October 08, 2009

Phoenix advertising executive and alumnus Tom Dynjan and his wife, Helen, have made an $80,000 gift to establish the Tom F. and Helen Dynjan Endowment Fund, which will support Fresno State’s Central Valley Educational Leadership Institute (CVELI). The fund will pay for staff development in school districts that lack funding for such activities.

CVELI was established at the university in 2004 to strengthen schools and build on the educational successes of students by providing professional support to school administrators and principals in the Central Valley. From Modesto to Bakersfield, CVELI provides conferences, training, coaching and consulting to 150 participating school districts.

Dynjan, founder of Dynjan &, an advertising and communications agency in Phoenix, said he and his wife decided to make the gift after hearing a presentation by CVELI director Walt Buster.

“I was very impressed with what they were doing,” said Dynjan, who received a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1971 and an MBA in 1972 from Fresno State. “We wanted to give back to the community. Education is key to getting kids to prosper in our society.”

Buster noted, “The Dynjan' s gift to CVELI will allow us to directly support the leaders of our Valley school districts as they seek to provide children with increased opportunities for success. Leadership matters and providing district leaders with research on best practices – as well as having them meet and share ideas – will lead to school reform.”