Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis has received a landmark $10 million dual-purpose gift from longtime university benefactors Jerry Kent, BSBA ’78, MBA ’79, and his wife, Judy Kent, to create an endowed deanship and to propel the school’s Business of Health initiative. It is the largest gift to Olin in the past decade.
The pledged gift, made through With You: The WashU Campaign, includes $5 million to establish the Judy and Jerry Kent Deanship at Olin, which will be administered by the current dean, Mike Mazzeo, and all future deans. The deanship honors Mazzeo’s leadership and ensures Olin’s leaders will have the strategic resources to seize opportunities, address challenges and advance the school’s mission.
The Kents also pledged $5 million to create the Judy and Jerry Kent Business of Health Catalyst Fund, which will provide spendable resources to rapidly scale Olin’s Business of Health initiative — a top strategic priority aimed at making Olin the premier institution for the business of health and an engine for innovation at WashU.
Chancellor Andrew D. Martin praised the Kents’ vision and steadfast commitment to Olin.
“Jerry and Judy have shaped the trajectory of Olin through their decades of partnership and support,” Martin said. “This gift is not just generous, it is strategic. It empowers Olin leaders to take swift, bold action and solidifies Olin’s future as a leader in business education.”
“With the Kents’ generous support, Olin will have the resources to make an even greater impact within WashU, across the St. Louis region and around the world.”
Judy and Jerry Kent Deanship
As a close adviser to Mazzeo, Jerry Kent has had a front-row seat to the dean’s leadership and vision for the school, as well as the challenges it faces. Kent has served on the school’s national council for more than 25 years. He became its chair in fall 2023, at the same time Mazzeo joined the school as dean.
“Mike has taken charge at one of the most critical times in Olin’s history,” Kent said. “Critics are questioning the value of higher education, and universities are also facing future funding uncertainty.
“Fortunately, Mike is more than up to the challenge. I love his five-year strategic plan. It addresses current issues in higher education and calls for tailoring instruction to maximize every student’s education and skills. Judy and I wanted to provide financial support to help the school execute the strategic plan and overcome the unique issues higher education is facing,” he said.
Annual income from the deanship endowment will provide a permanent revenue stream for Olin’s leaders to attract top talent, respond to emerging opportunities and push the boundaries of excellence in business education.
“This gift ensures that Olin’s deans — now and in the future — have the freedom and flexibility to invest in what matters most,” Mazzeo said. “That’s a powerful legacy.”
Judy and Jerry Kent Business of Health Catalyst Fund
A core component of Olin’s strategic plan, launched in November, is the Business of Health initiative. As one of the most in-demand and fastest-growing sectors of the U.S. economy, the health industry is ripe with opportunity to make a bold impact, Mazzeo said.
Olin aims to become the leading school in the business of health and to distinguish its programs with a unique set of offerings for professionals working across the broad spectrum of health organizations.
‘We want our gift to be a catalyst to accelerate and elevate Olin’s ability to make this (business of health) program a real leader among its peers.’
Jerry Kent
Over the last year, school leaders have launched a new specialization in health-care management within the master of business administration program, hired prestigious faculty, strengthened connections with WashU Medicine and the School of Public Health and built partnerships within St. Louis’ robust health business community.
The Judy and Jerry Kent Business of Health Catalyst Fund will help Olin build on that momentum and rapidly scale the program. It will provide funding to create curricula, drive thought leadership and enhance commercialization efforts through program development, faculty recruitment and other essential investments.
“We believe the health initiative holds great promise for Olin” Jerry Kent said. “We want our gift to be a catalyst to accelerate and elevate Olin’s ability to make this program a real leader among its peers. Our gift can help leverage WashU’s top-tier medical school and the launch of the School of Public Health to improve health care.”
Kent said the initiative is also an opportunity to demonstrate the true value and impact a university can have on people’s lives.
“Success in health care, like any profession, requires business acumen. We need people in health care with keen business minds who help improve the quality of life for generations to come. Olin can help make that happen,” Kent said.
A lasting impact
Since 1998, the Kents have been unwavering champions of Olin, particularly through their support for scholarships. The Kent Scholars Program, established in 2008, provides generous four-year scholarships to undergraduate business students. To date, 95 WashU undergraduates have received scholarships through the Kent Scholars Program. The couple regularly host dinners and special events to connect with their scholarship students.
Judy Kent said the decision to give to Olin was an easy one.
“When you are as fortunate as we have been, you have a duty to give back, to support institutions that are foundational to your community,” she said. “We’ve been involved with Olin for so long that I feel like the school is part of our family. And when family needs something or has a significant opportunity, you want to help.
“We felt the deanship and the business of health initiative were two things that would shape the future of the business school, its faculty and graduates for many years to come. That was very compelling to us,” she added.
About the Kents
Jerry Kent is a recognized entrepreneur and trailblazer in the telecommunications and technology industries. He is chairman and CEO of Cequel III, a technology management company he co-founded, and TierPoint, an information technology and data center services provider, both based in St. Louis.
A Granite City, Ill., native, Kent earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Olin. In 1993, he co-founded Charter Communications and led the company to what was then the third-largest initial public offering in U.S. history.
He has served on WashU’s Board of Trustees for many years and is a member of the board’s executive committee. He received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Olin in 1999 and from the university in 2002. He and Judy jointly received Olin’s Dean’s Medal in 2009.
Judy Kent is an active volunteer and philanthropist in the St. Louis community. She is a member of the Stages St. Louis board of trustees and is an emerita director of Easterseals Midwest, which serves individuals with disabilities and their families. She was named the Easterseals Midwest philanthropist of the year in 2015 and 2018. She, along with Jerry, earned the Saint Louis Zoo Individual Award in 2018. They also received the Jane and Whitney Harris St. Louis Community Service Award in 2021.
Judy has staged many productions as a theater producer, including “Of Mice and Men” on Broadway in 2014; “Dear Evan Hansen,” which won six Tony Awards, including best musical, in 2017; and “The Drowsy Chaperone” at Stages St. Louis in 2016. She earned a Tony in 2025 for her role as a producer of “Maybe Happy Ending,” which also won six Tony Awards, including best musical. The couple have two children, Mathew Kent and Rachel Shlien, an alumna of WashU Law (JD ’19, LLM ’19), and four grandchildren.
