Jill Weiss C’89 WG ‘93, has been giving back to Penn since she graduated. “Penn opened up so many doors for me both professionally and personally,” Jill explains. After graduation, she started to get involved in institutional advancement as a way to express her gratitude for the school that “opened up [her] eyes to the world.” There has been no stopping her since then.
Now a Penn University Trustee, Jill has worn a number of hats for Penn since her days as an undergraduate student. Jill has served as co-chair of The Penn Fund and the Benjamin Franklin Society. She remains active in the Trustees Council of Penn Women, for which she had served as co-chair of both the fundraising and membership committees, and is an overseer for the Penn Museum, a Penn treasure she so enjoyed exploring as a student.
Jill is passionate about helping increase access to education. “I truly believe that education is the key to everything,” she explains. “My husband and I choose to give to The Penn Fund because a large portion of its funds goes to supporting financial aid.” She also works closely with classmates to increase participation.
“The key is getting people to give, year after year.”
To this point, Jill gives much credit to fellow classmates such as Lolita Jackson E’89, who continues to galvanize her Penn classmates through online engagement and special events, such as their class’s wildly successful 25th reunion. “I absolutely credit Lolita for a lot of what we as a class have been able to do,” Jill explains. “She’s always out there, and always engaging people.”
Luckily for Penn, neither Jill nor her classmates such as Lolita Jackson show signs of slowing down any time soon. Jill and her husband also plan to keep giving to The Penn Fund and encourage their children to give what they can to their own alma maters. “I always believe in unrestricted giving,” Jill says. “The University has a better understanding of what’s needed, and I’ll remain committed to The Penn Fund.”
Favorite Penn Tradition
