About the Benefactors
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A graduate of the University of Michigan School of Art & Design and a former teacher and business owner, Penny has always been passionate about education. In 1986, it seemed almost inevitable that she and Roe would establish the Stamps Scholars Program with the intent of supporting educational initiatives nationwide. As Penny explains, “Having achieved our personal goals of pursuing careers, raising children, and providing for our family’s future, we made a conscious decision to take our surplus resources and use them for the betterment of our community and the world.”
In 2000, Penny and Roe began funding merit-based scholarships for the Stamps Family Georgia Tech President’s Scholars. Six years later, through their vision and generosity, the Stamps Leadership Scholars Program was launched at Georgia Tech and the University of Michigan. To date, this innovative program has funded multi-year scholarships and fellowships for more than 700 students at more than 35 colleges and universities nationwide.
In 1999, she worked with the University of Michigan School of Art and Design to launch the Roman J. Witt Visiting Professors Program in honor of her late father. She also established the highly successful Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitors Lectures Series. In 2012, The Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan was named for her.
Penny’s philanthropy has earned her numerous honors, among them the University of Michigan’s 2005 Donald B. Hermelin Award for Volunteer Leadership, the 2013 National Philanthropy Lifetime Achievement Award and Penny has been named an Honorary Alumna of Georgia Tech. In 2015, the Stamps Scholars Program received the James L. Fisher Award for Distinguished Service to Education from CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
E. Roe Stamps, IV of Coconut Grove, FL, is a private investor and co-founder of the Boston-based private investment company Summit Partners. He is a former Lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserve, an Industrial Engineering graduate of Georgia Tech, and an MBA graduate from Harvard Business School.
Since his relocation to South Florida in 1993, Roe, along with his wife Penny, has devoted significant time and resources to philanthropic causes in the community. Their interest in South Florida is deeply rooted, as they have been long time supporters of the University of Miami, the Grayvik Animal Care Center, Fairchild Tropical Garden, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, Community Partnership for the Homeless, Ransom Everglades School, Breakthrough Miami and a number of other charities throughout the region.
Through the Stamps Scholars Program, formed by Penny and Roe 20 years ago, they have shown their deep commitment to education, supporting projects and scholarships at more than 35 universities nationwide. And with its Stamps Scholars initiative, it has created innovative scholarship programs currently supporting more than 700 students across the country.
Roe is a Trustee Emeritus of the Georgia Tech Foundation, and a Trustee at the University of Miami, the John S and James L Knight Foundation and several other distinguished organizations. At Georgia Tech, Roe served the Foundation for over 16 years. He has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, the Joseph Mayo Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award, the highest award conferred by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. He was inducted into Georgia Tech’s Engineering Hall of Fame in 2001 and received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in 2014.
In 2010, Roe was honored by the American Red Cross South Florida Region as the Humanitarian of the Year. In 2012, he was honored by Harvard Business School, receiving its most prestigious award, the Alumni Achievement Award.