Joe Garrity ’78

One could argue that Joe Garrity has volunteered more hours to the College than 99.99% of the 22,000 members of our Alumni Association. Despite his many years of volunteering, when he was notified of receiving this award he was silent for a beat and asked, “Really? Why me?” Truthfully, Joe, I can’t think of an alum more deserving than you.

Joe received an honorary degree from Saint Michael’s, the College’s highest honor, in 2014. At that point, he had already served two terms on the Board of Trustees including one as Chair. As one might imagine being a Trustee is a lot of work – it’s countless hours on email, on the phone and in meetings with faculty, staff, administrators, and fellow Trustees discussing every aspect of the College. It’s a fact that Joe knows more about St. Mike’s and the inner workings of this College than nearly anyone else. Serving as chair is an all-consuming position and the pressure is intense. Not to mention the pay is terrible – as in, nonexistent.

Joe decided he wasn’t done in 2014 and is terming off from his third term as Trustee later this year, in what he thinks is his last. (We’ll see about that.) He’s been leading the Trusteeship and Mission committee during his term, recruiting dynamic and brilliant new board members who are ready to lead the College into the next era. If that wasn’t enough, he also co-chaired his 25th reunion and has served on the committee of other past reunions.

After graduating, Joe worked for Deloitte & Touche and then moved into the kids’ entertainment industry, holding both the CFO and COO positions at 4 Kids Entertainment, the company that brought Pokémon to the US. For all of you parents whose kids collect Pokémon cards, you have Joe to thank!

On top of the time he’s given to St. Mike’s, he’s also served on the advisory board of AGB Search and has been a trustee of the Central Harlem Initiative for Learning and Development. He was also a member of the National Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters Children’s Foundation and was a trustee and member of the financial council for Saint Joseph’s Parish.

Joe’s wife, Jennifer, who we all know is deserving of her own award, is a fellow alum from the Class of 1979, as are two of their three children: son Paul is Class of 2006 and son Ian is Class of 2009. Meghan went elsewhere, but we won’t hold it against her!

Joe and Jennifer split their time between Florida and New York. We’re lucky to have them with us today, back home on the Hilltop where they met. The Saint Michael’s College Alumni Association is very proud to name Joe Garrity a 2023 Alumnus of the Year.