Posted on January 25, 2022 by Wendy Frost
Nancy Kudla, MBA ’87 and her husband, Frank, ’85 generously committed $700,000 to their existing fellowship, the Nancy and Frank Kudla Endowed Fellowship in Cybersecurity. Longtime supporters of UTSA and U.S. Air Force veterans, their gift doubles the size of their endowment.
They established their endowed fellowship in 2011 to support graduate student research and education in cyber security. Their latest gift was inspired by the matching gift challenge from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, made possible by the contribution of Carlos Alvarez, UTSA Campaign Leadership Council co-chair. The Alvarez Research Challenge matches funds dollar-for-dollar for outright gifts above $100,000, and 25% on estate gifts, increasing the Kudlas’ endowment by more than $1 million.
“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 their gift since UTSA’s Capital Campaign Be Bold: A Campaign for Our Future will publicly launch in the fall of 2022.
An Honor Graduate from the first female class at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Nancy went on to earn her MBA from UTSA. In addition to serving as a UTSA Campaign Leadership Council Co-Chair, Nancy is also the CEO of FNK Ventures. Frank earned his B.B.A. in Finance from UTSA and is currently the President and COO for FNK Ventures, a commercial real estate company. Prior to establishing their current enterprise, the Kudlas co-founded and grew a successful IT company, dNovus RDI, which they sold in 2008. In addition to the Endowed Fellowship, they have supported the Alumni Association, Alvarez College of Business and Roadrunners Football.
Nancy and Frank hope to see more students participate in their fellowship over the years as their endowment continues to grow. They believe that these fellows will conduct meaningful work that will positively reflect San Antonio and UTSA.
“Cyber security is critical to our nation’s security, and we have great faith in UTSA’s ability to make an important impact through the research conducted by its talented students and faculty,” said Nancy. “With continued community support, we believe UTSA can become the nation’s top school for cyber security. Together we can make this bold goal a reality!”
— Wendy Frost
