FDU Welcomes Patrick A. Cozza to the Board of Trustees
October 14, 2026 — Fairleigh Dickinson University is proud to announce the appointment of Patrick A. Cozza to its Board of Trustees, effective October 1, 2026, for a three-year term.
Patrick A. Cozza
Patrick A. Cozza, MBA’82 (Flor), is an FDU alumnus and Executive in Residence, lecturer and professor, and member of the Board of Advisors at the Silberman College of Business.
Cozza brings decades of senior leadership in financial services and wealth management. He spent nearly 30 years at HSBC, one of the world’s largest international banks, including 14 years leading wealth management businesses as a Group Executive.
He retired in 2014 as Chairman and CEO of HSBC Insurance North America, which operated four insurance companies across the United States, Canada, Mexico, India and the United Kingdom, and as Senior Executive Vice President of Retail Banking and Wealth Management – North America. Earlier in his HSBC career, he held senior roles including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President with the Beneficial Insurance Group subsidiaries of Beneficial Corporation.
A recognized leader in corporate governance, Cozza has served on many financial services industry boards and public and private company boards, chairing and participating on various board committees. He achieved Board Leadership Fellow from the National Association of Corporate Directors and has served on the boards of the Private Directors Association and Junior Achievement of New Jersey. He has also led numerous nonprofit boards, some as chairman, and served as a Regent of Seton Hall University until June 2026.
“We are honored to welcome alumnus Patrick Cozza to the Board of Trustees,” said FDU President Michael Avaltroni. “Pat’s decades of leadership in global financial services, combined with his dedication to our Silberman College students as a lecturer and Executive in Residence, will help guide FDU’s strategic direction with both executive insight and a firsthand understanding of the value of an FDU degree.”
Cozza earned a B.S. from Seton Hall University and an MBA from FDU and completed the American Financial Services Association Executive Program at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society and has received numerous awards for his success as a business executive and his philanthropic support of the community.