Katz family gift to support new program on women, ethics, and leadership

A new program of the Kenan Institute for Ethics (KIE) aims to combat stereotypes of what strong, ethical leadership looks like, thanks to a generous gift from Danny and Nancy Katz. The Katz Family Women, Ethics and Leadership Fund will allow the Institute, in partnership with the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE), distinctive opportunities for students to engage and learn from visiting leaders whose insights can help them navigate their way in the world, drive understanding, and inspire greater self-awareness around issues of image, communication, values, and overall confidence.

Danny, T’80 is a member of the KIE Advisory Board and helped start Apex Capital in Orinda, California. Nancy is a coach with the Life Mastery Institute. They live in the San Francisco Bay area and have two children, Justin and Liza, T’15. They shared the following thoughts on what led them to initiate this program:

We are thrilled to be able to help the Kenan Institute be able to fill in an aspect of a Duke education we feel is not currently readily available to undergraduates. By joining with the already established COLE program, we can ensure that undergraduates and graduates have equal access and deep engagement with established leaders in various fields of endeavor, particularly successful women. The goal of this program is to enable Duke students to gain further awareness and understanding of what is required to rise above traditional stereotypes while still maintaining their confidence as they venture into the world beyond Duke.

We have supported Duke for over 25 years because it is a place focused on excellence in so many ways. Kenan has more recently attracted our attention and enthusiasm because it is integrally involved with topics that are not covered in typical coursework. The result of this moral emphasis allows students to be more compassionate and understanding, which in our opinion is a very worthy cause.