Trustees Scholarship Award Gala
The Iona University Trustees Scholarship Award Gala celebrates Iona’s devotion to service and scholarship, and pays tribute to those who embody our mission of transforming lives through the power of education. Proceeds from this event directly go to supporting student success.
Trustees Scholarship Award Gala: 2024 Program
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2024 Legacy Award Recipients
Robert J. DeLuccia '67, '79MBA
Co-Founder and Executive Chairman
Acurx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Currently, Bob DeLuccia is Executive Chairman of Acurx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACXP), a New York-based, development-stage biopharmaceutical company, which he co-founded in 2017 and took public in 2021. The company focused on developing a new class of antibiotics to treat common infections caused by certain Gram-positive bacteria and to combat the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to currently available antibiotics.
He has over 50 years of executive and hands-on experience in the pharmaceutical industry involving sales, marketing, manufacturing, and new product development with global pharmaceutical companies. Bob held senior executive positions at Pfizer (Vice-President) and at Sanofi (President Sanofi U.S). He also was Chief Executive Officer of two publicly traded (Nasdaq) biopharmaceutical companies (Immunomedics, Inc. and MacroChem CORP)., and was Executive Chairman of publicly-traded (Nasdaq) Dipexium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a New York-based, antibiotic development-stage biopharmaceutical company which he co-founded and subsequently took public in 2014. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of IBEX Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded (IBT.V/TSXV.IBT), Montreal-based company.
Mr. DeLuccia received his undergraduate degree and MBA from Iona University. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and the Board of Directors of the Gaels Nation NIL Collective. In addition, Bob serves as a mentor in the Gaels Go Further Mentoring Programs.
A Bronx native, Bob is married to Rosemary and has three children and eight grandchildren. Bob served as an Officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He also volunteers his time at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Valhalla, NY as Chairman of the Finance Council.
Edward R. McNally Jr. '78
Edward R. McNally, Jr.’s, career in business spans more than 40 years and includes roles at Omnicom Group, a global marketing communications agency holding company, and serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Star Marketing Services division of Omnicom, an agency group he engineered.
Focused on digital marketing, CRM, database, marketing analytics, e-commerce, and traditional and digital media, Star Group revenues grew at over 30% per annum during Ed’s tenure, and their geographic reach expanded throughout North America and into Europe and Asia.
Ed graduated from Iona in 1978 with a BBA in Accounting. He became a CPA in New York State in 1980. In 1989, he earned an MBA from NYU in Finance and International Business.
He attended Iona under a full academic scholarship. In turn, Ed endowed the McNally Family Scholarship at Iona starting in 1999 (with his father Ed Sr. '51 and brother Steve '94) to help enable current Iona students who demonstrate great promise, but are in need of financial assistance. Ed serves on the Advancement Committee of the Iona University Board of Trustees. He is also involved in the mentor program at the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Monica L. '70 and John C. '71 Judge
As a graduate of Elizabeth Seton College with a degree in retailing, Monica began her business career with New York Telephone in New Rochelle and White Plains. In 1978, she and her husband John ’71 moved to Connecticut and Monica continued her career with Southern New England Telephone as a Business Representative.
In 1982 Monica left the business world to raise their two sons, Chris and Jay. She then began a career of volunteering. She served as the Registrar/Treasurer of St. Andrew’s Co-op Pre-school, Treasurer of the Milford Council of Catholic Women, and Vice President of the Board for the Literacy Center of Milford. She also served for three years on the Board of Managers of the Laurel Beach Association where she resides. Monica still remains active in her community by helping to run assorted social events.
While her boys were in grammar school, Monica held many different positions on the School Board and the Executive Home School Association (parent/teacher group) of their parish school, St. Gabriel in Milford, CT. After volunteering to run the kitchen at the school for many years, she moved to the Church rectory and has volunteered as the parish secretary/office manager for over fifteen years. Monica has been a Eucharistic Minister for many years, taking communion to hospital patients and local homebound residents.
Monica became active with the Iona Alumni Association over twenty years ago and has been on their Executive Board serving as Vice President, and President for many years. She has chaired the annual Reunion Weekend event and Winter Auction for numerous years and has even been known to put on the mascot costume of Killian the Gael!
John Judge is a co-founder, Vice President, and CFO of Coaches Cure CF. The mission of Coaches Cure CF is to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis (CF) and further the mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by raising funds for a cure. The organization works through the college basketball community, hosting such events as an Annual Golf Outing and CF Awareness Days at Iona University, Providence College, Seton Hall University, and various other institutions.
John worked at Safilo America, a division of the Safilo Group, as Vice President and CFO until his retirement in 2013. The Safilo Group is a maker of eyewear that trades on the Milan Stock Exchange. John held a variety of executive positions over the years at Safilo and Optique Du Monde (purchased by Safilo Group in 1988). He started as an Accounting Manager for Optique Du Monde in 1976. He was elevated to Controller in 1978 and Vice President of Finance and Administration in 1979. In 1994 he was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance, Administration and Services, which he maintained for 12 years before his promotion to CFO of Safilo Americas.
John is President of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He has been married to Monica L. Judge '70 for 53 years and they have two sons, Christopher and Jay ’07, ’09MBA, and three grandchildren, Caleb, Tyler, and Emma.
John has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Iona University since 2013. He is a 2009 recipient of the Cornelia Award, 2011 recipient of the Donald E. Walsh '66 Award, and 2021 recipient of the Loftus Award. John and his wife Monica are loyal supporters of Iona.
Past Honorees
1961 Francis Cardinal Spellman ’49H
1962 John A. Coleman
1963 The Hon. Owen P. McGivern
1964 Richard Cardinal Cushing
1965 James M. Slattery ’57H
1966 Most Rev. John J. Wright, DD
1967 Myles B. Amend ’56H
1968 His Excellency Frederick H. Boland ’57H
1969 The Hon. Erskine B. Childers, TD
1970 Senator Edward M. Kennedy
1972 Richard V. Guerin ’54
1973 The Hon. Peter J. Brennan
1974 The Hon. Malcolm Wilson ’70H
1975 Arthur J. Rooney
1976 Roy Wilkins ’65H
1977 Joseph P. Donelli
1978 Rear Admiral John J. Bergen, USNR (Ret.)
Arthur A. Loftus, CFC ’69H
1979 The Hon. Robert F. Wagner, Sr.
1980 John R. Torell III
1981 Stephen M. Blacker
Dr. Allen Hammond
Kathy Keeton
Charles Mandel
1982 Patrick Falvey ’48
1983 John G. Driscoll, CFC, PhD ’54, ’95H
1984 John W. Kluge
1985 Williard C. Butcher
1986 Richard Waters
1987 Joseph M. Murphy ’59, ’83H
1988 Edward F. Arrigoni ’56, ’91H
1989 John F. McGillicuddy ’94H
1990 Peter R. Scanlon ’52, ’92H
1991 The Congregation of Christian Brothers
1992 Alan E. Harazin
1993 Fred Lebow
Charles H. McCabe ’68MBA, ’88H
Jack Rudin ’86H
The Hon. Percy Sutton
1994 Edward J. Robinson ’62
1995 Stanley W. Hill ’59
John J. Sweeney ’55
1996 Allen J. Krowe
1997 William J. Flynn
1998 The Hon. Albert Reynolds
Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault
1999 Edward A. Riguardi
2000 Andrew Dolce ’57 & Thomas Hales ’58
The AACSB Accreditation of the School of Business
2001 George R. Lewis ’68MBA
2002 15 Iona Alumni lost in the World Trade Center
Tragedy on 9/11/01 (posthumously)
2003 Vincent D. Farrell, Jr. ’72MBA
2004 Catherine R. Kinney ’74
2005 J. Frank Brown
2006 Ronald M. DeFeo ’74, Philip D. DeFeo ’68
and Neil P. DeFeo
2007 Mr. & Mrs. Alfred F. Kelly, Jr.
(Al ’80, ’81MBA & Margaret ’81, ’84MBA)
2008 Charles W. Schoenherr ’82
2009 Roger Staubach
2010 Julia Considine Greifeld ’79 & Robert Greifeld ’79
2011 Br. James A. Liguori, CFC ’65EdD
2013 Patrick C. Dunican, Jr., Esq. ’88 & Mario J. Gabelli
2014 Robert V. LaPenta ’67, ’00H
2015 James P. Hynes ’69, ’01H
2016 Joseph J. DePaolo ’81
The Catherine H. McCabe ’71MA &
Hugh J. McCabe ’49 Family
2017 Albert J. Mellina ’63, ’68MBA
Eugene P. Conese SR. ’51, ’01H posthumously
2018 Armando C. Rodriguez Jr. ’86
Joseph A. Armentano ’88MBA
2019 Ronald DeCicco ’70
2020 JoAnn Mazella Murphy '98H
2022 Peter G. Riguardi ’83, ’16H
Karen D. Seitz ’84
2023 Jerome C. Cifarelli ’77
Daniel F. Doyle ’93, ’95MBA
2013 The Honorable Raymond W. Kelly ’08H and the New York City Police Department
2014 Mr. & Mrs. Mariano Rivera P’15
2015 His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan ’14H
2016 Patrick Quinn ’06
2017 Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of New York
2018 David A. Pope ’07H and the Generoso Pope Foundation
2019 Thomas A. Davenport, MD, FACS, ’88
2022 Dr. Bill Magee and Kathy Magee, Operation Smile
2023 The V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Valvano Family
Linda M. Bruno '76, '79MSEd
Cathy L. Cogan-Kelly '81
Theresa A. Gottlieb, Esq., '78
Flory Netsch Hiatrides '83, '86MBA
Anna Filipkowski Houlihan, MD, '77
Eileen Ivers '87, '19H
Rita C. Mabli '74, '76MBA
Catherine A. Vitali Mayus, Esq., P.C. '72
Catherine R. McCabe '85
Amy Torigian Parise '03MST on behalf of Butterflies from Jodie, Jeanne Morris (posthumously) and Jeanne Torigian '74 (posthumously)
Caress A. Penelton '87
Ingrid N. Thompson-Sellers, Ph.D., '95MS
Margaret C. Timoney '89, '92MBA