Opportunity has always been important to University of Colorado alumni Dan ’94 and Kristen ’88 Womer. It’s why they chose to include scholarships for the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the College of Music in their estate plans. In their words, “If we can help even one student to graduate without debt, we will feel like we have left an important legacy to the university.”
Dan and Kristen met in high school and dated long distance throughout college. A native of Longmont, Dan attended the University of Northern Colorado and majored in biology. Kristen went to the University of Colorado, studying percussion at the College of Music. They married four days before she graduated from CU.
Kristen’s family has deep ties to the University of Colorado. Both of her parents worked at the university, and her brother is also a CU graduate. Kristen loved her experience in the College of Music. At that time, female percussionists were rare. Kristen thrived under the guidance of noted faculty including John Galm and Terry Smith.
Dan’s relationship with CU began when he enrolled in the PhD program at the School of Pharmacy. His undergraduate and master’s degrees were in wildlife biology. As much as he loved working in that field, he felt it could be very challenging to his family life and finances if he continued in it. On the advice of one of his mentors, he chose to enroll in Pharmacy’s PhD program and focus his research on drug development. That, he felt, would provide a more stable life for Kristen, himself and the son they would soon bring into the world.
After graduate school, Dan briefly worked at the University of Indiana before moving into the pharmaceutical industry with Eli Lilly. Kristen had also seen her career path evolve, becoming an expert in the emerging field of human relations. One of the couple’s favorite memories is founding a CU alumni chapter in Indianapolis, through which they made many dear friends.
Dan stayed in the pharmaceutical industry, working for both large companies and startups. He believes that CU prepared him well for the many transitions, large and small, he’s experienced in his career. Kristen feels the same. Her career flourished, and she credits her ability to be flexible and adaptive to her time at the university. She remains involved in music to this day, volunteering at the school where her son, Andy, attended.
Both Kristen and Dan wanted to give back to CU and felt that an estate gift was the best way to have a significant impact.
Now that they’re ready to enter retirement, they anticipate many more years together. Their timing will also enable their investments to grow, allowing for their scholarship funds to be truly impactful for the students who will receive them.
“We’re planners,” they like to say. And the university is very grateful that CU has been included in their estate plans.
Create your own CU legacy by contacting the Office of Gift Planning at 303-541-1229 or giftplanning@cu.edu.
April 15, 2024