Who We Are
Our Mission
The mission of the Fund for Academic Renewal is to help you, the college donor, make transformative gifts that help institutions live up to their highest ideals. We aim to support the commitment of thoughtful, active donors to academic quality and intellectual integrity.
Intentional, directed giving has the power to renew our colleges and universities. Many donors contribute to their colleges’ general funds, where they have little say over the use of their gifts. Instead, FAR can help you craft targeted gifts that reflect your vision and values.
Benefitting from ACTA’s Expertise
The Fund for Academic Renewal is a program of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). Donors utilizing FAR’s services will benefit from ACTA’s 30 years of expertise in higher education reform, our extensive network of on-campus contacts, and our experience assisting conscientious donors. FAR offers its services at no cost to donors as part of ACTA’s mission to improve academic excellence at colleges and universities.
Our People
FAR’s staff and advisors have the expertise and experience needed to ensure that your gifts meet your philanthropic aspirations.
Our Leadership
Michael B. Poliakoff, Ph.D.
President, ACTA
Michael Poliakoff joined ACTA in March 2010 as the vice president of policy and became its third president on July 1, 2016. He previously served as vice president for academic affairs and research at the University of Colorado and in senior roles at the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Council on Teacher Quality, the American Academy for Liberal Education, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. He has taught at Georgetown University, George Washington University, Hillsdale College, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Wellesley College. He has been a junior fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies, and his research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst, and the Alexander Von Humboldt Stiftung. He is the author of numerous books and journal articles in classical studies and education policy and has received the American Philological Association’s Excellence in Teaching Award and the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Distinguished Service to Education Award. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Yale University and went on to study at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and at the University of Michigan, where he earned a Ph.D. in classical studies.
Emily Koons Jae
Vice President of Development and Philanthropy, ACTA
Emily Koons Jae is the vice president of development and philanthropy at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. She previously served as FAR’s executive director. Prior to joining ACTA, she served as the director of entrepreneur engagement at the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives in southeastern Pennsylvania. She also served in a number of roles at the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America’s Founding Principles & History, including on the academic programs, communications, and development teams. She holds a B.A. in history from Davidson College.
Rebecca Richards
Director, FAR
Rebecca Richards directs the Fund for Academic Renewal, a program of ACTA that works closely with higher education donors to design, monitor, and evaluate transformative gifts that meet their philanthropic objectives. She has written extensively on culture and philanthropy in outlets including Philanthropy Daily, the Washington Examiner, Law and Liberty, and more. She graduated from Baylor University with a University Scholar’s Degree, concentrating in philosophy. She is currently earning an M.A. in philanthropic studies at the University of Kent.
Andras Kosaras, Esq.
Legal Advisor, FAR
Andras Kosaras, a counsel with Arnold & Porter, is the Fund for Academic Renewal’s legal advisor. In this capacity, he counsels donors on properly structuring their charitable gifts to ensure that their intent is honored and protected. At Arnold & Porter, Mr. Kosaras represents individual and corporate donors on charitable giving matters and has extensive experience representing domestic and international tax-exempt organizations, including public charities, private foundations, medical research organizations, donor-advised funds, supporting organizations, community foundations, and fiscal sponsors. Before joining Arnold & Porter, he was an in-house attorney at the Washington, DC-based Council on Foundations. He also served for two years as a research assistant at Harvard University’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations. He is a board member and governance committee member of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Mr. Kosaras earned his B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst and his J.D. magna cum laude from the New England School of Law.
FAR Advisory Council
Robert C. Dickeson, Ph.D.
President Emeritus, University of Northern Colorado
Robert C. Dickeson is the president emeritus of the University of Northern Colorado, past president of the Association of Public College and University Presidents, and co-founder of the Lumina Foundation for Education, now the nation’s largest private supporter of initiatives to increase college graduation rates. He also has served as Colorado’s commissioner to the Education Commission of the States and as a member of the Commission on Minorities in Higher Education. Currently, he is president and principal of Academic Strategy Partners. Dr. Dickeson is the author of more than 200 publications on higher education and public administration, including Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services. He received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Missouri–Columbia.
Michael C. Maibach
Managing Director, James Wilson Institute
Michael C. Maibach is managing director of the James Wilson Institute for Natural Rights and the American Founding and a fellow of the International Academy of Management. A seasoned professional in global business diplomacy, he previously served as president and CEO of the European-American Business Council, as well as vice president of global government affairs at the Intel Corporation. He serves on the boards of the Witherspoon Institute, the Faith & Law Institute, ConSource, and the Society of Classical Poets. As an undergraduate, he was elected to the DeKalb County Board in Illinois, becoming the first person under 21 years of age elected to public office in U.S. history. Mr. Maibach has three B.A. degrees and four M.A. degrees.
Brenda Pejovich
CEO, BFG Management Company, LLC
Brenda Pejovich began her entrepreneurial career at the age of 23 by building a large-scale operations consulting firm which she sold to a Fortune 1000 firm. She is a recognized leader in the promotion of free market ideas across the United States and Europe, applying business principles to nonprofit organizations, state agencies, and public service. She has received four gubernatorial appointments requiring senate confirmation, including to the board of regents of the University of Texas System (2010–2017) and to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (2007–2010). She is a board member of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, co-founder of the Professor Svetozar Pejovich Future Leaders Award for undergraduate economics students, and a prime sponsor of the World War II Memorial located on the Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas–Austin and is certified by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.
Edward M. Robinson
CEO, Ten Talents, LLC
Edward M. Robinson is the founder and CEO of Ten Talents, LLC, an advisory firm based on the principles of excellence and good stewardship in the Parable of the Talents. His firm provides consulting services to entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and leaders in the corporate, education, and nonprofit fields. He also serves as alumni fellow at the Open Discourse Coalition. His career has spanned philanthropy, real estate, public policy, and higher education, including roles in fundraising and alumni relations at Georgetown University, Harvard Law School, and the University of Virginia. He has served as vice president of development at the America’s Promise Alliance, senior advisor at Goulston & Storrs, and executive search consultant at WittKieffer. He graduated from Bucknell University in 1986, where he was class and student body president. He was a Bucknell trustee and served as a member of the University’s Alumni Association Board of Directors and as founding chairperson of the Bucknell Black Alumni Association.
Peter Sulick
Chairman, CEO, and President, Dynasil Corporation of America, Nasdaq: DYSL
Mr. Sulick is at the helm of Dynasil, responsible for overseeing global operations and setting the course for the future of the corporation. He was named chairman of its board in 2009, interim CEO in 2012, and president and CEO in 2014. Previously, he served as chairman of the board and CEO at Prism Microwave. He has founded and led multiple broadcasting and telecommunications companies which were acquired by Nextel, T-Mobile, and others. He has worked for Arthur Andersen & Co. and International Telephone & Telegraph (ITT) Corporation, both in NYC. Mr. Sulick is chairman emeritus of the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation, and he has served on the board of The Citadel Foundation since 2008 and is currently chair of its audit committee. He has been on the advisory board of The Citadel Baker School of Business since 2002 and has funded a named endowed chair in accounting for a visiting professorship at the school. He received his B.S. in business administration from The Citadel, his M.B.A. in finance from the University of Massachusetts, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in entrepreneurship from The Citadel in 2015.
Siri A. Terjesen, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research and External Relations and Phil Smith Professor of Entrepreneurship, Florida Atlantic University
Siri A. Terjesen is associate dean for research and external relations and the Phil Smith Professor of Entrepreneurship at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). She is also the founding executive director of FAU’s Madden Center for Value Creation and serves as a professor at the Norwegian School of Economics. She is a nationally recognized expert in higher education, strategic management, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy, with over 80 peer-reviewed academic articles and citations that rank her amongst the world’s top 2% most-cited scholars. In 2023, she was named a Heritage Foundation Freedom & Opportunity academic prize winner and an IHS Distinguished Fellow for the Study of Liberalism and a Free Society. She was appointed to the U.S. National Board for Education Sciences and has advised nonprofits in philanthropy and higher education as well as organizations such as the World Bank and European Commission. She has also been recognized as the FAU College of Business’s most outstanding teacher. She received her B.S. from the University of Richmond, her M.B.A. from the Norwegian School of Economics as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, her Ph.D. from Cranfield University in the U.K., and completed postdoctoral work at Queensland University of Technology in Australia.