Commencement

Visit the Graduate/Doctoral Commencement site for more Information and resources.

Visit the Undergraduate Commencement site for information and resources.

 

Dr. Joan M. Lucariello is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Psychology at the Graduate Center (GC) of the City University of New York (CUNY), where she serves as Executive Officer for the Educational Psychology Program. Prior to the GC, Dr. Lucariello was Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at CUNY’s Guttman Community College. Before Guttman, Lucariello was CUNY’s (system-wide) University Dean – first of Academic Affairs, then of Education. Before CUNY, Dr. Lucariello was a Professor at Boston College. She has served on university Steering Committees for Middle States Accreditation and Strategic Planning.

Dr. Lucariello has had key positions outside academe. In public policy, she was a Visiting Senior Scientist at the American Psychological Association (APA). In science administration, she was Director of Research Programs in Cognitive, Social, and Affective Development at NICHD-NIH.

Lucariello is an internationally known expert in cognition, learning, and instruction. She has pioneered the application of psychological science to education. She led APA’s report, translated into over 15 languages, “Top 20 Principles from Psychology for PreK-12 Teaching and Learning.” She has anchored a video series on the Top 20. See APA’s website. Also, on the site, are two modules Lucariello developed on student thinking. She co-edited a special issue of the journal Theory into Practice.

Professor Lucariello’s scholarship focuses on how people make sense of socio-cultural experience by using cultural concepts, such as narratives. She has authored dozens of articles and chapters, served on editorial boards, and is the lead editor of the volume Development of the Mediated Mind. 

Dr. Lucariello received her doctorate from the CUNY Graduate Center and her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in Psychology and English from Manhattanville University. Her distinctions include a postdoctoral fellowship from NIMH-NIH, a visiting professorship at UCLA, and a fellowship at Princeton University. Lucariello has achieved Fellow status at the APA, the Association for Psychological Science, and the American Education Research Association. She joined the Manhattanville University Board of Trustees in May 2025.

Nicolas Brown has been the President of McLaren, the Americas, since July 2021. He started with the company in 2019, where he held the role of Vice President, Sales – the Americas.

Before joining McLaren, Nicolas had a 16-year career with the BMW Group, where he held numerous leadership positions within the brands BMW and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in headquarters, regional, and field-based roles. His strategic and operational automotive experience spans the areas of Sales, Marketing, Finance, Product Management, and Strategy.

He spent a total of 9 years at BMW. First as Project Manager and Controller in Munich, Germany, from 2003 – 2005, then as Product Manager Luxury Class Segment and Experiential Sales & Marketing Manager in the U.S., followed by being the Head of Business Steering Luxury Class Segment – Global in Munich, Germany, completing his stint as Corporate Strategy Manager – USA in New Jersey in 2019.

From 2005 to 2012, he was with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in both Sales and Retail Operations management roles, and served as the General Manager – Eastern Region, North America, for two years. 

Nicolas graduated from Manhattanville University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude. He majored in International Studies and International Management with minors in German and History.

Nicolas is married with one child and spends his time between New York City and Dallas.