Volunteering at the GSB is a Family Tradition

Ask Stanford GSB alumni about the school’s strengths, and one of the first things you’ll hear is how its small class size allowed them to bond with their classmates. Those ties that bind run deep, underscoring connections across backgrounds, academic areas of interest, and even generations—which is the case with Noel Fenton, MBA ’63, and his daughter, Wendy McAdam, MBA ’97, who both volunteer their time on the Business School Fund Council.

Image

Noel Fenton, MBA ’63, and his daughter, Wendy McAdam, MBA ‘97, at a recent Business School Fund Council meeting.

The council serves an important role at Stanford GSB, advising the Business School Fund staff on strategies to achieve overall annual giving goals. The council meets twice a year to review results, discuss ideas and options on specific programs, and offer feedback from their unique perspectives as alumni.

Fenton and McAdam have long histories of supporting the school with both their time and money. Fenton has been chairman of his class reunion fundraising over the years and served on the Stanford GSB Alumni Association board in the 1970s. He received the John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award in 2002, an honor given to alumni who have demonstrated a history of strong volunteer commitment in many different areas within the school.

“Stanford GSB made a meaningful difference in my life, and helped me enormously in my career,” says Fenton, the managing general partner at Trinity Ventures Corp. “My education was funded in part by the generosity of prior generations, and I believe we have a moral obligation to do the same for current students.”

McAdam, too, has remained engaged with Stanford GSB in various ways: by serving on the council since 2003 and as a class agent, co-chairing her 5th and 10th reunion fundraising campaigns, and by volunteering as an admissions interviewer. She believes the close-knit spirit of Stanford GSB is central to its success.

“Alumni support is one of the things that made the school strong when I was there,” says McAdam. “That support continues to make the Stanford community vibrant and fun to be a part of.”

While it is said Stanford GSB community is like one big family, this particular family—which includes three other Stanford GSB graduates: Peter Fenton, AB ’94, MBA ’00; Lance Fenton, MBA ’08; and Tim McAdam, MBA ’97—is truly making a contribution close to home.