UTSA Alumni Double Support for UTSA’s Cybersecurity Program
Both longtime supporters of The University of Texas at San Antonio and U.S. Air Force Veterans, Nancy Kudla ‘87 and her husband, Frank ‘85 generously doubled the size of their existing endowment, the Nancy and Frank Kudla Endowed Fellowship in Cybersecurity, including a gift in their will. They established their endowed fellowship in 2011 to support graduate student research and education in cybersecurity. Their latest gift was inspired by the matching gift challenge from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, made possible by the contribution of Mr. Alvarez, UTSA Campaign Leadership Council Co-Chair.
“Helping as many students as possible is an exciting and achievable goal if we all work together,” said Nancy about their donation and the Alvarez Research Challenge. “We hope that we inspire others to do the same. It’s not just a gift, it provides a long-term impact for students, UTSA, and San Antonio.”
The Kudlas felt this was a perfect time to make the large contribution. Be Bold: A Campaign for Our Future will publicly launch in the fall of 2022—UTSA’s largest fundraising campaign in history. The Alvarez Research Challenge matches funds, dollar-for-dollar, for outright gifts above $100,000, and 25% on estate gifts, increasing the Kudlas’s endowment by more than $1 million.
After graduating from the first female class at the Air Force Academy, Nancy went on to receive her MBA from UTSA. In addition to serving as a UTSA Campaign Leadership Council Co-Chair today, Nancy also serves as CEO for FNK Ventures and runs the Kudla Family Foundation. She formerly served as the CEO for dNovus RDI while her husband, Frank served as the CFO; they sold the company in 2008. Frank earned his BBA in Finance from UTSA and now serves as President for FNK Ventures. In addition to the Endowed Fellowship, they have supported the Alumni Association, Alvarez College of Business, and Roadrunners Football.
The Kudlas hope to see more students participate in their Fellows Program over the years as their endowment continues to grow. They believe these fellows will conduct meaningful work that will reflect positively on San Antonio and the university. In the long term, they believe UTSA can become the nation’s top school for cybersecurity.
“Cybersecurity is critical to our nation’s security, and we have great faith in UTSA’s ability to yield significant impact through the research conducted by its talented students and faculty,” said Nancy.
—Jordan Allen, Development Writer
