David Eckhardt Discusses His Endowment Gift Supporting Northeast Region
David Eckhardt, a former director of AIChE, recently capped off 30-plus years of personal investment in the Institute with a gift to endow the annual Northeast Regional Student Conference. Recently, during a vist to AIChE's global headquarters, Eckhardt sat down with senior communications specialist Gordon Ellis to discuss his generous gift.
David has been a dedicated volunteer and supporter of student regionals for more than 20 years — first in Mid-America, and then, after relocating to Massachusetts, in the Northeast region.
Endowment gifts are an example of what AIChE members and the Foundation, working together, can accomplish.
- David
“Many of us feel that the student program is key to AIChE’s global reach and growth,” Eckhardt notes. In 2014, Eckhardt and his wife Karen realized that an endowment gift to support the Northeast Regional Student Conference was doable and would solve a long-standing problem. “Fundraising for the regional conference is always difficult for the students,” says Eckhardt, who arranged a $100K donation using a match from the Pfizer Foundation.
“It is gratifying that we can provide underwriting for the Northeast Regional Conference for the foreseeable future.” He adds, “Endowment gifts are an example of what AIChE members and the Foundation, working together, can accomplish.”
The AIChE Foundation will announce the official renaming of the conference — now to be known as the Eckhardt Northeast Student Regional Conference at the 2016 Annual Meeting.
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