Trapp Named Potts UNA Foundation Leadership Award Recipient
Jun. 04, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Walter “Rusty” Trapp has been named a recipient of the Robert L. Potts University of North Alabama Foundation Leadership Award. Established in 2020, the Potts Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions of time, talent, and/or treasure to UNA, the UNA Foundation, and/or the community.
“Rusty has long been a valued member of the UNA and greater Shoals communities,” said UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts. “Throughout his years of service on the UNA Foundation Board, he contributed a great deal to the success the foundation enjoys today, ensuring a bright future for our investments and, equally as significantly, to the students and programs that rely on the foundation.”
Trapp served on the UNA Foundation Board from May 1, 2009 until Sept. 30, 2021. During his tenure, he chaired the Investment Committee and was responsible for the recommendation that led to the selection of the firm SEI Investments to manage the Foundation’s assets, a decision that has had a profoundly positive effect on the University and the Foundation. Further, Trapp was responsible for helping secure gifts that led to the naming of the Mitchell Burford Science and Technology Building as well as the Sanders College of Business and Technology.
Rusty and his wife, Gail, have been generous donors to the University, contributing significantly to student scholarships, the 1830 Fund (UNA’s Annual Fund), and to UNA Athletics. The couple have three children and eight grandchildren.
Trapp graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1973. A Certified Financial Planner, he has been recognized on numerous occasions by Barron’s as one of “America’s Top 1,000 Advisors,” and Forbes has named The Trapp Group a Best-in-State Wealth Management Team.
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; the Spencer College of Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.