Wicklow Foundation gives $2 million to establish Margaret Faye Wilson Endowment at the Salk Institute

May 20, 2024

Wicklow Foundation gives $2 million to establish Margaret Faye Wilson Endowment at the Salk Institute

Gift honors former Salk trustee and supports the Institute’s Chief Information Officer and biocomputation strategy

May 20, 2024

LA JOLLA—The Wicklow Foundation has donated $2 million to the Salk Institute to establish the Margaret Faye Wilson Endowment in honor of the banking and retail leader and former Salk Trustee. Wilson served on the Salk Board from 2010 to 2019 and was a generous supporter of the Institute’s research over the years. A treasured member of the community, Wilson died in July 2023.

The new endowment will support Salk’s Chief Information Officer and the Institute’s biocomputation strategy. With new investments in biocomputation—advanced capabilities in computing, data storage, machine learning, and artificial intelligence—the Institute is working to better position Salk researchers to acquire high-throughput data and harness varied datasets. The Wicklow Foundation’s investment will empower researchers to tackle currently unaddressed scientific questions and open fundamentally new areas of inquiry across fields ranging from cancer to climate change.

“We are deeply grateful to the Wicklow Foundation for the incredible support it has shown to Salk science with this and other commitments over time,” says Salk President Gerald Joyce. “I can think of no better way to honor Faye, who meant so much to the Institute’s success, than by establishing this enduring endowment.”

Prior to her service as a Salk Trustee, Wilson co-founded Wilson Boyles & Company, a business management and strategic planning consulting firm with offices in San Diego and Chicago. She previously held the position of senior vice president of the Risk Management Group for The Home Depot, also serving on that board of directors, and spent 21 years at Bank of America, where she was a top-level executive.

Over the course of her career, Wilson served on multiple corporate boards, including Biocept, Inc. She also held positions on numerous civic boards in San Diego, including the San Diego Opera, the Civic Theatre, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and the San Diego Humane Society.

Friends, colleagues, and all those passionate about science are encouraged to join in supporting this endowment, ensuring that Wilson’s legacy at Salk endures for generations to come. To contribute to the Margaret Faye Wilson Endowment, please contact Dacia Samilo at dsamilo@salk.edu or (858) 453-4100 x2068.