University of La Verne Endowment

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.