VCU alumna leads new Family Leadership Circle through philanthropy
Keedra Bond (B.S.’15, M.D.A.’19) and Charles Bond made a $1,000 gift to the VCU Family Fund in April 2024 to support student services across VCU. With this gift, the couple joined the VCU Family Leadership Circle as founding members. As proud VCU parents and inaugural co-chairs of VCU’s Parent Leadership Advisory Council, the Bonds were excited to get more involved.
The Bonds’ eldest son, Charles, graduated from VCU in 2023 with a degree in Business Administration. He is now employed full time at Boeing, a company he began interning with as a student. The couple’s younger son, Zachary, is a sophomore studying computer science in the VCU College of Engineering.
“My oldest is still connected with people at VCU and speaks highly of them. He was very involved in the Supply Chain Honor Society and American Marketing Association where he participated in community service activities, leadership activities and developed the skills that he needed to be successful in his current career,” Bond says. “Charles and his brother have both grown into capable, mature adults due to many of the professional experiences they have had at VCU. I’m happy to see them flourishing at the same school I attended and benefiting from the same support I received.”
Keedra Bond knows firsthand the quality of education that VCU offers. She began attending VCU in 2015 to complete the last year of her undergraduate degree and went on to earn her master of decision analytics in 2019. For Bond, the flexibility VCU offered was invaluable, because she could complete her degree while she cared for her children.
“VCU was a great place for me. I encountered a wealth of knowledge, experiences and substantial support and guidance,” Bond says. “I also had help transitioning to the graduate program and then into full-time employment. My academic peers and I shared a sense of purpose which made it feel like we were working to succeed together.”
When VCU’s new Office of Inclusive Engagement and Philanthropy began focusing on more opportunities for parents and family to support VCU students, the team approached the Bonds. They were asked to lead the Parent Leadership Advisory Council, a group of volunteers who help enrich the student experience, strengthen the university’s reputation and deepen connections among VCU's parent and family community.
“This is a pivotal point in students’ lives. They’re going to school to build relationships, become leaders and define their life and career paths,” Keedra says. “It’s important to us as parents that our students have a support system to help guide them. As we get more parents and family members involved with these new groups, like the advisory council and the Family Leadership Circle, we can provide more opportunities for VCU students.”
Learn more about the Family Leadership Circle.