Title:Recent gifts fuel university priorities, new endeavors

An investment in sustainable business

The extended family of Henry J. Blommer—a 1926 graduate of Georgetown College, former member of the Board of Directors, recipient of both a John Carroll Award and the John Carroll Medal of Merit, and pioneering volunteer leader in the University’s first fundraising efforts—is honoring his memory with a $3 million gift to establish the Henry J. Blommer Family Endowed Chair in Sustainable Business at the McDonough School of Business.

“Our family sees Georgetown becoming a thought leader in [sustainable business] and want to be a part of that,” share his grandsons Peter (C’85) and Steve (C’89) Blommer, as they reflect on the environmental and social work prioritized at Blommer Chocolate, which Henry and his brothers founded in 1939. “It’s important that sustainability be baked into business strategy, not an afterthought. We see Georgetown as training tomorrow’s leaders in this critical field.”

Georgetown McDonough leadership shares the Blommer family’s excitement about the new chair, which has been awarded to Vishal Agrawal, Provost’s Distinguished Lapeyere Family Associate Professor and director of the new Business of Sustainability Initiative.

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Two leadership gifts for Georgetown Law

In 2021, the Georgetown University Law Center received transformational gifts from two of its most generous and dedicated alumni.

One, totaling nearly $24 million from the estate of Agnes N. Williams (L’54), will endow a new set of faculty professorships. The other, a $10 million gift from Timothy O’Neill (L’77) and Linda O’Neill (NHS’77), will establish the Center for Transformational Health Law at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.

“Agnes Williams and Tim and Linda O’Neill exemplify the best of the Georgetown Law community, with their dedication to giving back and to investing in our future,” said Georgetown Law Dean William M. Treanor. “Agnes cared so deeply about our faculty and their scholarship, and her bequest will help us attract and retain world-class teaching talent for years to come. And as the COVID-19 pandemic has made all too clear, public health law and policy must be a priority for the entire world at this time. Tim and Linda’s gift ensures that Georgetown Law will continue to lead the way on this topic.”

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Ensuring world-class facilities at the new Pavilion

In March 2021, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital announced a $10 million gift from Shelley and Allan Holt to support the construction of the new Medical/Surgical Pavilion, one of the largest health care projects in the region. The leadership gift—the largest ever received by MedStar Georgetown and the largest gift to the pavilion campaign to date—will provide revolutionary technology to assist surgeons with planning and performing complex procedures, improve the quality of care for patients, and create unparalleled training opportunities for tomorrow’s surgical leaders.

Specifically, the Holts’ gift will advance the hospital’s world-class care with one of the first intraoperative MRI (iMRI) surgical suites in the region. The iMRI suite will be housed in the new Medical/Surgical Pavilion currently under construction at MedStar Georgetown. The pavilion is scheduled for completion in 2023.

“Their gift has already catalyzed our philanthropic efforts and motivated other philanthropists to join this endeavor,” said Kenneth A. Samet, president and CEO of MedStar Health. “This is truly an investment in the future of medicine, one that will benefit patients across the Washington, D.C. region and beyond.”

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Supporting ESG in the commercial real estate sector

The Steers Center for Global Real Estate at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business recently announced the launch of the Steers ESG Solutions Group established through a $3.2 million gift from Robert (B’75) and Lauren Steers (Parents’06,’08,’10).

“[Environmental, social, and governance] issues are vitally important today and will only gain strength over time across the business landscape,” said Steers. “We believe that the ESG Solutions Group will bring an unbiased, research-first approach to developing knowledge for the commercial real estate industry.”

The name of the Steers ESG Solutions Group was intentionally selected to suggest a private sector mindset that translates knowledge into practical solutions for the global commercial real estate industry. The group will be led by Steers Center faculty and staff with support from Steers Advisory Services (SAS), a highly successful program that involves undergraduate and MBA real estate students in real-time real estate projects and research.

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