important topic created one of the initial community hospice networks under a hospital’s umbrella. Her vision of working in partnership with the communities that St. Peters served is a model that continues to shape and inform today’s healthcare conversation.
Sister Kay’s commitment to the community, particularly to children and the working poor, is a testament to her selflessness. Her dedication to developing training and educational programs tailored to nursing assistants and service workers, providing them with opportunities for career advancement and professional growth, is one of her cornerstone beliefs. Her vision established the McAuley Scholarship for the staff at St. Peters, to provide individuals with an opportunity to enhance themselves at Maria College. Sister Kay’s successful record of developing programs that had a positive impact on the community, provided her the opportunity to transform how St. Peters recognized and addressed the needs of employees with children, by creating a fully accredited daycare program, Mercy Cares for Kids at St. Peters. It came as no surprise that this program was so successful, that it was expanded to the community and continues to serve Capital District residents.
In addition to her work with St. Peters, Sister Kay gave her time and expertise to various philanthropic organizations across Northeastern New York. The extraordinary insight and guidance she provided through board service helped shape the future of Maria College, SPARC, St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation, and Catholic Charities, among others.
As Maria College honors Sister Kay Graber, RSM, ’61, with the McAuley Award, we celebrate her exemplary leadership, compassion, and dedication to serving others. Her life and work exemplify the values of the Mercy tradition, emphasizing dignity, respect, and service to others, inspiring us all to live with tenderness, compassion, and joy.
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About Maria College
About Maria College: Founded in 1958, Maria College located in Albany, New York, is one of 17 colleges and universities in the United States sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. The private, co-educational, Catholic college in Albany serves approximately 800 students in a variety of bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, master’s degrees, and certificate programs, including liberal arts, healthcare management, nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, and health and occupational sciences.