Why UVA alumni and friends decide to become Trustees?

Alex Arriaga (left) and Jon Clark (right)

There are not many forms of philanthropy where the donor gives money to an organization, then the organization turns around and puts the donor to work—but that’s exactly what the Jefferson Trust does.  Beyond the initial gifts that support the work of the Trust, the Jefferson Trust is donor-driven –  where the donors-turned-trustees play an active role in managing the organization and charting its future.

This work is carried out primarily through five committees: grants, oversight, communications, development, and finance.

Below is a snapshot of why our committee chairs are committed to the Trust’s work, and why their perspectives are so valuable.

For Alex Arriaga, (Col ’87) a two-term trustee and chair of the Communications Committee, being a trustee is about “using our strengths to support ideas and innovations at UVA.”  In Alex’s case, those strengths include the phenomenal management skills she honed as special assistant to the President and Chief of Staff in the White House, managing director of Amnesty International, and through her current role as founder and managing director of Strategy for Humanity.

Jonathan Clark (Col ’81) is the former CFO of Sallie Mae, and current CFO of Encore Capital Group, an 8,000 employee-strong firm dedicated to helping people get out of debt.  Jon and his wife, Terri, joined the board last year, and Jon began his first term as Finance Committee chair this year. In the Trust, Jon is inspired by the “constructive diversity of opinion [from] wonderful people who work hard and care about what they do.”

“My inspiration for joining the Jefferson Trust really comes from that fact that in a world of increasingly complexity and political challenges it is incredibly important to provide access to those truly creative individuals who have really unique ideas,” says Hanson Slaughter (Com ’94), trustee and chair of the Development Committee.  Hanson brings decades of financial management, non-profit management, and philanthropic development experience to the Trust.