 Born at the old French Hospital on West 30th Street in Manhattan, he was raised in Flushing, Queens, where he attended St. Andrew Avellino School and Holy Cross High School (Flushing).After beginning a career as a Wall Street stockbroker, he moved into public service by volunteering for his community board and working for then-city comptroller Elizabeth Holtzman.In 2004, Duane completed Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a David Bohnett LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow.