Jessie and Benoît Jamar P09 are co-chairs of the Parents Committee. “We have been active with the Parents Fund since the fall of our daughter’s freshman year,” says Benoît. “We are mindful of the fact that tuition covers less than 40 percent of the real cost of a Princeton education, so we believe it is our duty—and the duty of everyone who can—to contribute more than tuition.”

Benoît is Belgian, Jessie, Canadian. Educated as an engineer at the Université Catholique de Louvain, Benoît later earned his MBA at Columbia University and went into investment banking. With two law degrees from McGill University, Jessie passed the NY bar and was working as a lawyer in New York City when they met. They lived in the city until their first two children, Natacha and Alexandre, were born; then they moved to Darien, Connecticut, where a third child, Charlotte, completed their family.

After 20 years in investment banking, Benoît now describes himself as “semi-retired.” He enjoys spending time with his children, especially sailing, swimming, golfing, and skiing. He and Jessie are involved in a variety of volunteer activities, including work with other educational institutions and with the International Dyslexia Association.

Both the Jamars dedicate much of their time to working for Princeton, for Annual Giving and for the Aspire campaign. They are particularly committed to the University’s expanding international initiatives. “For all of our futures,” says Jessie, “it’s crucial for the U.S. to have a better understanding of foreign people and how they think, to develop better relations with other countries.”

The Jamars are excited about making the Parents Fund even more successful. They have established a new steering committee for the fund, and are actively recruiting additional volunteers, improving volunteer training, and looking forward to using the online TigerTracks system to refine the process of identifying prospects and facilitate feedback.

“We believe Princeton is one of the best universities in the world, perhaps the very best for undergraduates,” says Jessie, “and we are grateful for what it has done for our daughter Natacha.”

Natacha is majoring in economics and earning certificates in finance and Spanish. “She has been challenged,” Benoît says, “and she has blossomed.”