The UC Irvine Foundation, a volunteer organization comprised of community and business leaders who secure and manage private support for UCI's priorities, has elected Douglas K. Freeman, an Orange County business and community leader, as its chair for a three-year term.
"UCI will greatly benefit from Doug Freeman's entrepreneurial spirit and his philanthropic expertise," Chancellor Ralph Cicerone said. "In just 40 years, UCI has become internationally recognized as a leading public research university, and Doug's creative energy and leadership have greatly contributed to our growth and success. Under his guidance, the foundation will continue its phenomenal trend of increasing community support for UCI's talented students and faculty."
Freeman, who lives in Corona del Mar, has served as a member of the foundation since 1998 and as a trustee since 1999. He also is a member of the foundation executive committee, vice chair of the foundation's major gifts committee and a past member of the Chief Executive Roundtable and the UCI Medal Committee.
Freeman is chairman and national managing partner of Irvine-based IFF Advisors, LLC, which provides strategic planning and consultation for private and independent foundations, high net worth families and individuals and non-profit institutions. Additionally, he is a founding partner of Freeman, Freeman & Smiley, a 50-attorney firm with locations in Los Angeles and Irvine. A widely recognized attorney and consultant in philanthropy, he has counseled nearly 200 family foundations, support organizations and public charities throughout the United States. He is also the founder of National Philanthropy Day, which is celebrated in all 50 states during the month of November.
"UCI is on the cusp of major growth and change, with a new chancellor coming on board and plans to greatly expand the university through the next decade," Freeman said. "I am delighted to accept the opportunity to be a part of this excitement as chair of The UCI Foundation. UCI has a great future and it will continue to have a major impact on Orange County, the state, the region and beyond."
Freeman succeeds Ted Smith, founder and retired chairman of FileNet Corp., who served as chair since 2001. During Smith's tenure, the university received several transformational gifts, including a $30 million gift to name The Paul Merage School of Business, a $20 million gift to name the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, and a $5 million gift to name the Jack Langson Library. Additionally, the university is set to meet its $70 million fund-raising goal for 2004-05, representing a 100 percent increase in annual private support to UCI during the last three years. Smith will continue to advise the foundation as its immediate past chair.
In addition to their contributions to UCI, Doug and Lynn Freeman have actively supported the Orange County Performing Arts Center and Orange County's Pacific Symphony, of which Doug Freeman is a past board of directors chair. Freeman is the founder of the American Institute for Philanthropic Studies and the Vision in Philanthropy Awards, and is a co-founder of the National Committee on Planned Giving.
About the University of California, Irvine: Celebrating 40 years of innovation, the University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked public university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.
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Contact for UC Irvine:
Tom Mitchell
(949) 824-7915
tjm@uci.edu
Contact for Doug Freeman:
Mary C. McGeachy
(917) 334-6813
mary@rodheim-marketing.com