An Artful Gift

There may be no other UTC alumna who has been as involved with their alma mater as Kim White. Selected as one of the 100 most significant alumni in the history of the University of Tennessee system, Kim's time at UTC started with art.

“That's often my fun fact about myself when asked,” said Kim. “I think people don't expect a business executive to have a degree in art. But that education allowed me to see things creatively and has served me well throughout my business career.”

As an engaged alumna, Kim has held multiple leadership positions at UTC and within the UT System for the past twenty years. She has been president of the UTC Alumni Board, chair of the Chancellor’s Roundtable and the UC Foundation, along with being a member of the UT Foundation Board. In 2018, Gov. Bill Haslam appointed Kim to the University of Tennessee System Board of Trustees until she began her new role at UTC as the Vice Chancellor of Advancement and Executive Director of the UC Foundation in 2021.

Kim, a longtime, generous supporter of UTC, established a scholarship in 2009 and has given in many ways throughout the years. However, as she was recently updating her will alongside her husband of 35 years, Joe Dan, they realized they could make a bigger impact down the road.

“As we were going through our wills, I realized I could name UTC as the beneficiary of an IRA account,” said Kim. “This was a very simple way to ensure I could support students long after I could see the impact.”

The six-figure gift that Kim is making to UTC's Art program will allow flexibility to support the program's needs when the gift is realized.

“In twenty, thirty or even a hundred years from now, we don't know what the needs of the art program will be,” said Kim. “But with this support, we know that the leaders at the time will be able to use the funds in the best way with the most impact.”

When asked about estate planning and determining where resources would go, Kim and Joe Dan shared the belief that doing the work now and identifying what they wanted to happen was a simple yet important process. “We did not want to leave these decisions to others because we wanted to make sure that the places we cared about were supported through our generosity. And there's no place we love more than UTC.”

Like the Whites, you can support UTC with a future gift through your estate plans. Learn more about gift planning and membership in our Legacy Society today.