Keel Point creates Professorship in Family Wealth at UAH College of Business with $100K gift

April 25, 2025 - HUNTSVILLE, AL. – Keel Point, an independent wealth advisory firm, has created the Keel Point Professorship in Family Wealth at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) College of Business with a $100,000 commitment over four years. UAH is a part of The University of Alabama (UA) System.

The UA System Board of Trustees approved the agreement with Keel Point and the recognition and naming of the professorship at the Board's meeting on April 4, 2025, on the UAH campus. The professorship will begin with the 2025-2026 academic year.

"Keel Point is honored to be part of the Keel Point Professorship in Family Wealth," said Robert C. Mayes, Keel Point's CEO. "This significant commitment reflects our dedication to advancing education and research in the field of family wealth management, fostering innovative strategies to preserve and grow generational wealth.

"We believe this professorship will empower future leaders with the knowledge and expertise to navigate the complexities of wealth stewardship, benefiting families and communities for generations to come. We are honored to partner with UAH in this transformative endeavor, reinforcing our mission to promote financial excellence and enduring legacy planning."

The Keel Point Professorship in Family Wealth will support one or more faculty members who have a proven track record of studying family wealth or a similar field deemed appropriate by the college. That person or persons will be selected by the dean of the college with the concurrence of the provost.

The professorship will also support research, course or curriculum innovation, and student and community engagement activities that will expand the college's reputation and capabilities in the designated fields.

"We are truly grateful for the continued leadership of Keel Point in creating the Keel Point Professorship in Family Wealth in the UAH College of Business," said Dr. Jason Greene, dean, College of Business. "Through this professorship, Keel Point is helping UAH to continue to attract and retain excellent faculty who are thought leaders in business.

"The Keel Point Professorship represents an investment to advance knowledge and understanding of business strategies and practices affecting family wealth through insightful research and innovative curriculum development. In this way, Keel Point is making a tremendous impact that extends beyond UAH and into the greater community and business world."

Mayes has long been familiar with the quality of education offered by UAH and its College of Business. He graduated from UAH in 1984, and he is a strong supporter of his alma mater.

"I had a wonderful experience at UAH," he said. "The university was very different than it is today. I was probably like many of the students at that time who had a day job. We'd get home from work and go to classes at night.

"It's changed a lot over the last 40 years. It's been exciting to see UAH continuing to grow with Huntsville and North Alabama, and serve in such a valuable, integral role in terms of the labor force that we need here in our community. I have personally seen the level of focus in students who come to UAH. There's conviction. There's perseverance. There clearly is a level of discipline that's required."

Although Mayes is a UAH alumnus, he emphasized that Keel Point's gift to UAH is a decision from the entire firm:

"This donation is Keel Point's. Keel Point represents 80 men and women who give of themselves daily to help our families make good decisions that reflect their values, their principles in their financial planning. When this opportunity with UAH came up, it dovetailed with our mission."

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