Brendan J. Dugan, the President of St. Francis College, and one of Brooklyn’s leading civic leaders was mourned accross the borough today. Dugan died over the weekend on Saturday, Dec. 18 of natural causes. He was 69.
“President Dugan will be remembered for his love of family, faith, and the future of our borough. Brooklyn has benefited from his years of service, which I came to personally appreciate through our work with St. Francis College and its student body. I share in mourning his passing alongside the countless number of people that had the opportunity to experience his kindness and friendship firsthand,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
“Brendan Dugan’s commitment to St. Francis College and his commitment to the community will forever be remembered,” said City Council Member Stephen Levin. “President Dugan’s leadership in making St. Francis College affordable to low-income learners brought hope to many scholars forging a better future for their families. I offer my sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and colleagues.”
Dugan graduated from the school and worked in commercial banking for 40 years before becoming President of St. Francis College on July 1, 2008. Before that, he was Chairman of the College’s Board of Trustees and was instrumental in completing the $40 million Campaign for Big Dreams, a transformational project that resulted in the building of the Anthony J. Genovesi Athletic Center, the Academic Center, and set the stage for the Eileen C. Dugan Life Sciences Center which opened during his presidential tenure and houses the College’s fast-growing Nursing program.
President Dugan was honored December 7, by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn at the 2016 Bishop’s Christmas Luncheon with the Emma A. Daniels Benefactor Award. The honor was accepted by his son Joseph Dugan, Principal of Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School.
Reading from President Dugan’s comments that afternoon, Joseph said, “Barbara [Dugan] and I would not be the people we are today were it not for our Catholic faith and the Catholic education that we have received throughout our lives. It has formed our identity, and that of our family, reinforcing the values and beliefs that our parents lovingly instilled in our homes.”
President Dugan was involved with the Diocese for many years, serving on the Finance Council, as trustee for the St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish, and spending years on the board of the Futures in Education Foundation and Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School.
Last week President Dugan was also honored by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce at its Annual Gala. His son Patrick Dugan ’01, a Senior Director at Cushman & Wakefield, accepted the award Thursday night on behalf of his father.
The honor was introduced by two personal and professional colleagues. “When you think of Brooklyn, when you think of business, when you think of St. Francis College, you certainly think of Brendan Dugan,” said National Grid New York President Kenneth D. Daly ’88 who called President Dugan his mentor.
“When you hung around with Brendan, unless you were in the banking business you really didn’t really know he was a banker. Not only that, you didn’t even know he was CEO of a bank,” said Domenick A. Cama, Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Investors Bank who grew up with President Dugan in Carroll Gardens. “He’s a pretty humble guy. He’s a mentor to me also. He is a person that exhibits humility and modesty. Those are the two lessons that I’ve learned, the two words that I’ve learned from Brendan from him in his career.”
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of St. Francis College President Brendan J. Dugan, a wonderful educator and a credit to his family and community,” said Brooklyn Chamber President and CEO Andrew Hoan and former Brooklyn Chamber President and CEO Carlo A. Scissura. “It was an honor to recognize President Dugan’s many accomplishments at our Winter Gala, from his successful banking career to his time giving back to his alma mater. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
During his four decades of banking, President Dugan served at a number of institutions, his most recent banking position was Chairman & CEO of Sovereign Bank’s Metro NY/NJ Division. Sovereign had recently acquired Independence Bank where Mr. Dugan served as a senior executive since 2003. Prior to joining Independence, he served as Chief Operating Officer of Citibank Commercial Markets (2001-2003), President of European American Bank (1991-2001) and President and Chief Executive Officer of NatWest USA (1974-1991).
In 2013 he was able to put his vast banking experience to work again as a member of the Board of Directors of Investors Bank.
Upon being named President of St. Francis College Mr. Dugan made clear that his mission was “to offer working class families a College that provides a great education at an affordable price and one that makes sure its graduates are not just prepared to enter the job market but will be productive in all aspects of their lives.”
Mr. Dugan was also very civicly active in the borough as a board member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. In the past he was active with the New York Bankers Association and was a member of its Board of Directors and Legislative Policy Committee.
In June 2009, President Dugan was inducted into the Pontifical Order of the Knights of St. Gregory the Great by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.
Other community organizations bestowing honors upon him in the past include the Greater Jamaica Development Corp., the Anti-Defamation League of B’Nai Brith, Helen Keller Services for the Blind, the Crohns and Colitis Foundation, the American Jewish Congress, Neighborhood Housing Services, Good Shepherd Services, Touro Law School, St. Francis College, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Boy Scouts of America, Brooklyn Legal Services Corp.
President Dugan cherished his Irish heritage. His family hailed from Kilcar County, Donegal. He was honored by both the St. Patrick’s Society of Brooklyn and The Great Irish Fair.
He is survived by his wife Barbara A. Dugan, his sons Joseph (Stephanie), Michael and Patrick (Christina), and his six grandchildren (Brendan C., Ryan, William, Helena, Colin, and Mary. He is also survived by his sister Patricia Curtin and brother Brian.
A wake honoring President Dugan will be held from 2-5 p.m., and 7-9 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 21 and 22 at Scotto Funeral Home, 106 1st Place in Carroll Gardens , Brooklyn, NY 11231
The funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday Dec. 23 at St. Mary Star of the Sea, 467 Court Street in Carroll Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Brendan J. Dugan ‘68 Scholarship Fund.
