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University of La Verne Endowment
The University of La Verne, chartered in 1891, operates its endowment from La Verne, California, where President Pardis Mahdavi leads an institution designated...
University of La Verne Endowment
The University of La Verne, chartered in 1891, operates its endowment from La Verne, California, where President Pardis Mahdavi leads an institution designated as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and a member of the Council of Independent Colleges. The endowment exists to fund academic programs, community initiatives, and a real estate footprint that includes the Main Campus at 1950 Third Street and the College of Law and Public Service in Ontario. Its board links the pool to regional business leadership through trustees such as Chairman Anthony Revier of Uyemura USA and Vice Chair Valerie C. Romero of Oremor Management and Investment. The endowment portfolio is structured across three visible asset silos: a real estate investment portfolio encompassing campus facilities and mixed-use holdings in La Verne, a hedge fund-of-funds allocation, and a book of contributed life insurance. Campus-side development leans heavily toward healthcare education, supported by AltaMed Health Services Corporation's $15 million pledge for the College of Health and Community Well-Being and grants from the Gilead Foundation directed to student basic-needs programs like the Leo Food Pantry. The Ahmanson Foundation and Lilly Endowment figure prominently among recurring philanthropic partners. Team size is not publicly enumerated, but governance flows through a board of trustees that includes Kenneth D. Little, a Partner at Brandes Investment Partners, and David Lizarraga, Founder and Chairman of the TELACU Education Foundation. May 2024: The endowment's parent institution reported participation in the NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments for the 2024 fiscal year, consistent with its ongoing membership in NACUBO, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the American Council on Education. The endowment's structural signature is a governance framework where trustees double as deal-sourcing nodes within Southern California's business and philanthropic ecosystem. Unlike university endowments that operate through a dedicated investment office, La Verne's model disperses capital oversight across a board whose members carry active operating roles in private companies, creating a channel for mission-aligned regional investments that blends fiduciary duty with direct community reinvestment.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1891
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
La Verne
Corporate office
La Verne, California, United States
Additional offices
Ontario, California
Principals
Pardis Mahdavi
President
Anthony Revier
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Valerie C. Romero
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
Kenneth D. Little
Trustee
David Lizarraga
Trustee
Randall Lewis
Trustee
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the University of La Verne Endowment?
Investment governance sits with the Board of Trustees, chaired by Anthony Revier, President and CEO of Uyemura USA. Trustee Kenneth D. Little, a Partner at Brandes Investment Partners, brings institutional portfolio-management expertise. The board has not disclosed a standalone internal investment office or a dedicated CIO.
Is the University of La Verne Endowment structured as a single-family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
Neither. The endowment is a traditional institutional asset owner operating for the benefit of the University of La Verne. It pools donations, campus real estate, and commingled fund investments under fiduciary governance, with no direct-investing staff structure comparable to a family office or venture firm.
Does the University of La Verne Endowment participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The endowment uses both channels. Its documented asset base includes a hedge fund-of-funds allocation — meaning it participates in fund commitments through intermediary vehicles — alongside a direct real estate portfolio that holds campus properties and mixed-use assets in La Verne and Ontario, California.
Which sectors does the University of La Verne Endowment explicitly avoid?
No publicly available investment policy statement or exclusion list has been published. However, the endowment's philanthropy pipeline, notably the Gilead Foundation grants for student food security, suggests a posture that favors mission-adjacent healthcare and education allocations over sectors disconnected from the university's core community mission.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The endowment aggregates charitable donations, foundation grants, and committed capital from regional benefactors such as the Ahmanson Foundation, Lilly Endowment, AltaMed Health Services, and the Gilead Foundation. There is no single originating fortune.
Does the University of La Verne Endowment maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
Yes. The endowment serves as the funding vehicle for university operations and scholarships, but multiple named foundations operate alongside it — including the Fleischer Scholars Foundation and a dedicated Scholarship Fund. The Board of Trustees controls the endowment; philanthropic gifts are distinct restricted and unrestricted contributions flowing into these entities.
How is the University of La Verne Endowment related to the Lewis Group of Companies?
Trustee Randall Lewis, an executive at the Lewis Group of Companies, is a major donor who has funded the Randall Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Social Impact on campus. This relationship connects the endowment's governance to a substantial Southern California real-estate developer, though no direct co-investment between the endowment and the Lewis Group of Companies has been disclosed.
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