Environmental Control/ Hazardous Waste Management: Jonathan Rhea ‘93
Jonathan Rhea is an Environmental Control / Hazardous Waste Management student who graduated in 1993 and continued his education at SUNY Plattsburgh where he completed his Baccalaureate Degree in Environmental Science. During his time at SUNY Ulster Rhea discovered his creative side in Ellen Robbins Creative Writing Class, and remembers her as a “wonderful kind person” who “showed genuine enthusiasm for things [he] created.”
After graduating from SUNY Plattsburgh, Rhea became an Asbestos Inspector and an Environmental Assessor in Poughkeepsie, NY. After working in the environmental field for some time, Rhea felt he was “acquiring responsibilities for computer systems” and was “unhappy with the profiteering nature” of the field.
Rhea then “made the jump to IT” taking on a job as Network Support Specialist at Colleges and “never looked back”. More than twenty years later, Rhea still works for the same company, now called Ellucian here at SUNY Ulster. Over the course of his career here he has held multiple positions including Chief Information Officer for 15 years.
Rhea explains that SUNY Ulster has “been a central part of [his] life for the past three decades!” and believes that “As an alum and a long-time employee, SUNY Ulster has provided [him] with every opportunity that [he has] had the good fortune to take advantage of”.
Not only did Rhea graduate from SUNY Ulster but his son, Jonathan Rhea Jr, graduated from SUNY Ulster’s Computer Science program in May of 2021. Rhea would recommend SUNY Ulster to others because “the SUNY Ulster experience is fantastic preparation for embarking on new chapters of one’s life.” and because “this college has everything to do with who I am and how far I’ve come”.
We are all proud to have Jonathan Rhea on our team here at SUNY Ulster as Director for the Office of Information Technology. And, we thank him for helping to ensure that our faculty, staff, and students have the best technology possible delivered.
