Saunders Alumnus Honors Debbie Kingsbury with Undergraduate Scholarship

Kevin Sheldon ‘02 (management information systems), chief people officer of Arcadia and chief operating officer of CareJourney, has endowed a scholarship in the name of Debbie Kingsbury ‘95 (applied arts and sciences) ‘98 (MS, career and human resource development), former assistant dean of the College of Art and Design and one-time academic advisor in Saunders College of Business. 

The Debbie Kingsbury Endowed Scholarship, which will be awarded for the first time in 2027, will be made available to RIT students who are enrolled full-time in Saunders College, have taken on leadership roles, and have demonstrated that service to the RIT community is a personal commitment and an integral part of their university experience. This scholarship will be one of many available to current Saunders students.

Sheldon maintained an exceptional level of campus engagement while at RIT: Student Government senator, active in the Newman Community, a singer in the a cappella group Eight Beat Measure, and much more, all while excelling in the classroom.
As an alumnus, Sheldon has remained very engaged with RIT, taking on leadership roles in the Alumni Advisory Board of Directors, the Greater Washington, D.C., Regional Council, and currently as a member of the National Council for Saunders College.

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Deb Kingsbury and Ritchie with the Golden Brick Award in 2011

“I was always a big believer in leadership while at school,” Sheldon says.

Unsurprisingly, he was a recipient of the Alfred L. and Ruby C. Davis Scholarship, awarded to undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional campus leadership, civic engagement, and significant service to the university. Sheldon wanted to give back to Saunders and RIT by modeling an endowment on the Davis Scholarship.

“I wanted to name the scholarship after someone, kind of like the Clark family did for Al Davis. Debbie Kingsbury was the first person that came to mind who positively impacted a lot of students’ lives. She was my mentor and my champion while I was at RIT.”

Kingsbury, who retired in 2020 after 32 years at RIT, worked in roles where she enthusiastically supported and encouraged students in their RIT journey. She advised several clubs, programmed numerous student activities and events, and organized the Saunders student-run volunteer and leadership organization, the Lowenthal Group. Also—and memorably for many students—Kingsbury organized and led domestic and international leadership trips.

Sheldon came to know Kingsbury on many of those trips, including four Big Shots. Most significantly, she served as his academic advisor in Saunders College.

Recalls Sheldon, “She was the advisor to the Lowenthal Group and the MIS club where I was a member. I was a Student Government senator and worked with her there as well. She took an invested role in student life and student camaraderie.” It’s not unusual to hear an alum recall, “I landed a great co-op because of Debbie’s support or connections.”

Deb Kingsbury with Kevin and Angie Sheldon

As she has with numerous RIT alumni, Kingsbury has kept in close contact with Sheldon since he graduated, and they remain close.

Still, she remarks, “It was a little shocking to me when this all happened.”

But Sheldon feels she shouldn’t be too surprised.

“I am by far not the only one who has that kind of relationship with Debbie.”

For example, consider the transformative experience of another Saunders alumnus, Jose Padin ‘00 (management information systems), vice president majors & public sectors solutions consulting at Zscaler, who has made a matching donation to the Debbie Kingsbury Endowed Scholarship.

“Debbie changed the trajectory of my life,” says Padin, “and taught me firsthand the power of building a network.” Read more about Padin’s experience.

There are doubtless many stories of how Debbie Kingsbury touched students’  lives, helped in their academic journeys, and furthered their careers. Anyone looking to honor her legacy and support future Saunders students can do so by contributing to the Debbie Kingsbury Endowed Scholarship.