Purpose-Driven Philanthropy

On Feb. 6, 2025, Greg and Ronda Brenneman made a historic $50 million gift to Washburn University, establishing the university’s first two named academic units – the Gregory D. and Ronda K. Brenneman School of Business and the Harmony J. Hines School of Nursing – and providing a lead gift for Washburn’s new healthcare education facility. The Brennemans joined university leadership on Washburn’s 160th birthday to share the philosophies and ideals that are at the heart of their giving.

In the early 1980s, two ambitious Washburn students, one studying accounting and finance, the other education, met on campus and began a partnership that would blend business, faith and service for decades to come. More than 40 years later, their names are synonymous not just with corporate leadership and success, but with a deep, enduring commitment to giving back.

Today, their philanthropy is as multifaceted as their careers: strategic, values-driven and centered on the belief that leadership and generosity are undeniably intertwined.

Faith, Family and the Foundations of Giving

Greg Brenneman, bba ’84, h ’99, grew up in a farming community in Kansas, where hard work and faith anchored family life. His great-uncle, Lyle Yost, an inventor of mechanized farming equipment and founder of Hesston Corporation, modeled a philosophy that would shape Greg’s worldview: “Give it all away before you die.”

That example of purpose-driven stewardship left a lasting imprint. “We all stand on the shoulders of giants,” Brenneman has said.

For Ronda, b ed ’84, the lessons of giving began at home in Topeka, watching her father quietly place a tithe into a white church envelope every Sunday. “That was my first example of philanthropy in action,” she said. “My parents gave their time and their money, and it stuck with me.”

When the couple married in 1984, they merged Greg’s big-picture strategic mind with Ronda’s hands-on, steady compassion. Their approach to giving evolved into something both disciplined and deeply personal.

Building Wealth to Build Others

After Harvard Business School, Greg joined Bain & Company, where he specialized in corporate turnarounds. His five-step transformation process, outlined in his book, “Right Away and All at Once,” became a blueprint for reviving companies like Continental Airlines, Burger King and PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting. 

But even as his career flourished, Greg began to question what he calls “resume virtues” versus “eulogy virtues.” In his own words, “I had all the success, but I was satisfactorily underperforming in life.”

That realization inspired him to apply his turnaround framework to his own life. His new five-step plan focused on what he calls the “five Fs”: faith, family, friends, fitness, and finance. “It transformed my mission in life,” he said. “It became a pathway to purpose.”

For the Brennemans, business and philanthropy are inseparable. “At the end of the day, it’s about how you impact others,” Greg said.

Investing in Educators

One of the couple’s earliest gifts to Washburn University was the Greg and Ronda Brenneman Professorship in Business Strategy, established in 1999. JuliAnn Mazachek, dean of the School of Business at the time, helped shape the initiative, which became the first business professorship.

The endowed position continues to support faculty research, travel and innovation, giving professors the flexibility to pursue projects that elevate the classroom experience.

Norma Juma, who has held the Brenneman professorship for over 20 years, credits the endowment with transforming both her career and the university’s reach. It has funded international research collaborations, supported study-abroad programs and helped integrate real-world strategy and technology into the curriculum. 

“The greatest beneficiaries are our students,” Juma said. “They get to experience the cutting-edge research that we bring into the classroom. None of that would be possible without the Brennemans’ generosity.”

Teaching Purposeful Leadership

In 2019, Washburn launched the Brenneman Leadership Series, now a signature program funded by Greg and Ronda. Based on Greg’s book, the series brings students from all majors together to learn about leadership, integrity and philanthropy.

Each cohort of 20 students completes a semester-long journey that includes writing a personal “go-forward plan,” building a financial budget and assembling a personal “board of directors” to help guide life decisions.

The cohort controls a stipend and must collectively decide which local charities and campus organizations to support with it, applying due diligence and teamwork to their philanthropy.

“The class is as much about giving as it is about leading,” Greg explained. “We wanted students to understand that success is meaningless unless it’s shared.”

Ronda adds that what began as an experiment in leadership education has become a model for generosity in action. “It’s humbling to see students invest their time in this program without knowing exactly what it is,” she said. “They come away realizing everyone has something to give – time, money or effort.”

Past participants in the program describe the experience as life changing. Blythe Landon, bba ’22, said, “The go-forward plan taught me how to simplify complex challenges. I even use it in my job today. But more than that, it gave me purpose.”

Patrick Altenor, bba ’23, mba ’24, agreed. “The program helped me build a financial system I still use. And the volunteering aspect taught me that giving time can be as impactful as giving money.”

A Family Affair

Philanthropy for the Brennemans is a family enterprise. For more than 25 years, they have spent every Christmas morning not only celebrating but deciding together how to give. Each family member presents proposals for donations to their chosen charities – complete with progress updates, impact reports and requests for continued support.

“We have 22 charities now,” Greg explained. “If you want to add one, you have to take one away – and it can’t be your sibling’s.”

That accountability and participation began when their children were young, through what Ronda affectionately calls “the ledger system.”

“They had to track their debits and credits,” Ronda recalled. “Every week, they’d calculate 10 percent for giving. We’d hand them the cash, and they’d take it to church themselves.”

A ledger system for children might have seemed unconventional, but the method worked. Years later, when their eldest son’s church mailed a donation receipt to their home, Ronda opened it by mistake and was touched to discover that he was giving all on his own. “That’s when we knew something we taught had stuck.”

Strategic Generosity

The Brennemans describe their giving as both emotional and analytical. Ronda focuses on empathy and impact; Greg focuses on stewardship and strategy.

“Greg always looks under the hood,” Ronda said. “He wants to know if an organization is really doing what it says it’s doing.”

That mindset carries over to their continued partnership with Washburn, where they praise the university’s transparency and fiscal discipline. “The money here is managed so well,” Greg said. “Washburn operates in surplus, and not every institution can say that.”

Their philosophy reflects the same disciplined planning Greg brought to corporate turnarounds. Whether restructuring an airline or funding a scholarship, his principle is the same: write a one-page plan, then execute with purpose.

Eulogy Virtues

Throughout their work, Greg often returns to a guiding question: “I want my life to matter. Don’t you want your life to matter too?”

He distinguishes between résumé virtues – achievements that appear on LinkedIn – and eulogy virtues, the qualities people remember after you’re gone. When asked what his greatest eulogy virtue is today, Greg answered without hesitation: “The impact on other people. Whether it’s employees, students or my grandkids, how you touch someone’s life is what counts. At the end of the day, that’s all we’ll remember.”

Ronda echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the joy of giving beyond oneself. “There’s so much value in what we can do together,” she said.

Their granddaughter, just six years old, recently received birthday money and, following the family tradition, set aside a portion for church. “That’s the next generation learning generosity,” Ronda smiled. “It’s come full circle.”

Generosity in Action

For all their business achievements, the Brennemans’ true success lies in how seamlessly they’ve integrated their professional expertise with their personal values. Greg calls it a “fully integrated life” – one where the five Fs are balanced and aligned.

Their legacy at Washburn reflects that integration: investing in professors who educate, mentoring students who lead and nurturing a community that gives.

Mazachek, who is now president and has been there throughout the Brennemans’ generosity, calls them “angel investors in the success of our students.” Their work – through the professorship, leadership series and continuous support – has become a cornerstone of the university’s mission to cultivate ethical, engaged citizens.

As Greg and Ronda continue to travel, teach and give, they exemplify the very virtues Greg once sought for himself: faith in action, generosity with purpose and a life that matters far beyond the balance sheet.