Honoring the Past, Fueling the Future: The David Galas Fund for Fellows
For more than 20 years, Chairman Emeritus and Hertz Fellow David Galas led the Hertz Foundation with passion, dedication and a vision for its future.
Throughout his tenure, Galas’ thoughtful and compassionate leadership enriched the lives of those around him. He was always focused on identifying bright young people and providing them with the support, opportunities and mentorship to maximize their potential.
To honor Galas’ incredible service to the Hertz Foundation, and to carry on his legacy in perpetuity, we are establishing the new David Galas Fund for Fellows, an endowed fund to support and celebrate Hertz Fellows and deepen their experience through mentorship activities, events and professional development opportunities. Galas’ own vision and wide-ranging, multidisciplinary career are reflected in this fund’s support for the foundation’s continued growth and evolution in the everchanging world of science and technology.
Galas’ extraordinary efforts touched every aspect of the Hertz Fellow experience, from interviewing, to mentoring, to fostering the growth of the Hertz Community. He cared deeply about ensuring that the Hertz Fellowship nurtured the extraordinary talent and promise of young scientists and provided a distinctive and enduring experience to support them throughout their careers.
Galas was keenly aware of the constantly evolving nature of science and the need for the Hertz Foundation to be agile and engage in emerging areas. His early influence on the foundation expanding to fellowship applicants interested in the biological sciences was both prescient and strategic, helping to shape the foundation as it is today. Hertz Fellows in these areas have made enormous contributions to science and to the nation.
The David Galas Fund for Fellows honors Galas’ incredible influence and impact and carries his work into the future. The fund has been initiated by Hertz Fellows and friends who want to ensure that the Hertz Thesis Prize, the fellowship experience, and community and mentorship activities continue to thrive and encourage innovation, collaboration and connection throughout the Hertz Community. Hertz Fellows including Daniel Slichter, part of the 2006 cohort of Hertz Fellows, and others are spearheading the new fund, which is now open for contributions in Galas’ memory.
We in the Hertz Community owe a great deal to Galas’ thoughtful, selfless and forward-looking leadership of the Hertz Foundation. This fund ensures that his legacy will continue.