Donna McMonagle was appointed Vice President for Business Affairs, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in January 2025. In this role, she serves as the principal financial adviser to the Office of the President and senior leadership team, providing strategic guidance, oversight, and management of the University’s financial operations. As a direct report to Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President, she serves as a member of the Senior Management Group and an Officer of the Administration.
Ms. McMonagle comes to St. John’s from Seton Hall University, where she most recently served as Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer. At Seton Hall, she was responsible for Finance and Information Technology (IT), leading teams focused on budgeting, financial analysis, accounting, bursar, debt management, investments, and endowment oversight, as well as IT systems/infrastructure, teaching, learning, and technology.
Before joining Seton Hall, she served as Vice President and Treasurer at Montclair State University, the second-largest public university in New Jersey. She oversaw teams focused on finance, accounting, grants, procurement, student accounts, treasury, risk management, real estate, and construction code compliance.
Prior to her time in higher education, Ms. McMonagle spent more than three years as a senior member of the risk management and corporate finance teams at NRG Energy, a diversified, publicly traded energy company. Earlier in her professional career, she advanced to positions of increasing responsibility over 13 years at Fitch Ratings, the international bond rating agency. She began her professional financial career working in the banking sector.
Donna earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, magna cum laude, with a minor in business, from The University of Scranton. She lives in Nutley, New Jersey with her husband and two daughters, where she is a member of the finance committee of St. Mary’s Church and a volunteer with various community organizations.