Accepted Students: Make Your Deposit
3X Emmy Award Winner Amy Emmerich ’97 Encourages Authenticity in the Age of AI
As the 2026 Iona Scholars Day keynote speaker, Emmerich emphasized the importance of human creativity even as one adopts artificial intelligence in the workplace: “It’s a tool that’s only as good as the person who wields it.”
Alumna Amy Emmerich ’97 returned to campus as the keynote speaker for Iona Scholars Day.
New Rochelle, N.Y. — Iona University welcomed accomplished media executive and alumna Amy Emmerich ’97 back to campus as the keynote speaker for the 17th Annual Iona Scholars Day on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Iona student Landon Popovic ’27, a media & strategic communication major, conducted the Q&A on behalf of his peers.
Each year, Iona Scholars Day serves as a campuswide celebration of faculty-mentored student scholarship and creative activity, bringing together presentations, panel sessions, performances and poster exhibitions from students across disciplines.
A Queens native, Emmerich began her career working at The Rosie O’Donnell Show while earning her communications degree from Iona University, launching a professional path that has since spanned media, entertainment and executive leadership.
As global president and chief content officer at Refinery29, she helped scale the business and expand its cultural influence, contributing to its acquisition by Vice Media. Prior, as CEO of the Miss Universe Organization, she led efforts to modernize the global franchise, driving revenue and brand relevance ahead of its acquisition by JKN Global Group.
Winning three Emmy Awards, Emmerich also created original programming and intellectual property for MTV, HBO, Vice and Travel Channel. She now advises startups and family offices across the consumer, technology and media sectors.
Amy Emmerich ’97 joined student Landon Popovic ’27 for a keynote Q&A to discuss authenticity and the role of AI in the workplace.
Reflecting on her career journey, Emmerich encouraged students to embrace risk and remain proactive in pursuing opportunities.
“Take a risk, go for it, sell yourself and make sure that you're executing extremely well, because that will level you up to the next opportunity,” Emmerich said.
She also emphasized the importance of curiosity and resilience, noting that success is often driven by persistence as much as talent.
“I think curiosity probably led a lot of my decisions — trusting my gut to some degree,” Emmerich said. “I think there is something to being the underdog and people underestimating you. Let them underestimate you, then you show them what you can do.”
Throughout her remarks, Emmerich returned to the idea of authenticity — a value she credits in part to her time at Iona.
“The word that keeps coming up is authenticity,” Emmerich said. “I actually think I probably learned that from Iona. I understood that being your true self, being audacious, is something that can work for you.”
She also spoke to the evolving role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, encouraging students to engage with it thoughtfully and creatively.
During her keynote remarks, Amy Emmerich ’97 encouraged students to remain proactive and take risks.
“I don’t think you have a choice,” Emmerich said. “You have to use AI, because there are other people using it. The only way to be prepared is to understand the rules; then you have to figure out how to use them.”
At the same time, she underscored the importance of maintaining a human-centered approach in an increasingly automated world.
“I worry that everything will become about data and efficiency,” Emmerich said. “I don’t know if innovation and creativity will come that way if humanity is not touching it… It’s a tool that’s only as good as the person who wields it.”
By welcoming Emmerich back to campus, Iona not only spotlighted the accomplishments of a distinguished alumna, but also reinforced the purpose of Iona Scholars Day itself: to celebrate the curiosity, scholarship and ambition of students while demonstrating the many ways an Iona education prepares graduates to lead and make a lasting impact.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of over 4,000 students and an alumni base of 55,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing & Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona also continues to be recognized in prestigious national rankings. Most recently for 2025, Iona has been named one of the nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report recognized Iona as one of top for social mobility in the country, while Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) ranked an Iona degree in the top 6 percent nationally for long-term return on investment. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business, meanwhile, is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just 6 percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review once again named Iona to its “Best Business Schools for 2025,” recognizing both its on-campus and online MBA programs. Connecting to its Irish heritage, Iona also opened a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland, located on the historic 400-acre Westport House Estate. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.