When Dr. Denise Lucy’s longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Mara Perez, invited her to join the MarinHealth Medical Center Board of Directors six years ago, Dr. Lucy didn’t hesitate.
“MarinHealth is one of California’s community hospitals,” she said. “I’m dedicated to its mission and so proud of its stellar reputation. Our team offers first-class service and vital health support to all patients. Those who have no safety net at all can count on us to support their healing at a time when they’re the most vulnerable.”
Community service has always been a priority for Dr. Lucy. Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, she was surrounded by a large and loving family, including her sister, grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Her mother has always been “the force of commitment, kindness, and humor in all of our lives,” she said. “My mother knows no strangers, and I have inherited her interest in community.”
Among her cousins and immediate family, Dr. Lucy was the first to attend college, earning a B.S. and then an M.S. in Clinical Psychology. She planned to become a therapist—plans that changed after the University of San Francisco hired her.
“I discovered that I had the ability to manage projects and people, and I became an expert in management and marketing in higher education,” she explained. “I earned my doctorate in leadership and organizational studies.”
Dr. Lucy has 42 years of experience as an educator and executive, first at the University of San Francisco and, since 1993, Dominican University of California. Today, she is a tenured professor of Business and Organizational Studies and founding executive director of the Institute of Leadership Studies at Dominican’s leadership development center housed in its Barowsky School of Business.
Her commitment to community service has never wavered. “I am dedicated to giving back, both financially and with my time,” she said.
An important philanthropic priority is helping families get to and through college. As a donor and board member for more than 20 years, Dr. Lucy supports 10,000 Degrees, which helps thousands of low-income Bay Area students pursue college degrees. She also serves on the board of the Pt. San Pedro Road Coalition, a nonprofit that supports the needs of neighborhoods in eastern Marin.
Dr. Lucy’s wife, Dr. Francoise Lepage, is a retired professor, university dean, political scientist, and specialist in Asian political systems who spent 45 years of her career at Dominican University. They share a passion for golf and a history of travel that spans the globe, from Taiwan, Thailand, and China to Europe, Mexico, Africa, Australia, and South America. They spend two months every summer at their home on Fire Island, NY. Dr. Lucy is a beekeeper, and Dr. Lepage pitches in to harvest honey from hives in their garden.
They also share a commitment to philanthropy. “Philanthropy is paramount to Francoise and me,” Dr. Lucy said. “It represents an opportunity to create lasting change and make a positive difference in the lives of people who need assistance. It embodies the essence of human compassion and solidarity, reminding us of our interconnectedness and shared responsibility to care for one another.”
Together, Drs. Lucy and Lepage have chosen to make a difference by including MarinHealth in their estate plan. That way, Dr. Lucy said, they can help provide services and community support for years to come.
“In my tenure on the board, I have personally experienced the competence, caring, compassion, and commitment of the administrative team and the health professionals,” she said. “We seek for our planned gift to continue to improve patient care and enhance the well-being of the community.”