Sanderford Speaker Series Featuring UVA Foundation

On February 16, 2026, the White Ruffin Byron Center for Real Estate welcomed Deborah van Eersel, Chief Executive Officer of the UVA Foundation, to Grounds for a discussion on the Foundation’s role in supporting the University through real estate ownership, development, and asset management. Students from across UVA attended to gain a clearer understanding of how The Foundation operates and how its portfolio advances the University’s long-term mission of fostering growth in Charlottesville. 

Ms. van Eersel began by outlining the Foundation’s role as an independent, nonprofit corporation that provides real estate and financial services in support of UVA. She explained that the Foundation manages a billion-dollar-plus portfolio that includes hospitality, commercial, residential, and R&D laboratory assets. Its holdings range from research parks to hotels, such as Boar’s Head Resort and the soon-to-open Virginia Guesthouse, to office and professional properties, such as the Boar’s Head Professional Center, which comprises more than 80,000 square feet. She also walked students through a case study of the North Fork, at UVA Discovery Park, a more than 560-acre innovation campus with development rights for 3.7 million square feet of research and technology space. She emphasized that large pharmaceutical companies moving to or expanding in Virginia, including Astrazeneca, Eli Lily, and Merck, will increase the demand for these types of spaces, especially in close proximity to the Commonwealth’s highly regarded R1 research universities. 

Throughout the presentation, Ms. van Eersel underscored the scale and long-term nature of the Foundation’s work. Students learned how projects are evaluated not only on financial return but also on their alignment with UVA’s academic priorities, research growth, and community impact. She discussed how the Foundation approaches capital planning, underwriting, and asset management with an institutional investment mindset while maintaining flexibility to pursue strategic opportunities that strengthen the University’s broader ecosystem. The conversation gave students insight into how real estate functions as both a financial engine and a strategic tool for institutional growth. By managing real estate assets and reinvesting returns, the Foundation helps expand research capacity, support innovation, and enhance the built environment surrounding Grounds. 

 Toward the end of the discussion, Ms. van Eersel introduced the UVA Hospitality Fellowship as one example of how the Foundation connects its real estate platform to experiential learning for students. The 12-week rotational program at The Graduate Charlottesville and Boar’s Head Resort provides exposure to operations, leadership, and asset management within a hospitality setting. The event offered students a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the Foundation’s CEO and gain a deeper understanding of how large-scale portfolios are managed in service of a public research university. The Center is grateful to Deborah van Eersel for sharing her time and perspective and for helping students see how real estate strategy, mission alignment, and long-term stewardship intersect within the UVA Foundation’s work.