Mary Frances Palisano '89 Named 2025 MSDA Commencement Speaker

Mount St. Dominic Academy (MSDA) is proud to announce that Mary Frances Palisano, Class of 1989, will serve as the 2025 Commencement Speaker. Mary Fran, a distinguished attorney and passionate advocate for social justice, will address the graduating Class of 2025 on June 1, 2025, at the MSDA Athletic Center. This year marks the 130th Commencement at the Mount, and we are excited to welcome the Class of 2025 to the alumnae community.

Mary Frances Palisano is a Director in the Business & Commercial Litigation Group at Gibbons P.C., one of New Jersey’s largest law firms. She specializes in criminal defense and child advocacy, and her career has been defined by her commitment to public service. Under her leadership of the Gibbons Cares Pro Bono Platform, the firm has received national and local recognition for its efforts, including a John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award from the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section, and a CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award from Pro Bono Institute, among others.

Mary Fran has also personally received numerous awards and recognitions, including Best Lawyers in America®, 2025 New Jersey Law Journal’s Women Attorneys of the Year, 2024, and New Jersey Super Lawyers®, 2025.

Mary Fran remains deeply connected to her roots at the Mount and regularly serves as a volunteer ambassador during the annual MSDA Reindeer Run Jingle Jam, where she and fellow members of the Class of 1989 lead the Santa letter writing and kids crafts station.

Her dedication to giving back both professionally and personally makes her an inspiring role model for the Class of 2025.

“We are so excited to welcome Mary Fran back to the Mount,” said Jenna Villani, Director of Alumnae Relations at the Mount. “Her exceptional career, commitment to justice, and ongoing support of MSDA make her the perfect speaker for our 130th Commencement. We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2025 and the impact Mary Fran continues to have on our school and community.”

The Mount St. Dominic Academy Commencement Ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at 10am at the MSDA Athletic Center.

Founded in 1892, Mount St. Dominic Academy is an independent Catholic, college preparatory school for young women. The Mount offers signature programs like L.E.O. Entrepreneurship, Health Sciences and Social Justice Concentrations, and the Directed Research Capstone in partnership with Harvard University, along with expanded STEAM, Dual Enrollment with Seton Hall, and leadership program opportunities. MSDA has earned national and regional honors, including “Gold with Access” on the 2024 College Board AP School Honor Roll, as well as the 2023 College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Awards for exceptional female representation in AP Computer Science A (CSA), and AP Computer Science Principles (CSP). MSDA also earned Gold Medals in the 2023 and 2024 “Best of Essex” contests in the “Best Private High School” category. Additionally, the Mount achieved an A+ rating on Niche’s 2024 Best Schools list, a distinction awarded to only 2.5% of schools nationwide. One hundred percent of Mount graduates are accepted to four-year colleges, with the Class of 2024 earning over $17 million in scholarships.