At Stead Impact Ventures and Foundation, we believe meaningful change begins with people. While innovation and technology are essential to improving health and wellbeing, lasting impact is driven by leaders with the knowledge, character, and compassion to put those innovations into practice.
Our newest partnership with California State University, Fullerton, furthers this belief.
Our support includes a contribution toward the university’s Landmark Hall project, soon to be the iconic home of the Giles-O’Malley Center for Leadership. Designed as a place where leadership theory meets real-world practice, Landmark Hall will prepare students to tackle complex challenges, make principled decisions, and lead with purpose.
During the recent beam-signing ceremony, Stead Impact Ventures CEO Tiffani Shaw said, “The structure matters, but it’s the people inside it who will make the real difference. Leadership is developed through experience, mentorship, and environments that challenge people to grow. Landmark Hall represents an investment in all three.”
Our commitment extends beyond the classroom.
Stead Impact Ventures and Foundation also established three annual scholarships over the next ten years, providing Cal State Fullerton nursing students with the opportunity to participate in the prestigious MD Anderson Cancer Center externship program. Extending our “Stead Scholars” program beyond the University of Iowa, this Cal State Fullerton initiative gives these Stead Scholars the chance to learn alongside some of the nation’s leading healthcare professionals while experiencing firsthand what exceptional patient care and organizational leadership look like.
Our first Stead Nursing Scholars have already demonstrated how transformational these opportunities have been.
For Giselle Espino, caring for a patient one day and learning of their passing the next underscored the profound range of responsibilities nurses carry. She came away with a deeper appreciation that every interaction matters because compassion may become a patient’s final memory.
Anthony Keem was struck by MD Anderson’s unwavering commitment to excellence. Watching leaders refuse to cut corners reinforced the importance of doing every job the right way, every time, to be best prepared when patients’ needs are most critical.
Daniel Boakye-Akuaku discovered that nursing extends far beyond clinical care. He observed how nurses support the emotional wellbeing of patients and families, often serving as trusted listeners and steady sources of comfort during life’s most difficult moments.
These lessons cannot be taught solely in a classroom. They are learned through experience, reflection, and mentorship—and they shape not only better clinicians, but stronger leaders.
By supporting both Landmark Hall and the Stead Scholars program, we are investing in the full leadership journey: from developing the mindset of future leaders to equipping them with the experiences that define exceptional healthcare professionals.
Whether inside a leadership classroom or at a patient’s bedside, we believe the future of healthcare depends on people who lead with integrity, compassion, and excellence. We are proud to partner with Cal State Fullerton to help prepare the next generation to do exactly that.