Steve and Sue Wilson give $10 million to name north campus entrance of the Ann McIlrath Drake Executive Center
The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University announced today a $10 million gift from Northwestern Trustee Stephen R. Wilson ’70, ’74 MBA (’08 P) and his wife, Susan K. Wilson ’70 (’08 P) to support the new Ann McIlrath Drake Executive Center. In recognition of their generosity, the building’s north campus entrance — including its lobby and reception area — will be named the Stephen R. and Susan K. Wilson Family North Lobby in the Wilsons’ honor.
Set to open in fall 2027, the Ann McIlrath Drake Executive Center will serve as the new home for Kellogg’s Executive MBA and Executive Education programs while also providing academic space for students across all Kellogg programs. Positioned adjacent to the Kellogg Global Hub and connected to it by an underground corridor, the building overlooks Lake Michigan and will complete a unified Kellogg footprint on the Evanston campus.
“Steve and Sue have spent decades showing up for Northwestern — through their support of our students, our student-athletes and now the very entrance of our newest building,” said Francesca Cornelli, dean of the Kellogg School of Management. “Their gift ensures that the first experience anyone has of this center is one of light, welcome and possibility. That is exactly the spirit they’ve brought to this community for more than 50 years.”
The Stephen R. and Susan K. Wilson Family North Lobby will serve as a primary point of entry, welcoming visitors from the Global Hub and north campus parking lots. With direct views of the lake and the Promenade, the light-filled, ornamental lobby is designed as a gateway to many of the center’s most active spaces — a place where students, faculty, alumni, staff and visiting executives first experience Kellogg.
“Steve and Sue Wilson embody what it means to be lifelong stewards of this University and dedicated supporters of the Wildcats,” said Mung Chiang, president of Northwestern University. “From athletics to the arts, and now to one of the most visible spaces in Kellogg’s new executive center, the Wilsons’ generosity has touched many corners of our campus. We are deeply grateful for their continued partnership and vision.”
The gift deepens the Wilsons’ decades-long commitment to Northwestern. Steve Wilson, retired chairman and CEO of CF Industries Holdings, Inc., earned his MBA from Kellogg and has served on the Northwestern Board of Trustees for many years. Sue currently serves on the Northwestern Women’s Board and has previously served on The Block Museum of Art Board of Advisors. Steve and Sue have supported the University through gifts to Northwestern Athletics and Recreation — including the naming of Wilson Field inside Ryan Fieldhouse and the Wilson Club at Welsh-Ryan Arena — as well as the Susan and Stephen Wilson Block Museum Engagement Fund and support for Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy. The enduring philanthropy of the Wilson family, including their son Jeffrey ’08 MBA and daughter Elizabeth, reflects a shared belief in the power of Northwestern’s people, programs and spaces to shape leaders.
“Our family has always believed that a great university is built one generation at a time, and we have been fortunate to see that happen firsthand at Northwestern,” Steve Wilson said. “This building will bring together students, faculty and business leaders from around the world, and we wanted the very first space they experience — the entrance and lobby — to reflect the ambition and warmth of this community.”
The Ann McIlrath Drake Executive Center is the centerpiece of Kellogg’s Full Circle Campaign, an ambitious $600 million fundraising initiative to transform business education for generations to come. The Wilsons’ gift joins commitments from a number of Kellogg’s most dedicated supporters in bringing the building to life.
“We are so proud to be part of this moment for Kellogg,” Sue Wilson said. “Every time we have made a gift to this University, we have done so because we know what happens when talented people are given the right spaces to connect and grow. We can’t wait to see students gather in that lobby, looking out at the lake, on their way into everything Kellogg has to offer.”