J. Dana Hughes

J. Dana Hughes

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Dana has been based in New York City since 1996. Dana Hughes is currently a Partner at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), working with clients in many industries from the Transaction and Integration Excellence practice. Dana had been at BCG in 2005-2009.

During this gap, Dana was Vice President in Pfizer’s Worldwide Business Development group, serving as its Global Head for Integration Management and Global Head of Alliance Management. His work included the integration of Wyeth, Hospira, Anacor, Medivation, Therachon, Array and most recently Amplyx.  He also directly led the separation of Upjohn (creating Viatris), Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (into a joint venture with GSK), Hospira Infusion Systems and the creation of independent companies such as Zoetis (former Pfizer Animal Health) and Allogene (former Pfizer CAR-T portfolio). 

Prior to BCG and Pfizer, Dana advised multi-industry businesses with Lazard Frères & Co’s mergers and acquisitions group.

Dana received his Bachelor’s of Arts in Classical Archaeology from Harvard University. After graduation, he received an ICCS Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. He also holds an MBA in International Finance from Columbia University.

Dana lives in Brooklyn with his wife Melissa Prober, General Counsel, Head of Crisis Management and Co-founder of C-Street Advisory, and two children. Dana is on the Board of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and is an active user of the park.

Role: Trustee

Elected to the Board: September 2020

Class Term: 2024

Term Limit: 2028

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.