— Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., President of The University of Scranton
a new student center, three residence halls and the Loyola Science Center. One of the residence halls, Condron Hall, was dedicated to Kip and Peggy for their many contributions to the school. Condron, who enjoyed a long and successful career in global finance, said it was important to him to give back to places where he felt he could make the greatest impact. Condron’s love for the University developed during his undergraduate years. He chose Scranton for its proximity to home, but he came to appreciate the school more because of its Jesuit values. Upon graduation, Condron sold land in the Poconos then moved to Pittsburgh to work as a broker. There, he started Condron Associates, which was purchased by a subsidiary of American Express. He later held leadership roles at the Boston Company, served as CEO of Dreyfus and later president of Mellon Financial Corp. In 2001 he took the helm at AXA Financial, retiring in 2011. The path to success was achieved by following a simple plan. “I just continued to work and chopped the wood in front of me. Every so often, someone changed the pile.
University Advancement
“At a time when we needed it most, God provided Kip and Peggy to help us strive to do more and to do better. They challenged the University to pursue greatness in ways that we hadn’t seen before and helped secure our future in ways we had never imagined.”
I always say to students: ‘Keep your head down, do your job. Whoever was looking over their shoulder never got anywhere.’” At AXA, Condron was praised for his management skills, but former AXA colleague and University Trustee Mary Beth Farrell ’79 said he led by example. “As a CEO, Kip was very clear with his senior executives about his philanthropic philosophy — look for something that you are passionate about, commit financial resources and support the mission by engaging through mentorship,” she said. Even during retirement, Condron remains busy. He serves on the AllianceBernstein board, sits on the executive committee of the American Ireland Fund and also makes time to enjoy a slightly slower pace on his boats in Cape Cod and Florida. Condron is confident that the next generation is waiting in the wings, willing to give. “I’ve spoken to students who have said, ‘I can’t wait to be like you and give back to the University,’ and that’s great. I think in 15 and 20 years from now, pickings won’t be slim.”
Trustee Emeritus Christopher “Kip” Condron ‘70, former president and CEO of AXA Financial, stepped down as chair of the University’s Board of Trustees in May; Condron (center) is joined by his family at the 2008 dedication of Condron Hall. From left to right: thenUniversity President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Casey Condron, Margaret “Peggy” Condron, Ph.D., Kip Condron, Lindsay Condron, Brett Condron, Erin Doucette and Devin Condron; Kip and Peggy, co-chairs of the Pride, Passion, Promise capital campaign, which raises $129 million for the University between 2008-2011; Kip receives the President’s Medal at the President’s Business Council Annual Award Dinner in New York in 2006. LEFT TO RIGHT:
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