Clarksville, TN – Joe and Cathi Maynard have made a transformational commitment to give $2 million over the course of 10 years to establish the Joe and Cathi Maynard Family Fund of Excellence at Austin Peay State University (APSU).
Each year, the fund will be used to meet the greatest needs of the University and its students.
The fund has had a significant impact on the “What If” Comprehensive Campaign for Austin Peay State University, the most ambitious fundraising effort in University history.
The Maynards also recently made a contribution to the APSU Dance Team Fund of Excellence, enabling the APSU dance team to purchase new uniforms and to travel to nationals, where they placed third in the country.
This gift and their other impressive commitments from previous years have contributed to the overall fundraising total for the campaign.
During the campaign, they made gifts to funds including the APSU Victory Fund, the Baseball Fund of Excellence and the Baseball Improvement Fund, the Softball Fund of Excellence, the Football Fund of Excellence, the Men’s Basketball Fund of Excellence, the Athletics Director Fund of Excellence and the Candlelight Ball.
Most notably, the Maynards designated $1.25 million to the Baseball and Softball Facility Fund. These gifts, combined with the donation for their new fund, bring their total giving during the campaign to $3.5 million.
“Joe and Cathi have an impressive passion for supporting all areas of our University, as well as our student-athletes,” Vice President for University Advancement Kris Phillips said. “We cannot thank them enough for the many contributions they have made to continue our legacy of excellence.”
Several years ago, Joe and Cathi Maynard moved with their family to Montgomery County. Joe is a co-owner of ECHO Power Engineering, LLC, a power engineering company with customers such as the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), The Tennessee Valley Authority, and NASA. He and his business partner decided to form a 10-year partnership with APSU to give back to their new community. This led the University’s Athletics Department to rename the club level inside Fortera Stadium the ECHO Power Club Level.
Since 2017, Joe and Cathi have continued to give generously to the University, including the baseball field – now named Joe Maynard Field – and the softball park – known as Cathi Maynard Park. Overall, their giving to Austin Peay has been substantial. Joe and Cathi have also helped other areas of the University, including sponsorship opportunities through their business.
Joe retired from the U.S. Army, having spent most of his career as a prime power production specialist with the Corps of Engineers. In that position, he traveled the world, providing critical infrastructure to developing nations. He met Cathi while serving in the military. She also served in the U.S. Army, as did several other members of their family. In 2020, Joe and Cathi received the APSU Philanthropists of the Year Award presented by the APSU Board of Trustees.
This gift is part of the “What if” Comprehensive Campaign for Austin Peay, launched on November 19th, 2020. To learn more about the campaign, visit apsu.edu/whatif or connect with us on Facebook (facebook.com/austinpeay), Twitter (twitter.com/APSUAlumni), Instagram (instagram.com/apsualumni) using #whatifapsu.
To support Austin Peay State University fundraising initiatives, contact the Office of University Advancement at 931.221.7127.
