Deborah van Eersel has been tapped to become the next CEO of the University of Virginia Foundation, the nonprofit group that oversees the school’s extensive real estate investments.
A part of the foundation since 2001, van Eersel has served as chief administrative officer for the past 12 years helping to manage the expansion of UVa’s research parks, including adding 1.75 million square feet of office and laboratory space since 2010.
That expansion included the creation of the Commonwealth BioAccelerator, a first-of-its-kind laboratory accelerator based in the North Fork Discovery Park in Albemarle County north of Charlottesville. The 500-plus-acre research park houses offices for a number of medical, engineering, defense and technology firms, including Booz Allen Hamilton, the Mitre Corporation, Custom Ink and Leidos.
“I am honored to lead this extraordinary organization and build upon its strong foundation,” van Eersel said in a statement announcing her promotion Thursday. “My focus will be on maintaining our people-first culture while advancing UVA’s mission through strategic real estate initiatives. We have a unique opportunity to contribute to both the University’s mission and our region’s economic vitality.”
Former foundation CEO Tim Rose announced his retirement in early February after leading the organization for 38 years. He will officially step down on June 30, with van Eersel taking to the helm the next day.
“Deborah’s dedication to excellence and her ability to tackle any challenge have been remarkable to witness,” Rose said in a statement. "She is a fierce advocate for people, and her work ethic and enthusiasm for economic development have been driving forces behind North Fork’s success over the years.”
Today, UVa owns 1,708 acres, making it the largest landlord in Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County. The UVa Foundation owns another 5,000 acres, managing a portfolio of more than $1 billion in assets with annual revenues topping $100 million.
The university and the foundation own land independent of one another. The foundation acquires land that it determines could be of use to the university; some of that land is transferred to UVa and some of it remains under the UVa Foundation’s ownership. Land that is owned by UVa outright is taken off the tax rolls, as the university is exempt from paying real estate taxes as a public institute of higher education. Land that is owned by the UVa Foundation is taxed; the foundation pays just shy of $355,000 to the city of Charlottesville on an annual basis.
Some of the foundation’s more notable assets include: the 600-acre, 168-key Boar’s Head Resort just west of Charlottesville, which it acquired in 1989 and where it’s headquarters reside; the adjacent 500-acre Birdwood estate, which it acquired in 1967 and is today the home to UVa’s golf teams; the historic Blue Ridge Sanatorium south of the city; as well as Morven, a 2,913-acre estate in southeastern Albemarle County that was part of a gift from television mogul John Kluge in 2001.
Van Eersel has been involved in multiple community organizations outside the UVa Foundation, including sitting on the boards of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Greater Charlottesville and the Albemarle Housing Improvement Program.
This won’t be her first time leading an organization. She served as CEO of the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors for a decade between 1988 and 1998. During her tenure there she co-founded the Charlottesville Albemarle Legislative Action Coalition, a local public policy nonprofit group now known as the Free Enterprise Forum.
Van Eersel hails from the Midwest and received a bachelor’s degree in international business and French from the University of Nebraska Omaha. She spent a year studying French at the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris.
But Virginia is home to her and her family today, after living four decades in the Charlottesville area.
While she isn’t a Wahoo herself, her family has several ties to the university as her husband, Michael, serves as the clerkship coordinator for the UVa School of Law and their daughter is a 2016 UVa alumna.
“Deborah’s appointment as CEO reflects the confidence of the board and staff in her exceptional leadership abilities and deep understanding of the Foundation’s mission,” Chair of the UVA Foundation Board Daniel Abramson said in a statement. “Her track record of innovation and strategic growth, combined with her commitment to our community, makes her the ideal leader to build upon Tim Rose’s remarkable legacy.”
Source: www.dailyprogress.com