{"id":40802297708,"date":"2026-09-15T14:28:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T18:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/news\/?p=40802297708"},"modified":"2026-09-16T16:45:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T20:45:54","slug":"leahy-and-santelli-named-to-njbiz-2026-education-power-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/news\/leahy-and-santelli-named-to-njbiz-2026-education-power-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Leahy and Santelli Named to NJBIZ 2026 Education Power List"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Monmouth University President Patrick F. Leahy, Ed.D., and Robert Santelli \u201973 \u201914HN, executive director of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, were named to the NJBIZ 2026 Education Power List. This is Leahy\u2019s seventh consecutive year on the roster and Santelli\u2019s first appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NJBIZ annually identifies members of the higher education field who are acclaimed for their professional accomplishments and public service across the state. The list is intended to highlight individuals who are helping to make New Jersey a better place to live, work, and do business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/njbiz.com\/2026-njbiz-education-power-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"344\" height=\"465\" style=\"object-position: 63.891% 57.284%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/09\/Power-Education-2026_.jpg\" alt=\"Cover of NJ Biz magazine, featuring the 2026 Education Power List. The cover features a group of men and women in academic robes and caps standing in a unversity setting, while holding diplomas. This image is also hyperlinked to an outside link, the NJ Biz issue .\" class=\"wp-image-40802297714\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/09\/Power-Education-2026_.jpg 344w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/09\/Power-Education-2026_-222x300.jpg 222w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 344px) 100vw, 344px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the list\u2019s editors, this year\u2019s honorees \u201crepresent the brightest lights in New Jersey\u2019s educational firmament\u201d at a time when the state grapples with an increasingly difficult business and economic climate. As policymakers respond by promoting sectors like technology, health care, and film production, New Jersey educational institutions are tasked with propelling our workforce forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/njbiz.com\/2026-njbiz-education-power-list-k-m\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">In his NJBIZ profile, Leahy writes<\/a> that he considers it a personal privilege to establish Monmouth University as a national leader at integrating excellence and access by becoming one of the highest ranked private institutions with our access measures anywhere in the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leahy acknowledges that moving forward, artificial intelligence will \u201cchallenge our fundamental understanding of what it takes to teach students, conduct research, and even manage higher education institutions.\u201d During this time of rapid technological expansion and increasing social isolation, Leahy intends to continue leading Monmouth through the guiding principle of being \u201cthe kind of person with whom other people want to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/njbiz.com\/2026-njbiz-education-power-list-n-z\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NJBIZ also highlights Santelli<\/a> for his work as the founding director of the Bruce Springsteen Center, in addition to previous achievements of producing American music concerts at the White House during the Obama administration and developing educational music programs with First Lady Michelle Obama. In his profile, he shares the career advice that he lives by, which is to \u201cdo what you love, be useful, and always express gratitude for the good things that come your way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The NJBIZ Power Lists are compiled by the NJBIZ editorial staff based on reporting throughout the past year with input from experts in a variety of fields and recommendations from readers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/njbiz.com\/2026-njbiz-education-power-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more information about NJBIZ and explore the rest of this year\u2019s Education Power List.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year\u2019s honorees \u201crepresent the brightest lights in New Jersey\u2019s educational firmament\u201d at a time when the state grapples with an increasingly difficult business and economic climate. 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