Siena College is honored to recognize John F. Murray, Class of 1979, on the occasion of its 83rd Commencement in recognition of his sustained commitment to the vision and values of St. Francis of Assisi. This has been exemplified through his distinguished support for the mission and core values of Siena College, and extraordinary servant leadership.
John began his career in insurance in 1980 with Wausau Insurance Companies, specializing in the design and service of construction and heavy product liability related risk. He joined the brokerage firm of Marsh & McLennan, Inc. in 1987, was elected Senior Vice President in 1990 and Managing Director in 1993. In addition to his responsibilities as an Account Executive and Senior Account Advisor for several of upstate New York’s risk management clients, John supervised the risk management operations in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany.
In November of 1994, John joined Rose and Kiernan, Inc. as Executive Vice President. He was elected CEO in 1998, and promoted to President/CEO/Chairman in 2003, a position he held until 2021 when Rose & Kiernan became part of the NFP Corp., one of the largest brokerages in the world. He established the Rose & Kiernan Charitable Foundation to support community activities and charitable works in the Northeast and remains as the Foundation President.
As a Siena College alumnus and former Board of Trustees Chairman, John has been a pillar of the Siena College community since the 1970s. John has dedicated his time, energy, and resources to make Siena the best college possible for our students, staff, and alumni. Most recently, John and his wife, Kellyanne (Healey) ’81, have contributed to the building of Patricia Gioia Hall’s Franciscan Friars Commons; gifted MacClosky Townhouse #3, “Mary’s House”; were lead supporters of The Br. F. Edward Coughlin, OFM Endowment; and founded The John F. ’79 and Kellyanne H. ’81 Murray Scholarship. As a result of these efforts and John’s selfless service to the college he was named the 23rd recipient of The Bernardine of Siena Medal. In 2019, John was inducted into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Hall of Fame Honor Roll in recognition of his contributions towards the advancement of the men’s basketball program for more than four decades.
John serves with distinction and is recognized as a builder of our community and philanthropic champion, evidenced by his work and support of Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese, the Business Council of New York State, Fenimore Asset Management, Pioneer Savings Bank, Christian Brothers Academy, Northeast Health, and the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce.
John is a person of the highest character and sound reputation; a person of prominence in the community who has distinguished himself in his field; a person committed to humanitarian and Franciscan ideals and service to others; an alumnus who reflects credit upon Siena College; and a person who has given back to the College in every possible way.
In recognition of his exemplary career achievement, leadership and commitment to humanitarian ideals, Siena College awards John F. Murray the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.