The Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) has tapped former Cambridge Mayor Francis H. Duehay '55 to lead a three-year, $7.2 million capital campaign, PBHA officials announced Friday.

Duehay, who stepped down as mayor Jan. 2 following a 36-year career as a city-elected official, will co-chair the organization's Centennial Campaign along with Nancy Rahnasto Osborne '76.

"[It is] very important to establish a solid endowment for this public service organization," Duehay said yesterday. "[PBHA] contributes enormously to Cambridge and Boston."

Duehay said PBHA has never conducted an endowment drive of this proportion. If the campaign succeeds in meeting its goal, it will be one of the largest student group fundraising drives ever at Harvard.

Its alumni have never been organized, and "it's very important to establish an ongoing alumni organization" to support undergraduates' PBHA efforts, he said.

Duehay, who volunteered in PBHA during his college years and currently serves on its Board of Trustees, said his role in the drive will allow him to contribute both to his native city and his alma mater.

"I'm in a position now to spend a little time doing this," he said. "It's the way I can contribute to both the college and the community at the same time."

Osborne, a PBHA alumna and former Disney executive who lives in Sherman Oaks, Calif., will lead West Coast efforts for the campaign, which has not yet officially started.