Who is Sandy Weill? Ex-Citigroup CEO and his wife pledge $120 million to veterinary school that treated their dog

The University of California, Davis has received a $120 million donation from former Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill and his wife, Joan, marking one of the largest gifts ever made to a veterinary school.

It reportedly honours an institution that previously treated their ill dog and will help fund a major campus expansion, advance comparative medicine research that examines health and disease across species, and strengthen studies into illnesses such as cancer, neurological disorders, and heart disease.

In recognition of the donation, the university announced Wednesday that the school will be renamed the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, according to Bloomberg.

About $80 million of the Weills’ donation will go toward building a small animal teaching hospital as part of UC Davis’s $750 million Veterinary Medical Complex expansion. The gift, which ranks among the largest in the university’s history, will also help tackle the shortage of veterinarians by expanding facilities needed to attract, educate, and educate more students, the school said.

In a statement, Joan Weill mentioned, “Angel’s care at UC Davis left a lasting impression on our family. As Sandy and I became more involved with the school over the years, we have been continually inspired by its leadership, dedication to team science, pursuit of solving complex health challenges and its unwavering commitment to animals and the families who love them.”

Weill was named CEO of the Year by FinancialWorld magazine in 1998 and received the same distinction from Chief Executive magazine in 2002.

He was born in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, to Polish Jewish immigrants Etta (Kalika) and Max Weill. He attended PS 200 in Bensonhurst for elementary school and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Cornell University in 1955. That same year, he married Joan H. Mosher. The couple reportedly resides on a 362-acre estate they purchased in 2010 in Sonoma, California.

They have two children. Their daughter, Jessica Bibliowicz, worked in financial services under her father at firms including Smith Barney and later served as CEO of National Financial Partners until its acquisition. Their son, Marc Weill, also held leadership roles in his father’s financial companies, including CEO of Citigroup Investments, before stepping down in 2000 to pursue ventures in venture capital.