Edward Summers was appointed by President Ainlay in October 2011 as the Chief of Staff of Union College. In his role, he serves as an integral member of the senior management team and provides advice and counsel to the President as needed. Eddie manages and directs special/strategic projects and serves as the primary liaison for the President, facilitating and developing ongoing relationships with the College’s internal and external constituents. Eddie directs the College’s community and government relations strategy and oversees the Office of the President, Office of Institutional Research, Office of Campus Diversity, and the Kelly Adirondack Research Center.
Previously, Eddie worked at Marist College as a full-time member of the President’s Cabinet as an assistant to President Murray. He provided executive-level support to President Murray and was responsible for maintaining strong ties to the Marist community, alumni, governmental officials, and local community leaders. Eddie also worked on special projects assigned by the President and represented the College in an official capacity at both on-campus and off-campus meetings and events. Eddie was an adjunct professor of Public Administration and Policy, an academic advisor, and the Program Director for Marist College’s Presidential Scholars program.
In Eddie’s other capacity, he served as the Program Director for Marist Africa programs where he was responsible for developing short-term academic service-learning trips abroad. He has led a trip to South Africa and Ghana for the past six years, where students gained hands-on experience working in underdeveloped communities and with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). His students have raised money and volunteered for a number of organizations that focus on providing housing, healthcare, and education to homeless children and families
He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Catharine Street Community Center, Eleanor Roosevelt Leadership Institute, the Protect the Dream Youth Programs, The Schenectady County Chamber of Commerce, Quest, and The Foundation of Living Resources.
Eddie graduated from Marist College with a BA in political science and received the Alumni Leadership Award at Baccalaureate. While an undergraduate, Eddie studied abroad in Florence, Italy during his junior year. His professional experience include working as a legal assistant clerk and legal records clerk at law firms in New York City, and as a legal assistant with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. During the summer of 2002, he served as a teacher at the Family Partnership Center in Poughkeepsie, where he worked with 75 at-risk students to improve their reading and writing skills.
Eddie completed his Master’s of Public Administration degree from Marist College and is a Ph.D. in Urban and Public Policy from Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, a division of The New School University. Eddie’s research interest is in the areas of gentrification and the role of race, class, gender and politics, economic and community development, and the development of Africa. Eddie recently co-presented a paper on open source technology and the role of higher education “The Case of Sakai” at the Annual American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Teaching of Public Administration Conference. In November 2008, Eddie moderated a faculty panel discussion titled “The Politics and Policies of President-Elect Obama and the Black Community” at the Northeast Regional Conference of the National Black Graduate Student Association (NBGSA) at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. In March, 2009 he co-presented a paper on "Chimps, Mutts, and Cowards: The Politics of Race in Obama's America" with Ivan B. Turnipseed at the 21st Annual Black Graduate Student Conference "Engaged, Empowered, Expect It” in Houston, Texas. In June 2010, Eddie provided the keynote address for the 2010 Rotary Youth Leadership Conference at Mount St. Mary’s College in Newburgh, New York entitled “Leadership in the 21st Century: What Young Leaders Need to Know to be Successful in the Global Society.” In September 2010, he provided the keynote address for the 4th Annual Dutchess Outreach Brunch called “The Power of Service.” Recently, Ed co-presented two papers at the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education (NAPAHE) annual conference entitled “PA’s Fostering Change you can believe in” and Promoting Campus Inclusion as a Presidential Assistant”.
In addition to Eddie’s presentations, workshops, and papers, he was selected in 2009 by the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce as one of the Hudson Valley’s top 40 under 40 honouring him for the impact he is making on the Hudson Valley. After a highly competitive selection process among the nation’s top graduate students, Eddie was selected by the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) program as a Festival Fellow. FLEFF selects outstanding graduate students from all disciplines to attend and immerse themselves in screenings, lectures, workshops, master classes, concerts and events within an engaging, interdisciplinary, and think tank environment. Fellows attempt to craft interdisciplinary strategies to solving some our shared world problems.
I currently work with Union College
as Chief of Staff and Director of the Kelly Adirondac
I have years of experience working in the
Teaching / K-12 Education industry.
