Message from UI Foundation Board Chair and President & CEO

Dear Colleagues:

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend (and the short work week). I know for many of us, the ability to pop into our home office any time of the day (or night) has blurred the lines between starting and stopping our work week.  Well, today is indeed Friday, so in just a few hours, I urge you to logout and enjoy the evening. I’m going to limit my message today to that bit of advice because this week, I have invited a special guest to share a message with our Advancement Team. 

It is my pleasure to introduce our University of Illinois Foundation Board Chair Kay Schwichtenberg. Kay is a 1984 University of Illinois at Chicago MBA graduate, and she has served on the UIF Board of Directors since 2006, assuming the chairperson role last fall. Kay is the acting president and chief executive officer of Central Life Sciences, a Schaumburg-based firm specializing in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of animal health and environmental products. She had retired from the post, but the company asked her to return to the leadership role. Previously, Kay served as president of Wellmark International and vice president of Sandoz Argo Inc. and Zoëcon Corp. She is chairman emeritus of the board of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association and a member of the Committee of 200, an invitation-only membership organization of the world’s most successful women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. Her husband, Herman Baumann, is a principal and managing director of Green Line Strategies, LLC, whose purpose is to help associations generate non-dues revenue to support their missions. 

Kay is the 2007 recipient of the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award. She is a former member of the UIC College of Business Administration’s Business Advisory Council and was the first chair of the Business Alumni Council Development Committee and a charter member of the Alumni Leadership Academy. She also began serving as an Illinois Connection Advocate in 2010.

Thank you, Kay, and have a wonderful weekend one and all!

Cheers,

Jim

Dear Advancement Staff,

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it sometimes seemed like we would never reach the end of FY20.  Yet here we are just one month away from closing out another fiscal year.  The last 11 weeks have not been easy, but I applaud your hard work in continuing to serve the University of Illinois.  Whether it was finding new ways to maintain a connection with your donors while face-to-face contact was not an option or keeping donations moving through the gift processing procedures primarily from your homes, you are all rock stars.  Thank you for supporting Illinois contributors in so many innovative ways.  The final days of FY20 will be unlike the close of any other fiscal year, so I encourage you to continue maximizing your efforts and finish strong.

In addition to concluding the current fiscal, we are also preparing for the next one, establishing budgets and priorities for FY21.  Those preparations also look different than they have previously.  Still, please know Jim and the Board are working diligently to create a plan for a successful year, no matter the direction the coronavirus takes us.

Many have spoken and written about it, but the increasing care and concern individuals have shown friends, families, and even strangers during the world’s current crisis have touched my heart.  I am inspired and hopeful when I watch people smile at their neighbors, deliver groceries to those who cannot leave their homes, donate to food banks, participate in birthday parades, and take part in so many other caring actions.  Although it may not seem like it, the COVID-19 pandemic will not last forever.  It WILL eventually end.  It may take a year, two, or more, but when it has been tamped down into something no longer affecting daily lives, it is my sincere hope that the growing charitable actions of the world’s citizens will not cease, but continue to flourish.

Thank you again for your dedication to your work and our joint cause.

Best Regards,

Kay