University of Georgia Foundation

Mission of the UGA Foundation

The University of Georgia Foundation strives to enrich the quality of education at the University by supporting scholarships, endowed chairs and professorships, and other programs that rely on private funds. With more than $1 billion in assets, a large portion of which is endowed to support academic initiatives, the Foundation provides an average of more than $65 million each year to advance UGA’s missions of teaching, research, and service.

Kelly Kerner
Kelly Kerner, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the UGA Foundation. Building a culture of philanthropy at the University of Georgia has been Kerner’s top priority since his arrival in June 2014, and under his team, fundraising continues to surge.

The Foundation is managed by a Board of Trustees comprised of 51 volunteer members, and its mission is to support the University in several ways: trustees lead and promote fundraising activities, accept and steward donor funds, and manage the financial assets of the Foundation for the long-term benefit and enhancement of the University. Trustees also offer broad advice, consultation, and support to University leadership.

Foundation assets have grown tremendously since the organization was established in 1937, enabling the Foundation to provide greater levels of support to UGA. As a steward of donor funds, the Foundation has an outstanding record of fiscal and financial management. For more than 10 years, its investment portfolio has outperformed key benchmarks.

Because of record-setting fundraising and a strong 13.1 percent investment return in FY17, the Foundation is set to provide more support from its unrestricted resources in the year ahead than ever before, including increased funding for need-based and merit-based undergraduate scholarships.

Foundation assets have reached $1.2B — the highest in history
In FY17, the Foundation earned a 13.1% investment return

Investing in the Future of UGA

An endowment is an investment in the future of the University of Georgia and a way for a donor to leave a permanent legacy. When an endowment is established with a new donation, the gift is invested with two goals in mind: to provide spendable income for the donor’s specified purpose and to grow the principal faster than inflation. Any investment return over allowed spending is channeled back into the fund to increase growth.

Foundation Support of UGA
Foundation Support of UGA
Long-Term Investment Return
Long-Term Investment Return

Foundation’s Investment Portfolio Allocation

Asset Class June 30 Allocation Asset Characteristics
Publicly Traded Equities 48.0% Capital appreciation, global diversification, highly liquid
Fixed Income 11.5% Capital preservation and income, highly liquid
Private Equity 5.0% High return potential, illiquid
Hedge Funds 20.9% High return potential with low volatility
Real Assets 14.6% Inflation hedge and income generation

Fiscal Year 2017 UGA Foundation Board Members

Officers

Chair
Kenneth G. Jackson
Shaw Industries Group, Inc.
Dalton, GA
Vice-Chair
William W. Douglas III
Retired, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.
Bishop, GA
Treasurer
Terry S. Brown
Asana Partners
Columbia, SC
Secretary
Steve C. Jones
U. S. District Judge
Atlanta, GA

Elected Trustees

Daniel P. Amos
Aflac Incorporated
Columbus, GA
Kathryn L. Ash
Kathryn Ash Interiors
Charlotte, NC
Allison C. Ausband
Delta Air Lines
Atlanta, GA
Eleanor F. Banister
Retired Partner, King & Spalding, LLC
Atlanta, GA
David Battle
Battle Investment Group
Atlanta, GA
Garry W. Bridgeman
Grayson Consulting, a business of Morgan Stanley
Atlanta, GA
Mark B. Chandler
Habersham Properties, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
James W. Childs
CHILDS Advisory Partners
Atlanta, GA
Victor E. Corrigan
Piedmont Heart Institute
Atlanta, GA
Richard W. Courts IV
Atlantic Realty Company
Atlanta, GA
John H. Crawford IV
Crawford Investment Counsel, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Jennifer G. Flanagan
Atlanta, GA
Frank D. Foley III
The Concrete Company
Columbus, GA
Henry D. Gregory Jr.
Atlanta, GA
C. William Griffin
Black Knight Financial Services
Coraopolis, PA
Andrew M. Head
Head Management Group, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Samuel D. Holmes
CB Richard Ellis
Atlanta, GA
Stephen M. Joiner
Treatment Management Company
Atlanta, GA
John O. Knox Jr.
Peregrine Investment Advisors, LLC
Atlanta, GA
Emily Dunlap Lawson
Retired, Gainesville Mayor and City Council
Gainesville, GA
Russell C. Lindner
The Forge Company
Washington, DC
John F. Mangan Jr.
JFM Capital, LLC
Charlotte, NC
James C. McCurry
Seacrest Partners
Savannah, GA
Ted McMullan
Covington Investments, LLC
Atlanta, GA
C. Read Morton Jr.
Centennial Holding Company, LLC
Atlanta, GA
John S. Neel Jr.
The Sanford Company
Macon, GA
Thomas H. Paris III
General Electric
Atlanta, GA
Neal J. Quirk
Quirk & Quirk, LLC
Atlanta, GA
Stanley W. Shelton
Windham Capital Management, LLC
Wayland, MD
Susan Donziger Sherman
Susan Sherman, Inc.
St. Louis, MO
Stephen W. Smith
Peachtree Orthopedic Clinic
Atlanta, GA
John P. Spalding
Cox Communications, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
Robert H. Stolz
Sunbury Capital, LLC
Charlotte, NC
Barry L. Storey
BLS Holdings Group, LLC
Augusta, GA
Larry D. Thompson
Finch McCrannie, LLP
Sea Island, GA
Susan C. Waltman
Greater New York Hospital Association
Pelham, NY
William D. Young Jr.
General Wholesale Company
Atlanta, GA

Advisory Trustees

Elizabeth W. Camp
DF Management, Inc.
Atlanta, GA
John R. Parker Jr.
Retired, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.
Athens, GA

Ex-Officio, Voting Trustees

Ruth Bartlett
President, UGA Alumni Association
Hilton Head, SC
Janet Frick
Chair of the Executive Committee, University Council, University of Georgia
Athens, GA
Kelly Kerner
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, University of Georgia
Athens, GA
Jere W. Morehead
President, University of Georgia
Athens, GA

Ex-Officio, Non-voting Trustees

Houston A. Gaines
President, UGA Student Government Association
Athens, GA
John Michael Lewis
President, UGA Staff Council
Athens, GA
Ryan A. Nesbit
Vice President for Finance and Administration, University of Georgia
Athens, GA
Pamela S. Whitten
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Georgia
Athens, GA
William W. “Bill” Douglas III
William W. “Bill” Douglas III became Chairman of the Board of Trustees effective July 1, 2017.

Strategic Plan

The Foundation board is dedicated to the ongoing pursuit of excellence, and a newly developed strategic plan will guide its work over the next five years. The plan, developed by a strategic planning committee over the course of a year, includes four goals that will advance the mission of the Foundation and the University of Georgia into the future:

  1. Enhancing the culture of philanthropy;
  2. Utilizing the full talent of each trustee;
  3. Developing an optimal committee structure; and
  4. Evaluating endowment management models to ensure excellent management of the investment portfolio.

Leading by Example

The Foundation matched donations to the Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program to help donors create 115 new need-based scholarships. Leading by example, more than 30 percent of trustees established a Georgia Commitment Scholarship in FY17.