Jill Mansfield, BU ’15, continues to give back to the university by supporting the interior design program and serving on the Board of Trustees.
Mansfield, who earned a Master of Interior Design degree from Brenau, has been a longtime supporter of the department. She takes the students on tours of her business, Jill Mansfield Interiors LLC, and current interior design projects.
“I enjoy working with the students, especially those from other countries, but I have a great interest in the cohort as they learn. I want them to see what it’s like in the real world, and since I’m local, they can see a job site in varying stages, see what the process is like, and see how it turns out,” Mansfield says. “My own experience at Brenau was so wonderful, and it was challenging. My business has been extremely successful and I owe that to Brenau.”
Supporting Brenau runs in Mansfield’s family, and some of her childhood memories involve visiting the university. Her mother, Dixie Chester Ramsey, also attended Brenau, and Ramsey and her husband Wilbur created the Ramsey-Chester Endowed Scholarship Fund that supports students seeking a nursing degree.
“She instilled in me the importance of giving back to the community and something that you feel passionate about,” Mansfield says. “After I went to Brenau, I understood how she felt.”
Mansfield’s husband, John E. Mansfield Jr., continued the family tradition of support when he honored his wife with a gift to establish the Jill Ramsey Mansfield Opportunities Fund for Interior Design.
“It was a very special Christmas gift, and I hope we can continue to add to it,” she says. “The design department needs tools and resources to operate. And I know that when I was there, you needed a lot of materials for projects, which were expensive. If I can help provide those tools and help students succeed academically, that means a lot to me.”
Jill Mansfield started her company in 2014 after more than 30 years with the real estate rental and development company Ramsey Properties, of which she is still president. In 2020, she was featured in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Designer Showhouse.
