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Philanthropist Anita Zucker Donated $14 Million to Education Last Year

By Matthew Lynch — January 08, 2015 1 min read
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Philanthropist Anita Zucker, chief executive officer of the InterTech Group in North Charleston, has become a mainstay on Forbes list of its 400 wealthiest Americans.

Her net worth was estimated to be around $2.4 billion, but it was Zucker’s inclination to share the wealth among educational institutions that was touted in 2014.

A former public school teacher herself, education has always been a top cause for Zucker. Last year, she donated over $14 million to educational programs.

In October of 2014, she donated $5 million to the University of Florida, her alma mater. The money was used to improve its College of Education’s early childhood education program, and was the largest contribution ever from an individual donor.

Just a few weeks later, Zucker donated $4 million to the School of Education at The Citadel. She took education courses at the college in the 1970s and the school is where her oldest son earned his master’s degree.

Her son was also named chairman of the S.C. Aquarium board in 2014, and the family donated $5 million to build a new sea turtle hospital and to improve the nonprofit aquarium’s educational programs. Once again, the donation was the largest gift the organization had ever received.

InterTech Group, started by the philanthropist’s late husband Jerry, includes a chemical company, real estate, manufacturing and aerospace parts production.

Zucker said in a 2012 interview that she brings her Jewish values to work daily. The daughter of Holocaust survivors said, “Tikkun olam (fixing the world) is very much a part of our business platform,” referring to InterTech Group.

Zucker’s intentions to better our country and its education show her generosity and love of education. I find her intentions refreshing and appreciate that she is using her wealth to benefit the lives of others.

If you would like to invite Dr. Lynch to speak or serve as a panelist at an upcoming event, please email him at lynch39083@aol.com.

The opinions expressed in Education Futures: Emerging Trends in K-12 are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.