2024 Faculty and Staff Stewardship Awardees
This year’s Faculty and Staff Stewardship awardees, from left: Shaun B. Keister, vice chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations; Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan; Faculty and Staff Stewardship Award recipients Wolf-Dietrich Heyer, Kathleen Socolofsky, and Sheri Atkinson; and Deborah J. Neff, chair of the UC Davis Foundation board. (Angie Joens/UC Davis)

MMG Chair Wolf Heyer Honored as Good Steward

  • by Stella Chung

Wolf-Dietrich Heyer, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, has “raised the bar” for how to engage UC Davis supporters and build lifelong relationships with donors.

For over 25 years, Heyer has served as a leading faculty member and biologist in the field of DNA repair, and during that time he has built a culture of philanthropy and set a precedent for excellence across the College of Biological Sciences.

In 2018, Heyer established a fundraising committee in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics to drive support for students, faculty and programs in biological sciences. Every year the committee identifies fundraising initiatives for Give Day, and Heyer makes a personal gift to kickstart the fundraising and launch a Give Day Challenge.

His willingness to elevate philanthropy at UC Davis knows no geographic bounds, even continuing his efforts while overseas on sabbatical in Japan. He also worked with the Cal Aggie Alumni Association to invite alumni to his seminars in Tokyo and Osaka, providing a vital opportunity for engagement and stewardship.

Expressing gratitude is important to Heyer, who is known for his handwritten thank-you notes to make sure donors know how impactful their gifts are. His thoughtful stewardship efforts have resulted in the establishment of many new endowments and millions of dollars in private support.

Others are mentioned in the full story here.