Florida philanthropists Herbert and Nicole Wertheim have joined The Giving Pledge, a commitment by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.
The Wertheims join Bill and Melinda Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffett, among other global philanthropists, who plan to give most of their money away.
“We are honored to have been invited to join this group of successful and highly dedicated philanthropists,” said Herbert Wertheim, a Horatio Alger Medal recipient, who started out as an optometric physician and became an inventor and entrepreneur. “I believe in the power of technology and preventive medicine to improve the quality of our lives and will continue to work to promote those ideas.”
Herbert Wertheim has served FIU for three decades as a two-term trustee, foundation chairman, and chairman of the successful College of Medicine initiative. His name graces the medical school at FIU, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. In addition, the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences at FIU is named in honor of his wife, Nicole Wertheim. FIU also has the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center and the Wertheim Conservatory.
Last year the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation made a gift to the University of Florida that brought their total gifts to higher education in Florida to more than $100 million.
“The vision and generosity that we have seen from the Wertheims over the years is exactly the kind of selflessness that makes the world a better place,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “By joining this international group of philanthropists, the Wertheim family honors their foundation’s motto “Making Life on Earth Better” and challenges all of us to reach higher and work to improve the world around us.”
