Gift Planning Advancement Committee
The Notre Dame Gift Planning Advancement Committee is a group of approximately 32 Notre Dame volunteer leaders consisting of alumni, parents, and friends. The members are from various areas of the country and have diverse backgrounds both professionally and personally, but they have common characteristics-they love Notre Dame, they are committed to advancing our mission, and they are exceptional leaders.
Mission Statement
The Notre Dame Gift Planning Advancement Committee seeks to shine light on the critical importance of planned gifts to the success of Notre Dame's mission. Notre Dame depends today more than ever on planned gifts to secure a long-term, sustained cash flow to pursue with confidence the dreams, challenges and opportunities that lie ahead through the thoughtful creation of well-structured planned gifts.
GPAC Members
Listed below is the current membership of our GPAC.
John and Jill Coyle, GPAC co-chairs - John ('88) earned his bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame, and his Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia Business School. He serves as Partner, Head of North America, for Permira Advisers and is a member of the firm's Executive Committee. John's Permira board roles include BFY Brands, Cielo and DiversiTech. John is currently a member of the Campaign Cabinet and the Wall Street Leadership Committee at the University of Notre Dame. Jill ('89) earned her bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Notre Dame. She is a member of both the Undergraduate Experience Advisory Council and the Women's Initiative Steering Committee at the University of Notre Dame. Jill also serves on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross Greater New York Region. John and Jill have three children, two of whom are currently undergraduate students at Notre Dame and one of whom graduated from Notre Dame in 2019. John and Jill reside in Greenwich, Connecticut.
John and Beth Veihmeyer, GPAC co-chairs - John ('77) earned his bachelor's degree in business from the University of Notre Dame. He is the retired Chairman of KPMG International. John spent 40 years with KPMG, holding numerous leadership roles, including US Chairman and CEO, US Deputy Chairman, and managing partner of the Washington, DC office. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of Notre Dame, and the Board of the Ford Motor Company. Beth earned her bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, where she is a member of the Board of Trustees. Beth also previously served as the board chair of the Providence Hospital Foundation. Beth co-founded KPMG's Family for Literacy, which has distributed over 4 million new books to children as part of it's mission to eradicate childhood illiteracy by providing books to children in need and developing the next generation of young leaders through reading. John and Beth have three children, one of whom graduated from Notre Dame in 2005, one from Xavier University and one from Saint Mary's College. John and Beth reside in Potomac, Maryland.
Salem and Ruth Ann Abraham - Salem ('88) received his bachelor's degree in business from the University of Notre Dame. He is the president and founder of Abraham Trading Company, a futures investment firm based in Canadian, Texas. In 2008, Salem and Ruth Ann, along with oil and natural gas businessman, T. Boone Pickens, established the Pickens-Abraham Foundation, an independent foundation that assists local high school graduates with college education expenses and provides financial support to local schools and charitable organizations. Salem is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and is a member of the National Futures Association. He is also a past member of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Ruth Ann graduated from West Texas A&M with a degree in teaching. Salem and Ruth have eight children, one of whom graduated from Notre Dame in 2015. The Abraham family resides in Canadian, Texas.
Brian and Deidre Clingen - Brian ('81) earned his Bachelor degree in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and his Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. Deidre ('84) earned her Bachelor degree Saint Mary's University of Winona, Minnesota. Brian is the founder and Managing Partner of BP Capital Management, a private equity firm formed in 1998. The firm manages equity and debt investments primarily in the service and finance sectors. Earlier in his career he served as CFO at Universal Outdoor, Inc. from 1988 until its sale in 1998. Brian and Deidre's three daughters graduated from the University of Notre Dame; (Brittany '09, Amanda '12 and Shelby '16). Brian and Deidre reside in Boca Grande, Florida.
Fred Giuffrida and Pamela Joyner - Fred ('73) earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard University. Fred joined Horsley Bridge Partners, a firm which manages venture capital and private equity funds, as a Managing Director in 1995 after serving as its general counsel for 12 years. He started his career at the law firm of Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle, a predecessor of Nixon Peabody LLP, and served as its Managing Director for five years. In between roles at Nixon Hargrave, he was an executive officer of a venture-funded startup, Empire Airlines, which became a public company. Fred currently serves on a number of advisory committees for venture capital funds and as a trustee of the Nevada Museum of Art and a director of Friends of New Curators. Pamela earned her bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. She is the Founder of Avid Partners, LLC where her expertise has been in the alternative investment arena, an area in which she has nearly 30 years of experience. Pamela is a Trustee of The Art Institute of Chicago, the J. Paul Getty Trust, SF MoMA and the Museum of Modern Art, and she also serves on the board of the Art & Practice Foundation. Her previous philanthropic involvements have included serving as: a member of President Obama's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, a Trustee of Dartmouth College, a Trustee of the New York City Ballet, a Trustee and Co-Chair of the San Francisco Ballet Association as well as other arts and educational organizations. Fred and Pamela reside in Reno, Nevada.
Richard and Lois Folger - Richard (MSF '17) earned his Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering and Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and petroleum land management from The University of Texas at Austin, and his Master of Science in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. He is also a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate school of Banking at Southern Methodist University. Richard is Managing General Partner of Colbridge Partners, Ltd and the retired CEO and President of Warren Equipment. At The University of Texas, he was recognized with the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award and was inducted into the Business Hall of Fame. Currently, he serves as Vice Chair and Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas El Paso Branch and on the Board of Governors of Midland Memorial Hospital. He is past chairman of The University of Texas Business Advisory Board, a member of the Engineering Advisory Board, and a member of the UT System Chancellor's Council Executive Committee. Lois (MSF '17) earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas Permian Basin, and a Master of Science in Finance from the University of Notre Dame. She began her engineering career at Texaco and later participated in the start-up Concho Resources. After the company sale, she founded Folger Energy LLC where she currently serves as President. Lois received The University of Texas Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award. Previously she served on the Board of Directors for the University of St. Thomas. She is President and Trustee of the Catholic Charitable Foundation and serves on The University of Texas Development Board and Engineering Advisory Board. Richard and Lois have two daughters, one of whom graduated from Notre Dame in 2012. The Folgers reside in Midland, Texas.
Matt and Lindsay Moroun - Matt earned his bachelor's degree from Dickinson College and serves as Vice Chairman of Central Transport International, Inc., a leading LTL trucking carrier. Lindsay earned her bachelor's degree from Oakland University. Both Matt and Lindsay are members of the ICL-CSC Advisory Council at the University of Notre Dame. Matthew and Lindsay have three children, two of whom are current undergraduate students at Notre Dame. The Morouns reside in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.
Kenn and Pamela Ricci - Kenn ('78) earned his bachelor of business administration degree in accountancy from the University of Notre Dame and his juris doctor of law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. Kenn is a 38-year aviation industry veteran beginning in 1980 with Corporate Wings. Today, he is the principal of Directional Aviation Capital which owns several aviation enterprises including Flexjet, Sentient Jet, Sky Jet, Nextant Aerospace, Stonebriar Commercial Finance, Simcom and Constant Aviation. Kenn was honored as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and received the Harvard Business School's Dively Entrepreneurship Award. He was the youngest recipient of the prestigious William Ong Award for extraordinary achievement in the general aviation industry and was recently honored as a "Living Legend of Aviation". The "Living Legends of Aviation" are admirable people of remarkable accomplishment in aviation including: Entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, record breakers, astronauts and pilots. He serves on the Notre Dame Board of Trustees and Campaign Cabinet at Notre Dame, and is a former member of the Undergraduate Experience and Mendoza College of Business Advisory Councils. Kenn and his wife Pamela announced the first ever $100 million gift to the University. His management strategies have been featured in the Wall Street Journal and he is the author of Management by Trust, a book featuring practical management techniques for building employee trust and success. Kenn and Pamela have three children, one of whom graduated from Notre Dame in 2017. The Ricci family resides in Willoughby, Ohio.
Todd and Stephanie Schurz - Todd earned his bachelor's degree from Brown University and his Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is President and CEO of Schurz Communications Inc. Prior to joining Schurz Communications, Inc., he served as the President, Editor, and Publisher of the South Bend Tribune and President and General Manager of WSBT Television. Todd is a member of the Arts and Letters Advisory Council at the University of Notre Dame. Stephanie earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is pursuing her Masters of Theology degree at the University of Notre Dame (Class of 2020). She currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Stanley Clark School. Todd and Stephanie have two children, one of whom graduated from Notre Dame in 2014. Todd and Stephanie reside in South Bend, Indiana.
Al and Maribeth Smith - Al ('62) earned his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame and his Masters of Business Administration from New York University. Al is Chairman of Indiana for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and has held various leadership roles in the banking industry for more than four decades. Al serves as a member of the Hesburgh Libraries Advisory Council, is Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Simon Property Group, and is a Director of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Maribeth earned a bachelor's of science degree from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. She is the founder, Chairman, and CEO of Maribeth Smith & Associates, Inc., an event consulting and project management firm. Maribeth previously served as Special Events Coordinator for the City of Indianapolis and has served as executive director of three local Final Four efforts. Al and Maribeth have three children, two of whom graduated from Notre Dame ('87 and '94). The Smiths reside in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Cindy and Paul Stark - Cindy ('81) earned her bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Notre Dame and her Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She is Partner and Life and Business Coach with CP Alliance, and both she and Paul owned and managed Oak Brook Racquet and Fitness Club for more than 15 years. Cindy is a member of the Business Advisory Council at the University of Notre Dame. Paul ('80) earned his bachelor's degree in accountancy from the University of Notre Dame and his Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He is Partner at Williamsburg Partners, LLC. Cindy and Paul are members of the National Foster Parent Association, and have fostered more than 40 children over the past 20+ years. Cindy and Paul have four children, three of whom graduated from Notre Dame ('09, '14, '16). The Starks reside in Westmont, Illinois.
Bill and Linda Stavropoulos - William (Bill) earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University and his Doctorate in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Washington. Bill, former CEO and chairman, is chairman emeritus of the Board of Directors of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Midland, Michigan. His career with Dow spanned 39 years, serving in a variety of positions in Research, Marketing, and general management. He served as president and chief operating officer from 1993-1995; president and CEO from 1995-2000; chairman and CEO from 2002-2004; and chairman from 2000-2006. Bill was a member of the Board of Directors of Dow from July 1990 to March 2006. He is a member of the Science Advisory Board of the University of Notre Dame, as well as the Board of Trustees of Fordham University. In addition, Bill is on the board of directors of Univar Inc., as well as the Teradata Corporation, Kissner Holdings, Artis-Naples, and the Forum Club of Southwest Florida. He is on the advisory board for Metalmark Capital LLC and is a former adviser partner to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC. He is a trustee of the board of Fidelity Equity and High Income Funds. Bill and Linda have two children, both of whom graduated from Notre Dame ('90, '94), and have six grandchildren. Bill and Linda reside in Naples, Florida.
Art and Emily Monaghan - Art ('93) earned his bachelor of business administration degree in accountancy from the University of Notre Dame, where he was the head football manager under Lou Holtz during the 1992 football season. He is a co-founder, former partner and senior advisor of Granite Partners, a private investment and holding company. Earlier in his career, Art was a Principal at Norwest Equity Partners, founder and President of Computer Guidance Group, and he worked for Arthur Andersen in their professional sports practice. Art serves on the board of the American Center for Philanthropy. Emily ('95) earned bachelor's degrees in international studies and political science from Miami University of Ohio. She is the founding board member of the Northfield YMCA and dedicates her time to fundraising and development efforts in the nonprofit sector. Art and Emily are Advisory Council members of the Keough School of Global Affairs, Advisory Committee members of Notre Dame Family Wines, benefactors to Notre Dame Athletics Advancement and members of the Monogram Club. The Monaghans own Tres Très Bien Vineyards based in Mendoza, Argentina, where they are assisting the establishment of The Vines Foundation. Art and Emily have three teenage boys and their family resides in Northfield, MN.
Melanie Sanchez-Jones and Stephen Jones - Melanie ('89) earned her bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Notre Dame and her MBA from Lehigh University. After a 20+ career at Air Products, she held a variety of jobs from high-performing team consultant to a job coach and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) manager. She is now retired and works to use her privilege to support voices of those with less privilege. In addition to her volunteer work, she serves on the Engineering Advisory Council and the women's engineering council at Notre Dame. She also serves on the board of directors of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, steering committee of the Lehigh Valley Girls on the Run, her parish's finance council, and Synod Ambassador. Steve earned his bachelor's degree in Economics at Bloomsburg University, his MBA at Temple University, and his JD at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the retired President and CEO of Covanta Holdings Corporation and spent 20+ years working in various leadership roles at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. He currently serves on the Boards at Tronox Holdings plc. and Badger Infrastructure Solutions Ltd. and is special advisor to the Supervisory Board for Hitachi Zosen Inova AG. Melanie and Steve have two children in college and reside in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.