UW Foundation board of directors elects chair

The University of Wisconsin Foundation board of directors elected Frances S. “Fran” Taylor of Madison to a two-year term as chair during its annual meeting on June 25 at UW–Madison’s Memorial Union.

The board also elected Richard L. Antoine (’69 BS ENG), president of the National Academy of Human Resources, as vice chair. Antoine lives in Cincinnati, where he is the retired global human resources officer for Procter & Gamble.

Taylor (’68 BSE EDU) is a retired executive vice president of Bank of America. Her background includes international banking and investment banking, and she currently serves on the boards of TomoTherapy Inc., Oak Bank and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.

At the university, Taylor has served on the boards of the Wisconsin Alumni Association, the School of Education board of visitors — which she helped create and has chaired — and the International Studies Advisory Board, which she also has chaired.

Taylor and her husband, Brad, have supported a broad range of activities across campus, including men’s rowing, education, the Wisconsin School of Business, lifelong learning programs and international studies. She has funded scholarships for undergraduates interested in education careers, as well as scholarships for graduate students to conduct research abroad. Recent gifts from the couple have been directed toward the Wisconsin Rural Scholarship Fund, and they also established the Fran and Brad Taylor Great People Scholarship.

UW Foundation president Andrew A. “Sandy” Wilcox praised Taylor’s selection. “We have experienced a tradition of fine board chairs, each of whom has had an unyielding commitment to the welfare of this university, combined with leadership in business and the greater community,” he says. “Fran personifies these qualities, combined with a wonderful way with people.”

Taylor says she appreciates what the foundation means to the university.

“The foundation’s role is to provide donors with the opportunity to make a difference at the university in ways that matter to them and advance the university’s mission — and to steward those gifts with the highest degree of integrity,” she says. “The foundation and its staff look to the chancellor and the deans for essential direction on crucial opportunities and priorities, and they collaborate with other constituencies with similar charges and aligned interests, such as the Wisconsin Alumni Association and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. These organizations and others seek to engage alumni and friends in meaningful ways and enhance their connection with their university.”

One of the board’s main concerns is the ongoing, nationwide search for a successor to Wilcox, who is retiring at the end of 2010.

“I think the foundation is blessed to have a board that is so conscientious,” she says. “We are mindful of the extraordinary base that Sandy has built in his many years leading the foundation. We are engaged in a process that will celebrate and highlight Sandy’s remarkable tenure and accomplishments while, with Sandy’s assistance, pave the way for his successor.”