Regina Peruggi

Regina Peruggi
President of Kingsborough Community College
In office January 2005 – August 2014
Preceded by	Fred Malamet
Succeeded by	Stuart Suss (interim)
President of Marymount Manhattan College
In office 1990–2001
Personal details
Born	c. 1947 (age 77–78)
Spouse	Rudy Giuliani ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1982)​
Education	College of New Rochelle (BA) New York University (MBA) Columbia University (EdD)
Profession	Educator

Regina S. Peruggi (born c. 1947)^[1] is an American educator, who was the President of Kingsborough Community College from 2005 to 2014, the first woman to hold that position in the college's 40-year history.^[2] Prior to that, she was president of Marymount Manhattan College and led the Central Park Conservancy. For 14 years (from 1968 to 1982), she was married to her second cousin, Rudy Giuliani.

Early life and education

Peruggi grew up in a middle class family in the Bronx.^[3] She is the daughter of Salvatore Orestus Peruggi and Anna Marie Fink. She is also the second cousin and ex-wife of former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani. She attended Roman Catholic parochial schools.^[4] She earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the College of New Rochelle in 1967.^[4][3]

Career

She started her career as a drug abuse counselor in a state jail.^[3][5] She worked as a teacher at the elementary school, college, and graduate school levels.^[3] In 1974 she joined York College of The City University of New York,^[3] then moved to Washington, D.C., with Rudy Giuliani and worked as a coordinator at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington.^[6] Around 1980 she returned to school,^[7] and then earned a Master of Business Administration from New York University.

By 1984 Peruggi worked in the central office of the City University system, and again returned to school at night,^[7] earning a Doctor of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.^[3] By 1986, she had become an associate dean for the City University of New York system, specializing in adult education programs.^[3]

In 1990, Peruggi was named president of Marymount Manhattan College, a position she held for eleven years; during this time the college's enrollment doubled.^[3] At Marymount, she was credited with turning around the institution financially, in part by recruiting wealthy business personages to the college's Board of Trustees.^[8] One professor said, "She's great at fund-raising, beefed up the student body and the faculty, devoted to community outreach and diversity, and brought a great moxie to the school."^[8]

She served as the second President of the Central Park Conservancy from 2001 to 2004,^[3] where she sought to continue its restoration^[7] via increased fund-raising^[4] and appeared on the PBS reality television show Back to the Floor.^[9]

Peruggi was named president of Kingsborough Community College in May 2004.^[3] Under Peruggi's leadership, Kingsborough Community College experienced record-high enrollment numbers.^[10] It was also named one of the top four community colleges in the country when it was chosen as a Finalist with Distinction for the 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.^[10] Having reached age 65, she announced she was stepping down in April 2014, effective at the end of the coming summer.^[11][10]

Peruggi has served on the board of directors of the GreenPoint Foundation, the American Red Cross of Greater New York, the Silver Shield Foundation, and the Center for Redirection Through Education.^[3] In 2006 she was honored as a 2006 New York State Senate Woman of Distinction.^[12] By 2009, Peruggi was the Chairperson Emerita and Chairperson of the Commissioners of the Women's Commission For Refugee Women and Children; on the Board of Managers of the Havens Relief Fund Society; and on the boards of Berkeley College, the Academy of Mount St. Ursula High School, the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and the International Longevity Center.^[13] In 2008, Peruggi was named to the Commission on Lifelong Learning of the American Council on Education and around the same time was named to the Advisory Board of the Student World Assembly.^[13]

Personal life

On October 26, 1968, Peruggi married Rudy Giuliani, her second cousin, whom she had known since childhood. In 1975, the couple agreed to a trial separation.^[14] Giuliani met local television personality Donna Hanover in 1982, and they began dating when she was working in Miami. Giuliani filed for legal separation from Peruggi on August 12, 1982.^[14] The Giuliani-Peruggi marriage legally ended in two ways: a civil divorce was issued by the end of 1982,^[4] while a Roman Catholic church annulment of the Giuliani-Peruggi marriage was granted at the end of 1983^[14] reportedly because Giuliani had discovered that he and Peruggi were second cousins.^[15][16] Alan Placa, Giuliani's best man, later became a priest and helped get the annulment. Giuliani and Peruggi did not have any children.^[17]

References

1. Karen Arenson, " CUNY Board Approves Three For Presidencies at Its Colleges", The New York Times, May 25, 2004. Retrieved April 6, 2008. Age at time of article was 57.
2. Joan Baum, "President Regina S. Peruggi, Kingsborough Community College", Education Update, January 2005. Accessed March 16, 2007.
3. Press release, "Dr. Regina S. Peruggi is Named President of Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York", Kingsborough Community College, May 25, 2004. Accessed March 16, 2007.
4. Lynda Richardson, "A Scholarly Fund-Raiser's Stroll to the Park", The New York Times, May 4, 2001. Accessed April 6, 2008.
5. Barrett, p. 72
6. Barrett, p. 95.
7. "Regina Peruggi, President, Central Park Conservancy", Education Update, March 2004. Accessed March 16, 2007.
8. Ruth G. Davis, "The Very First Lady", New York, April 25, 1994. Accessed September 8, 2019.
9. Back to the Floor, "Regina Peruggi, President", PBS. Accessed March 16, 2007.
10. Ned Burke, "Exclusive: Kingsborough President Regina Peruggi To Retire This Summer", Sheepshead Bites, April 15, 2013. Accessed June 2, 2014.
11. "CUNY Board Appoints Stuart Suss as Interim President of Kingsborough Community College" Press release, City University of New York, April 29, 2013. Accessed June 2, 2014.
12. "Golden Honors Regina Peruggi" Press release, New York State Senate, July 6, 2006. Accessed April 19, 2007.
13. "Job Creation and Workforce Development Summit", New York City Global Partners, City of New York, June 25, 2009. Accessed November 12, 2009.
14. "Rudy Giuliani's Vulnerabilities". The Smoking Gun. February 12, 2007. Archived from the original on April 1, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
15. Powell, Michael and Goldfarb, Zachary A. Powell, Michael; Goldfarb, Zachary A. (March 8, 2006). "On 'Feeling Thermometer', Giuliani is the Hottest'". The Washington Post. p. A04. Retrieved November 15, 2006.
16. "Giuliani To Wed At Gracie Mansion". CBS News. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
17. "All not in the family for GOP hopeful Giuliani". CNN. March 6, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2007.