Global Reach Through Local Philanthropy: Carol and Jim Tevepaugh
Generous support from Carol and Jim Tevepaugh is helping HudsonAlpha support life-changing genomics research and bring on a talented new Faculty Investigator
As lifelong learners who have deep personal connections to HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology’s research, Carol and Jim Tevepaugh describe themselves as having their imagination captured by the Institute.
The couple are regulars at HudsonAlpha’s educational events, have been long-standing donors to programs across the Institute’s mission areas, and even serve as Ambassadors who help spread awareness about HudsonAlpha throughout the community.
“What seized our imagination is HudsonAlpha’s focus on research that helps a lot of people today and way into the future,” said Jim.
The Tevepaughs are passionate about all areas of HudsonAlpha’s mission, from STEM education to scientific research. The couple feels particularly connected to the Institute’s research on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease after several of their friends and family struggled with these devastating conditions.
When they learned support was needed to bring on a new faculty member to expand HudsonAlpha’s research on diseases of the brain, they knew they wanted to be involved. Andrew Kodani, PhD, joined HudsonAlpha in May of this year. His research focuses primarily on the genetics of brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders, and his emphasis on cutting-edge research tactics and new technologies will have a meaningful impact on HudsonAlpha’s neurodegenerative disease research.
“The reason we continue to support HudsonAlpha is the ground the Institute is breaking in research on diseases of the brain,” said Carol. “Dr. Kodani’s work closes the loop on the work HudsonAlpha has been doing so far and takes that research a step further. We’re very excited about the possibilities.”
Read on to learn more about why Carol and Jim are so excited about Dr. Kodani, what impact they hope their gift will have, and why they recommend supporting philanthropically.
HudsonAlpha Foundation: What values do you look for in a nonprofit you’re interested in supporting? How does HudsonAlpha align with that?
Carol Tevepaugh: We are passionate about supporting organizations that work to make the future better. We support our church and several scholarships at different universities for that reason, as well as HudsonAlpha’s education and scientific research programs. Helping people today and tomorrow is important to us.
Jim Tevepaugh: We both have experience with neurodegenerative diseases impacting our loved ones, and we have seen the devastation of those diseases firsthand. We’re very excited to be a small part of the research that helps to treat those diseases better.
HAF: Your recent gift helped support bringing Dr. Kodani, our newest faculty member, to HudsonAlpha. Why did you want to support hiring new faculty?
JT: To achieve great things, you have to have great talent. When we were talking about the gift we wanted to make with Dr. Neil Lamb, HudsonAlpha President, and Elizabeth Herrin, Senior Director of Advancement, we wanted to direct our funds where they were needed most. That’s how we learned about the possibility of giving to HudsonAlpha’s Innovation Fund to support hiring a new faculty member.
CT: In hiring new faculty, we knew we were excited to help bring on someone who could work within HudsonAlpha’s research on diseases of the brain since that is such a priority for our giving. We’re excited about the possibility Dr. Kodani brings to expand HudsonAlpha’s existing research and complement it with his own expertise.
HAF: What impact are you most excited for your gift to make?
JT: The fact Dr. Kodani is doing work that helps move research into clinical applications is exciting to us. He’s leading research that enables discoveries to go beyond the lab and into clinics to help people, which has always been the goal of HudsonAlpha’s work and what we love about the Institute.
HAF: What would you say to donors who may also be considering making a donation to HudsonAlpha?
CT: HudsonAlpha has helped grow Huntsville and bring bright minds and new economies to the area. HudsonAlpha was built on the vision of seeing beyond the impact a single organization can have and expanding that to the bigger picture of impacting the world. All the metrics for success are there to prove HudsonAlpha is achieving that goal.
JT: By supporting HudsonAlpha, you’re doing good locally for your community, but you’re making a regional, national, and global impact. It’s not often you can make a difference locally and also have such a large reach.
As a nonprofit organization, HudsonAlpha relies on philanthropic support to fuel genomics research.
If you’re interested in learning how you can support HudsonAlpha through a donation, please contact Elizabeth Herrin, Senior Director of Advancement, at eherrin@hudsonalpha.org or 256.327.0442.