The Robert S. Sullivan Endowment and Restricted Funds
The Robert S. Sullivan Endowment and Restricted Funds is an illiquid stock donation program named in honor of the Rady School of Management’s founding dean. The fund is managed by the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego (JCF), which will use the proceeds from stock liquidations (exits) to build an endowment to benefit the Rady School in perpetuity. The fund was established by Rady School alum Sergey Sikora (MBA ’06), President and CEO of CardioCell. Sikora recognized that because many Rady School alumni are startup founders or work in startup companies, a different type of investment was needed. Instead of donating cash, the donation of illiquid, private company stock, empowers alumni who have startup ventures or invest in startups to give back.
About Dean Sullivan
The Robert S. Sullivan Endowment and Restricted Funds were named for the Rady School of Management’s founding dean who lead the school for its first 16 years. As founding dean, Sullivan influenced every aspect of the school as it grew from fledgling startup to the innovation powerhouse that it has become. He led the recruitment of world-class faculty who are consistently recognized for being among the best in the world as scholars and as educators. Upon arrival to UC San Diego, he quickly launched innovation-centric MBA programs for full-time students, as well as for working professionals. Following the success of the MBA programs, he lead the school as it launched one-year specialized masters programs.
Sullivan’s influence at the school has been immense and is evident in the impact made by Rady School students and alumni. Since the school’s first class graduated in 2006, Rady School students and alumni have raised over $2 billion in capital and started 186 operational companies, including six companies which have completed initial public offerings (IPOs). This is among the highest rate of economic impact in the country.