Philip and Kathleen Ciarco

Philip and Kathleen Ciarco are longtime supporters of Bergen Community College; Kathleen herself is a BCC alumna.

They established the Ciarco Family Scholarship fund in May 1998 and, in 1999, made another generous donation, resulting in BCC renaming its Hackensack location the Philip J. Ciarco, Jr. Learning Center in memory of Mr. Ciarco’s father: “My father was forced to leave school at age 13 to go to work. Through hard work, an unending desire to learn, and a commitment to family and community, my father not only built a business but continued to work a second job. There were no programs such as those offered today by the Learning Center to help my father develop the skills necessary to achieve success. He had to learn everything on his own. Since 1970, the Bergen Community College Learning Center has provided educational and counseling support for individuals wanting to improve their lives. For these reasons, we are proud that the college’s Learning Center will carry my father’s name.”

Philip has served on the BCC Foundation Board of Directors for over 20 years. He is the president of Cricket Management, LLC, a property management company, was the founder of Cricket Converters, Inc, a printing firm, and a former seventh grade teacher and Lyndhurst High School athletics coach. He earned his undergraduate degree from Iowa Wesleyan College, from which he received an honorary doctorate and served as the commencement speaker in 2006.

Philip and Kathleen have two children and many grandchildren.