$10 million gift from Heidi Charleson to veterinary college
Philanthropist Heidi Charleson has made a $10 million gift to Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, strengthening a decades-long relationship with the institution and furthering her mission to improve the lives of animals and those who care for them.
The new commitment—the largest in the college’s history—will fund a major renovation of the Emergency and Critical Care Unit at the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
It will also endow funds to sustain medical equipment, expand scholarships for veterinary students, and create a Good Samaritan Fund to cover the treatment of animals without owners or whose caretakers cannot afford lifesaving care.
“This gift is a wonderfully holistic approach to supporting animals and the people who care for them,” said Dr. Dori Borjesson, dean of the college.
“Heidi and her late husband, Lou, have made possible the kind of transformative improvements that touch every aspect of our mission—from clinical care and teaching to community service.”
Charleson’s latest donation builds on a legacy that began nearly fifty years ago, when she and Lou, both lifelong dog lovers, first visited WSU at the urging of their friend Dr. Leo Bustad, son of the college’s former dean. That visit evolved into a partnership rooted in a shared belief that education and compassion can drive meaningful change.
Their philanthropic relationship with WSU began formally in 2007, when they created the Heidi Charleson Scholarship to support veterinary students. But a deeply personal experience later intensified their commitment.
When the couple’s black Labrador, Cooper, was diagnosed with melanoma and laryngeal paralysis, they turned to Dr. Rance Sellon, a WSU professor and veterinary oncologist. His care extended Cooper’s life by three years. In gratitude, the couple endowed the Dr. Rance Sellon Chair in Veterinary Clinical Oncology in 2024 with a $6 million gift—the largest of its kind at the university.
“Lou and Heidi’s generosity has fundamentally changed what we can do here,” Dr. Sellon said.
“They’ve created opportunities for research and care that will benefit animals and their families for decades.”
Lou Woodworth died in November 2024, but his influence endures through the programs and scholarships that bear his and Heidi’s names.
For Charleson, this latest commitment is both an act of remembrance and continuation—a way to sustain the couple’s shared devotion to the human–animal bond.
Outside of WSU, Charleson supports a range of conservation and education causes, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Network, Evans Scholars Foundation, and First Tee of Cleveland.
“Lou and I always believed that giving should be guided by gratitude,” Charleson said. “The people and institutions that make the world kinder deserve to be strengthened. That’s what this gift is about.”
For WSU, it’s a gift that extends beyond buildings and funds—it represents a profound continuity of care that binds generations of donors, students, veterinarians, and the animals whose lives they touch.