Ken Daly, CFO of Global Gas Distribution for National Grid

Brooklynite Kenneth D. Daly knows the value of a Catholic education: the values it instills.

Respect, determination and self-discipline imparted in classrooms by dedicated lay and religious instructors have fueled not only Daly’s corporate career with National Grid but also his longtime commitment to fostering education for the next generation.

Daly’s commitment took on new meaning after Sept. 11, 2001, when Firefighter Charles Mendez from Manhattan Ladder Co. 7, gave his life in the line of duty.

Friends from age 10, Daly and Mendez met playing ball and riding bikes with the boys along the narrow streets of their close-knit Gerritsen Beach neighborhood, where everybody knew everybody. Life took the boys in different directions as they became young men. Though Mendez eventually moved away, he remained close to his buddies.

"We decided to raise money for a scholarship fund… We were hoping to raise $5,000 for one scholarship. Instead, we raised over $30,000 in donations.”

When word of his death circulated through the community, Daly was among several of Mendez’ friends who stepped forward to ensure he would never be forgotten.

"We decided to raise money for a scholarship fund,” said Daly, who noted that several fundraisers were held in the fallen firefighter’s honor. “We were hoping to raise $5,000 for one scholarship. Instead, we raised over $30,000 in donations.”

That significant sum enabled the friends to establish The Charles “Chuck” Mendez Angel Endowment Fund, a $1,400 permanent scholarship for children from Resurrection parish, which is awarded through the Futures in Education Foundation’s Angel Program.

Daly has also been instrumental in securing gifts nearing $100,000 from KeySpan and National Grid in support of Catholic education in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens.

A lifelong Gerritsen Beach resident and parishioner of Resurrection Church, Daly is a proud alumnus of his parish school, where learning the value of respect, kindness and caring for others were just as important as any academic lesson.

"I vividly remember in fourth grade my teacher Ms. Tennyson drilling me on the times tables. She was always kind and caring but she made sure we learned our math," he recalled.

As one of five children, he understood the sacrifices his parents made so he and his siblings could attend Catholic school, the same one his parents attended in their youth. Finances were tight for his father, a fireman at Ladder 102 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and his mother, who stayed home to raise the children and manage the household.

"It was a struggle. My father worked overtime and did what he could so we could all go to Catholic school. Back then the price for five wasn't much more than the price for one," Daly said.

Since high school was even more expensive, the three boys chose to attend public high schools so their parents could keep the girls in Catholic schools.

Daly went on to excel at Brooklyn Technical High School, and receive a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship to St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights, where he later earned a bachelor’s degree in English.

“Franciscan Brother George Larkin helped me get in and get a scholarship. Four years later, Brother John Hoffschmidt, O.S.F., (now deceased) helped me get a job."

As graduation approached, Brother John suggested he look into an opportunity at Brooklyn Union Gas. That advice changed his life and led to a 20-year corporate career with Brooklyn Union, which became KeySpan, and is now National Grid. In 1988, he was hired as a management trainee in the Credit and Collections Department. He has since held numerous executive positions in finance, human resources and customer relations and facilitated two merger integrations. While working, Daly went back to school to earn a master's of business administration in finance from St. John's University and a master's in human resource management from Polytechnic University. He achieved the distinguished Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2002.

Now as CFO of global gas distribution, Daly splits his time between his company's Downtown Brooklyn and London locations.

While he finds satisfaction in his work, he also takes pride in being part of a global company with a deep commitment to social responsibility and giving back in a variety of ways to the neighborhoods they serve. That resonates with everything Daly is as a Catholic Christian.

"I've been very blessed in my family and my career and I like to give back to others."

"National Grid employees donate a lot of our time to the community. My focus is on education initiatives. Each time you teach a class, award a scholarship, or give an internship, you're giving back," he said.

"My focus is on education initiatives. Each time you teach a class, award a scholarship, or give an internship, you're giving back…"

As a father of four, he sees how young people are easily distracted from their academic studies by a host of amusements, which may lead them down undesirable paths. To prevent that from happening, he believes adults must step up “to keep kids interested in school, and provide them with good experiences to make the right choices in life.”

He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of New York, a non-profit that provides volunteer-run programs for students in grades K-12. He oversees 100 National Grid employee-volunteers who devote hundreds of hours to teaching business basics to nearly 3,000 students annually. These men and women inspire students to "get interested in business, stay in school and make better decisions in life."

"When you focus on something, you can achieve anything you want," he tells students.

Daly has always remembered the people who gave him the same advice, particularly the Franciscan Brothers. Twenty years after earning his degree, he’s still a familiar face on Remsen Street. He dedicates his time to students in the classroom as an adjunct professor of human resources, business and finance, and to administrators in the boardroom, serving a member of the Board of Trustees Development Committee and is the past chairman of the Business Advisory Council.

Additionally, he is an executive participant in the Executive-in-Residence Program at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John's University, his other alma mater; chairman of Kingsborough Community College’s Board of Directors; executive sponsor of the Women in Networks Affinity Group; and co-chairs the United Way Campaign.

Daly continues to worship at Resurrection Church and live in his childhood home in Gerritsen Beach with his wife Laurie, a graduate of Our Lady of Refuge School, Bishop Kearney H.S., Baruch College and St. Joseph's College, and their four children, Kristen, 9; Marc, 7; Megan, 5; and Kenneth, 2.