STEVENS LEGACY SOCIETY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: VIRGINIA AND KEVIN RUESTERHOLZ

For Virginia P. Ruesterholz '83 Hon. D.Eng.'08 and Kevin Ruesterholz '83, establishing the Ruesterholz Admissions Center was a celebration of their deep devotion to Stevens as well as an opportunity to highlight the transformative promise of a Stevens education.

"Stevens is very near and dear to us," Kevin explains. "We both feel so lucky that we met at Stevens, got engaged at Stevens, and have been together ever since we graduated in 1983. Stevens is the nexus for everything we have in life today. Virginia always tells people that an education at Stevens is like a master key because it gives you the foundation to open many doors as you move through life and your career."

Virginia's Stevens degree led to a highly successful career in telecom that culminated with her role as president of Verizon Services Operations. After graduating from Stevens, Kevin spent nearly two decades in business development at Bell Labs Lucent Technologies before launching a second career in law.

Virginia and Kevin have shown their gratitude in many ways over the years, through their generous giving as well as their volunteer service. Virginia joined the Stevens Board of Trustees in 2007, and from 2013 to 2018 she served as the university's first-ever female chair. Virginia also participated on the advisory board of the School of Systems and Enterprises, and Virginia and Kevin co-chaired the Edwin A. Stevens Society for leadership-level annual giving. In addition to Virginia's role on the Board of Trustees, she currently serves as an emeritus member of the President's Leadership Council.

When the couple established the Ruesterholz Admissions Center with a blended gift of current and estate-planned support, they sparked a renewed sense of campus pride. Since 2014 the Center has welcomed - and inspired - thousands of prospective students and other visitors to campus.

"As a Stevens Trustee and former Chairman of the Board, I understand how important estate-plan legacy gifts are to Stevens," Virginia P. Ruesterholz '83 Hon. D.Eng.'08 tells us.