Innovation in Funding Research Podcast with Kevin Byrne, TUFF President and CEO

Far beyond providing financing, The University Financing Foundation (TUFF) partners with institutions to accelerate innovation, foster industry collaboration, and create lasting economic development in communities. For more than 40 years, TUFF has worked across the country developing innovative ideas about both how to approach a problem and how to solve that problem. TUFF originated as an innovation, solving a challenge in a way that hadn't been considered, and today we continue the original mandate.

TUFF President and CEO Kevin Byrne recently talked with Rick Skinner of Harris Search Associates to explore the origins of TUFF and its innovative role in higher education today. Rick and Kevin first met in 2000 when Rick was president of Clayton State University in Atlanta. Rick was a pioneer in his career as the chief executive at many institutions and engaged with TUFF to reimagine the front door of Clayton State. Today Rick continues to innovate higher education through the placement of senior executives while also providing cutting edge content for leaders across the globe.

In this episode of Innovators, Kevin describes how TUFF was created out of a need for faster, more flexible solutions - and how that same spirit of innovation continues to guide the organization's work with partners like Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt University, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh, and Rosalind Franklin University.

The conversation highlights TUFF's unique approach: listening first, diagnosing real needs, and often guiding institutions toward strategies that go well beyond simply constructing buildings. Kevin also reflects on how TUFF helps universities and research organizations strengthen their ecosystems, attract industry partners, and prepare for the evolving challenges of higher education - from shifting enrollments to new funding models.

Listen to the full conversation here.