Trustees Scholarship Award Gala

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.’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.

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!

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is another cause that is very dear to Monica’s heart, due to the fact that her great nephew Alex was diagnosed with the disease at the age of eight months. Alex is now 22 and Monica works actively with her family to raise funds for a cure through their foundation, Coaches Cure CF, by hosting such events as their Annual Golf Outing and CF Awareness Days at Iona University, Providence College, Seton Hall University, and various other institutions. Since 2013, Monica has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where she is currently chair of the Social Fundraising Committee.

Monica has been married for 53 years to her husband John, and their family has grown to include daughters-in-law Kate and Diana and grandchildren Caleb, Tyler, and Emma.

Monica and John have received numerous awards and honors in recognition of service to their communities. These include the Cornelia Award from Iona University and the St. Joseph Medal from the Archdiocese of Hartford. In 2011, Monica and John were given the Donald E. Walsh '66 Award and were inducted into the Iona University Goal Club Hall of Fame in 2013. In addition, Monica was an inductee of the Blessed Sacrament – St. Gabriel High School Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Brother Patrick B. Doyle Award for Distinguished Service to the Iona University Alumni Association.

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.

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