Doug and Sara Bailey

Westport, CT

"We need a workforce of knowledgeable, skilled people who will advance tomorrow's technologies within the energy sector," says Doug Bailey, who along with his wife, Sara, recently made a gift to the MIT Energy Initiative to support graduate fellowships in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Credit: Ed Quinn

"The world needs human ingenuity to achieve the goal of global energy security through sources and processes that are economically and environmentally responsible," says Bailey. He adds that the gift will provide support for students interested in innovations to improve the use and production of fossil fuels.

"There are many deserving places one can support, but you have to follow your heart," he says. "I chose MIT because of what it did for me and what I believe it can do for others."

Bailey, a member of the MIT Class of 1972, earned BS, MS, and engineer degrees, all in mechanical engineering. After working as an engineer with Foster-Miller, he earned an MBA from Harvard in 1978. He subsequently joined Corning, where he worked in manufacturing and marketing. Now Bailey is president and CEO of American Bailey Corporation, a private-equity firm that he cofounded in Stamford, CT, in 1984 with his father, also a mechanical engineer. He is also deputy chairman of Fuel Tech, a public company that focuses on cost-­effective and environmentally sustainable energy technologies.

For fun, Doug and Sara take ballroom dance lessons and participate in professional/amateur dancesport competitions in various cities.

In honor of Bailey's 35th reunion, the couple provided matching funds to gifts made by members of the Class of 1972. They also added to the Douglas G. and Sara G. Bailey UROP Fund, which champions the program that pairs faculty and students in research partnerships.

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"I believe that education offers the greatest return on any investment that one can make. If you ask yourself what brought you success, in large part it has to be your education," he says. "So what better way to give back than to support the same institution that gave you that opportunity?"

For giving information, contact Stuart Krantz:
617-253-5905; skrantz@mit.edu.
Or visit giving.mit.edu