Trustee Profile

Ms. Terry Hart Cogan
Alumni Trustee (1999-present)

Ms. Mary Hart (Terry) Cogan is the alumni trustee on the University’s Board of Trustees, elected by the Bridgewater Alumni Association (BAA).  She is a four-time chairperson of the University’s Annual Fund campaign and continues to serve on the boards of the BSC Foundation and BAA.  She is the University’s most generous donor and in 1990 became the first graduate ever to offer a one million-dollar gift.

A native of Hyannis, Ms. Cogan grew up on Cape Cod and began her career as an elementary school teacher in Lexington.  Long active in civic and community affairs, Ms. Cogan is a past president of the hospital auxiliaries of Boston University Medical Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. She is currently a member of the Boston Ballet Board of Trustees and a benefactor of major arts organizations on Cape Cod and in Boston.  She has also been involved in the Democratic Party and was invited to attend the inaugurations of Presidents Kennedy, Carter and Clinton. She is a past member of the Lexington Democratic Town Committee and currently serves on the Chatham Democratic Town Committee.

In 1999, Bridgewater State University awarded her an honorary doctorate of public service which, in part, reads:  “Mary Hart Cogan, benefactor of your alma mater, civic-minded champion of responsible and compassionate government, volunteer in community activities, devoted and generous patron of the arts, and strong advocate for women in leadership positions, you have lived your life in service to others, carrying out daily the ideals and values expressed in the motto of this University, ‘Not to be Ministered Unto but to Minister.’”

Trustee Cogan currently resides in Chatham, is the mother of four children and the grandmother of five grandchildren.

Last Modified: August 2, 2010