President Foley's Bio

On August 1, 2010, Thomas P. Foley took office as the 13th President of Mount Aloysius College. Tom Foley has been frequently honored in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for his leadership, his work ethic and his innovative approach to problem solving, and he has received dozens of awards for his service in both the public and non-profit sectors. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College and received his Juris Doctoris degree from Yale Law School, where he served as an editor of the Yale Journal of World Public Order, as coach of the undergraduate debate team, and as a member of the university’s championship rugby team.

Foley worked in both the public and non-profit sectors, prior to joining academia. Most recently, he spent more than a decade as the CEO of the American Red Cross in Southeastern Pennsylvania (2004-2010) and as President of the United Way of Pennsylvania (2000-2004). He also served in both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, as legislative aide and counsel to Congressman James M. Shannon and then-Senator Joseph R. Biden. Foley spent seven years of his career working for Governor Robert P. Casey, whom he served in two cabinet-level posts, including as the youngest Secretary of Labor and Industry in the history of the Commonwealth.

Prior to his government service, Foley was a Graduate Fellow at University College, Dublin, Ireland, after which he spent two years as counsel to the Nobel Peace Prize winning Peace People in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was the first American elected to the group’s Executive Board, initiated their award-winning integrated sports program and was the cofounder of the widely effective (and still active) Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ).

President Foley is the author of over 75 articles, op-ed and journal pieces on a variety of topics, including issues related to work, job training, community service and public security. He has testified in Washington and Harrisburg on matters of public policy on over 30 occasions, appeared often on TV and radio and keynoted numerous events in several states and in Northern Ireland. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and has chaired eight state wide Boards and Commissions, including the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce Development, PennSERVE, and the State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation. Tom and his wife, Michele, are the parents of three sons—Thomas, Matt and Andrew.

Mount Aloysius College, founded in 1853 by Sisters of Mercy, who emigrated from Dublin, Ireland, encourages students “to synthesize faith with learning, to develop competence with compassion, to put talents and gifts at the service of others and to assume leadership in the world community.”

Like its new President, 70% of Mount Aloysius students are the first generation in their families to attend college, where today they can choose from over 70 programs of study and develop their skills to a state of the art level.

The beautiful and historic campus is located on 193 acres in central Pennsylvania, at the summit of the Alleghenies in Cresson.