Juliette MacKay Memorial Fellowship Campaign

We seek to raise a minimum of $100,000 by May 31, 2024, to establish a fellowship at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in Juliette's name. Please join us in this journey to preserve her memory and honor her legacy, by donating and sharing the message with people in your network. 

The Impact:

Juliette was different, unique, and destined for greatness. Juliette’s vision was to reshape society for a sustainable future. We, as her classmates and broader UCLA community, family, and friends have an opportunity to leave an eternal memory in her name by awarding a fellowship for UCLA Anderson students who share Juliette’s interest in entrepreneurship, women in leadership and climate change, and innovation to help make the planet a better place to live in. 

She championed entrepreneurship and clean eco-agricultural innovation and spent her final moments showcasing her company, Evoia, at a climate change conference in Paris.  

See Juliette's last post trying to make a dent in plant sustainability. 

About Juliette Lynn MacKay

(From her obituary) Juliette Lynn MacKay, beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, passed away unexpectedly on May 31, 2023, in her 43rd year of bringing laughter, light, and positivity to the world.

Juliette was born August 7, 1979, and grew up in Maryland. In 2001, she earned her degree in chemical engineering from Rice University in Houston, where she met her husband Andy while singing together in an acapella group.

The couple settled in Newbury Park in 2004, and have three children, Genevieve, Leander, and Vivienne. Juliette loved photography and frequently persuaded her family and friends to join her while making fun, photogenic, and lasting memories. 

Her career accomplishments included completing her MBA at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Stemming from her MBA Capstone, Juliette was also a co-founder of BundleRoo, a sustainable clothing marketplace for kids.  Most recently, in 2020, Juliette became the founder and CEO of EVOIA, an agricultural startup. She loved to travel and passed away while in Paris, France, pitching EVOIA at the Extreme Tech Sustainability Startup Challenge. 

Juliette and her family

Juliette worked hard to make sure that she balanced plenty of family time and energy against the demands of work and study. She was a boundless source of energy and enthusiasm, and was always the person who planned events and outings, making sure everyone was included, and taking photographs to preserve memories of time together. Some memories of Juliette with her family are below.

Juliette, in her own words 

COVID-19 hit during UCLA EMBA '21's first year. To better learn and connect with their new classmates, two talented ladies created a podcast to interview their classmates.

Reflections from friends, classmates, and colleagues:

▶ UCLA Anderson Classmates

One of Juliette’s nicknames given by her teammates at BundleRoo was “181”, from a score she received in one of our finals (which happened to be the highest of the class). She never bragged about it and didn’t even want to mention it to us, but we were proud of her effort and bragged on her behalf, reminding her of her achievements at UCLA and in her career.  As part of the BundleRoo team, other class projects, and even competing against Juliette’s team in a NetImpact Challenge, we knew we were in the presence of one of the smartest people in the class. She was someone you aspired to be and also wanted to be around. Juliette is sorely missed and we hope this scholarship will inspire recipients to feel the extension of her greatness. 

"I had the great pleasure to be in different study groups, travel to Spain, and create a business named Bundle Roo with Juliette. She was the smartest person in the room and you would have never known because of how humble and down to earth she was. I learned from her how to be the nice 'Devil's advocate', she always looked from different viewpoints and put herself in the other person's shoes to make sure she was not missing anything. She was a rock star in my eyes and held the bar high by putting 110% into everything she did. I will miss her dearly, to me she is the brightest star in the sky watching over us and will be forever in my heart"

Apart from being extremely smart, she was among the kindest people we have ever met. She always greeted you with a smile and had a positive energy. She was always there to help and she put the needs of others ahead of her own. 

▶ Rice University Classmates

Juliette was naturally a strong and dedicated student and formed close relationships in the "ChemE" community. However, she was most beloved for her generous and fun-loving spirit and many extracurricular activities, including singing in the a capella group, The Philharmonics, performing in and directing college theater productions, and working at the campus coffee shop. Juliette also honed her love of photography at Rice, which she later parlayed into a small business specializing in special events and family photos.

▶ EVOIA Colleagues

We are devastated by the unexpected death of Juliette MacKay, EVOIA CEO. Juliette was a passionate, enthusiastic, and compassionate business leader, mentor, wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. She will be painfully missed by so many, including all of us at EVOIA.

I spent time with Juliette at the World AgriTech Innovation Expo and will cherish the memories of how we carefully tracked down investors and potential partners then tag teamed them to sing the praises of EVOIA and AgLaunch.  We had so much fun!  I speak for our AgLaunch team in saying that we will truly feel the void of her presence and we will miss her.  - Margaret W. Oldham

We will honor Juliette’s life, efforts, and example by making EVOIA everything she hoped and worked for, and surely we can all draw from how she lived life, to help us live ours to the fullest. - Roberto Paxson, acting CEO.

Please make an impact by contributing and spreading the word. We can impact her legacy and other deserving students' future to be inspired to walk in her path!

Your tax-deductible gift will be directed through the UCLA Foundation (Tax ID# 95-250801). If you'd like to make a contribution via Donor Advised Fund, stocks/securities, wire transfer, or other vehicle, please visit anderson.ucla.edu/howtogive for more information.

Many companies will match employees’ charitable donations. Visit matchinggifts.com/ucla to find out if your employer participates.

To pledge your support over time, contact Lauren Seebold at lauren.seebold@anderson.ucla.edu or 310-206-2449. The full amount of your pledge will be counted towards our effort to establish a fellowship in Juliette's name.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE UCLA FOUNDATION'S DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS FOR DONORS

Should this fund reach the campus minimum required for the establishment of an endowment or quasi-endowment, The UCLA Foundation reserves the right to convert this fund to an endowment or quasi-endowment. Please click here to learn more about how the UCLA Foundation invests and manages its endowments.