Accounting for the Future
Craig Steeneck ’80 and wife, Sandra
Craig Steeneck ’80 fell in love with the URI campus when he first saw it. He made friends in his residence hall by playing intramural sports and tutoring. He and his friends attended basketball games and moved “down the line” in his senior year. He earned a degree in accounting with guidance from College of Business faculty.
After graduation, Craig moved back to New Jersey to work for Price Waterhouse (now PwC). He excelled in his career, met his wife, and stayed close with some of his college friends, but he didn’t come back to campus for more than 20 years.
“Sandra and I have both had wonderful careers, and about 10 years ago we visited a financial planner,” Craig said. “We don’t have children, so we made arrangements in our estate for our families and we decided to support five organizations that were important to us, URI being one of them.”
Craig and Sandra worked to determine how they could have the greatest impact on students in the College of Business. They started visiting campus and seeing all the changes since Craig graduated.
“The fact that we can improve the University and the College of Business is rewarding,” said Craig. “Our estate will establish the Steeneck Family Endowed College of Business Excellence Fund to support cutting-edge technology benefiting students and faculty, as well as global education through study abroad and international guest speakers.
“We also decided to support the Ballentine Hall building project. The financial planner helped us establish a donor advised fund (DAF) that has tax advantages to us now and allows us to contribute annually to Ballentine Hall and RhodyNow.”
“Craig and I are excited by what we see happening at URI,” said Sandra. “We’ve enjoyed coming to Rhode Island for visits, attending athletic events, and meeting new people.”
Sandra is a former shopper marketing finance manager for Mondelez International. Prior, she was a consultant with Resources Global Professionals, and for more than 20 years held various senior finance roles at Reckitt Benckiser.
Craig served in leadership positions in corporate accounting until he retired as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Pinnacle Foods, Inc. in 2018. He has been a member of the board of directors for Freshpet since 2014, Hostess Brands since 2016, and Utz Brands since 2018. He and Sandra appreciate the value of education, and they are helping secure a brighter future for URI students.
To learn more about the ways you can give back and create a legacy at URI, please contact Office of Gift Planning at 401.874.7900 or plannedgiving@uri.edu.
Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.