Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick of St. Thomas Aquinas College has been elected as Region 1 representative to the Division II Presidents Council, replacing Lawrence J. DeNardis, president of the University of New Haven.

Fitzpatrick came to St. Thomas Aquinas in 1995 from St. John's University (New York), where she served as senior vice-president of the 18,000-student multi-campus institution. She spent 14 years at St. John's, where she helped to shape its programs, goals and progress. Before St. John's, Fitzpatrick served as campus minister at Queensborough Community College.

Under her leadership, St. Thomas Aquinas has prospered with regard to fund-raising activity, enrollment growth, expanded alumni relations and a wealth of strategic alliances.

New expanded athletics facilities support the St. Thomas Aquinas' athletics program, which is a member of the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference.

After receiving her B.S. in mathematics from Boston State College, Fitzpatrick went on to Fordham University, where she earned her M.A. At Columbia University, she earned an Ed.M. in counseling and student development and an Ed.D. in higher education. Her dissertation examined the role of higher education in serving society and the possibilities for student involvement.

Fitzpatrick serves on several boards, including those of the Nyack Hospital Foundation, the Catholic University of America, the United Way of Rockland, Bergen Catholic High School and the American Success Institute, among others.