Lindsay Hopkins, C'2003

Lindsay Hopkins, C'2003

1. Alumna Trustee Interest Statement

I am interested in becoming the Alumna Trustee because I have committed to serving the College time after time in whatever capacity the College needs, and I believe that my experience has prepared me to step into a new form of service as the Alumna Trustee. As the tides change toward innovation and technology, I am intimately aware of what is required for our students to be competitive professionally and academically. I have built an almost 20-year legal career in innovation/technology/law and have served as a trusted source of truth for my clients, and I would bring those professional and leadership skills to serve the College on day one. I also understand serving a higher calling/mission and not solely the interests of an affinity group. We must ensure that Spelman does not just endure these times, but she must come through the current climate as a shining example of excellence, accessibility, and light. I have supported the College and served Her mission for years. During this Alumna Trustee cycle, I received calls from the 1990s and the 2010s, and they had the same request. Spelmanites called because they have seen my service, they have been encouraged to donate in large and small gifts due to my giving, and they hope that my service in this role will provide an example for future servant leaders to do the same. I want to serve as Alumna Trustee to protect the legacy of the College and the sisterhood that we hold dear. 

2. Engagement with Spelman as Advocate, Donor and Volunteer

As a Young Alumna, I advocated/volunteered for the College in a variety of ways from admission panels to advocating for students to be admitted to law schools across the country. I served as a keynote speaker for A Day in the Life and other events at the College. I also served on the Steering Committee for the Sister-2-Sister Program. In that role, I noticed the decline in professional attire being worn by students. I leveraged my past work with Brooks Brothers and Ann Taylor to provide styling experiences for the students. Those workshops met them where they were financially and assisted them in developing their personal/professional look in a supportive and fun way. After attending the State of the College address during my 5-year Reunion, I increased my donations to the College and have served as a SpelAgent for each Reunion Cycle since then. This service culminated with a class gift of more than $1 million during our last Reunion Cycle. During my 10-year Reunion, I started the Lindsay-Hopkins endowed fund in honor of my parents who loved the mission and purpose of the College and entrusted her with their most prized possessions, my sister and me. During the preparations for my 20-year Reunion, I heard about the renovations of the Fine Arts Building and asked about naming opportunities, which resulted in my commitment to the Rockefeller Arts Building Multipurpose Room. While administrations have changed, my support of the College via my time, talent and treasures has remain steadfast.

At its core, the task of the Alumna Trustee is to serve as a steward of the College. My personal/professional experiences have keenly prepared me to serve as the College enters its new campaign with a focus towards AI and technology. As an intellectual property attorney, I am in an ideal position to serve as a strategic guardian of the gates we hold dear with a clear vision to strategically navigate conflicts while preserving the integrity of the College. As a scholarship recipient during my time at Spelman, I am also keenly aware of the life changing impact that scholarships have on our student body. I have heard about the crushing weight of the cost of attendance directly from students. When I work with alumnae donors, I often start the conversation with their own financial package and whether those some offerings are available today. I lead from the front by allowing my gifts to be shared and donating my time to assist others in developing giving packages and commitments. I currently serve on the Southeastern Region Program Committee of Jack & Jill of America, Inc. (JJAI) and on the Executive Board of the Atlanta Chapter of JJAI (Program Director – 2025-2027 and Chapter President-Elect). I have also served as the young professional co-chair for the National Black Arts Festival and in NAASC Chapters in Boston, South Florida, and Atlanta. Due to my fundraising efforts, I was also named the 2024 Woman of Impact for the Metro Atlanta – American Heart Association.

4. Initiatives to Promote Spelman to the Outside Community

I proudly carry Spelman College’s name into every room that I have entered since the gates of the College opened to me in 1999. As an intellectual property attorney, I carry the Spelman name into every courtroom from district courts to the U.S. Supreme Court to European Patent Office proceedings with an eye on exposure and potential opportunities for current students and Spelmanites for years to come. Outside of the personal and professional arenas, I also think about fundraising opportunities/strategic partnerships that should be open/available to the College. For example, when I moved to Miami, I saw that it was a relatively untapped market for Spelman’s fundraising efforts. I approached the College about an event during Art Basel. When the College responded with an interest in a reception at the Convention Center, I developed the host committee, identified the alumna to curate the space without charge to the College and then secured alumnae for subsequent receptions and dinners to support our fundraising efforts in South Florida. Between the two South Florida events, I developed a $5 million purse but with the closure of the Fine Arts program, two of the potential donors did not commit their resources to the College. As we work to create new majors and opportunities, these donors and others could be a ripe space for developmental opportunities. I continue to identify potential pipelines and opportunities for students and alumnae to this day and work to develop opportunities that align with the goals/mission of the College.