Remembering Jerry Hildebrand

Jerry Hildebrand once said that Lynn University "knows where its heart is—making a difference."

The same was true about Hildebrand. The social impact pioneer, mentor and friend passed away Oct. 5, leaving behind a lasting legacy of positive change.

In his role as director of Lynn's Social Impact Lab, he helped students connect their talent to the organizations and causes where it was needed most. The Ambassador Corps program that he founded follows the motto, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

That mission and philosophy resonated with many students and colleagues who say Hildebrand had an important impact on their lives.

Antonella Regueiro, associate professor, recalls that Hildebrand inspired her when he visited one of her classes to recruit students for the Ambassador Corps. "We had just finished talking about the genocide in Rwanda, and Jerry cited Rwanda as an example of where students could intern. Afterward, I told him, 'Jerry, you've got to send professors, too.' I never expected anything to come from it. The next thing you know, Jerry sent me a postcard saying, 'We’re in if you are.'"

Soon after, she was on a plane to Rwanda for an eight-week project to expand Lynn’s network of partners for student internships.

Jayla Hall '20 participated in the 2019 Ambassador Corp summer program to help underprivileged children in Cordoba, Colombia. "It was truly an eye-opener," she said. "Everyone thought, we are going to a developing country to help people. While you are making a difference in their lives, your life is also being impacted because you're seeing things from a different perspective, getting that one-on-one, hands-on experience, and realizing that little things are the most valuable."

Hildebrand brought the successful Ambassador Corps program to Lynn in 2017, allowing students to explore a purpose-driven career through apprenticeships in the U.S. and globally. He worked with faculty and administrators to expand impact initiatives and build programs, from speaker events to mentorships, that helped educate and prepare students to be global citizens. He also led Lynn's initiative to become the first Fair Trade University in Florida.

Prior to moving to Boca Raton, Hildebrand was the director of Middlebury Institute's Center for Social Impact Learning in Monterey, California, founder and CEO of the Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and CEO of the Katalysis Bootstrap Fund, where he spent 17 years working in microfinance.

He served on the Cordes Foundation board of directors and the Semester at Sea Corporate advisory board and worked with Fair Trade University USA, Opportunity Collaboration, Stockton Impact Corps and The World We Want Foundation. Hildebrand was also one of the first Peace Corps volunteers in the early 1960s.

"He created a new generation of hands-on, solution-minded pragmatists that pioneered practical, inventive and sustainable approaches to addressing the world's most pressing social issues," said President Kevin M. Ross. "We will miss Jerry's tenacity, ability to see the possible, and his will to make the world a better place."