The Sweetest Gift

By Paul Miller

ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov 6, 2025) — On warm summer nights in high school; Amy Knapp '97 could often be found behind the counter at the Charcoal Corral in her western New York hometown of Perry, pulling chocolate and vanilla soft-serve cones for her neighbors and the throngs of tourists visiting nearby Letchworth State Park.

"It was always fun when someone ordered banana splits or a hot fudge sundae," says Knapp from her Manhattan home — a world away from her small-town upbringing, where her family roots run so deep that her daughter once asked why everyone knew who they were. "Well, because your grandmother has a hair salon on Main Street," Knapp explained, "and my grandfather has the barbershop next door ... in a small town, everybody knows everybody."

Growing up in that close-knit community taught Knapp hard work, responsibility and integrity — lessons she carried with her to UAlbany and into her nearly 30-year career at the upper echelons of finance. She started at Coopers during its merger with Pricewaterhouse (now PwC), then went on to work in private equity as a vice president with J.P. Morgan and, ultimately, ascended to partner and chief operating officer at Corsair Capital, a spin-off of J.P. Morgan that today has more than $10B in assets under management. Knapp is now an advisor with the firm, but it was during her 25 years at Corsair that she experienced one of her most gratifying lessons in leadership: mentoring young people's successes. 

"During my time at Corsair ... a lot of people who worked for me went on to become CFOs at private equity firms," Knapp proudly shares. Recognizing bright, young talent is not only a skill set that she possesses; it's also at home running through her life. From elementary school through college and into her professional career, Knapp was often selected for special programs, given special assignments or recruited away to higher positions. 

These experiences influenced her brand of quiet and empathetic leadership and inspired her philanthropy to support UAlbany students. 

"So many of the students are bright and capable," says Knapp, who knows that coming from a modest background can affect one's confidence and, sometimes, the ability to see possibilities. "I know the feeling. I was that student." In 2015, she established her first endowed scholarship to support students in need, particularly from rural western New York counties like her own. With a desire to help even more students, Knapp — as co-chair of the $30 million fundraising effort entitled Inspire the Next: The Campaign for the Massry School of Business — created a planned gift with a bequest intention of a retirement asset, naming UAlbany as the beneficiary. For Knapp, the timing was perfect. 

"I'm looking at my whole financial life right now," says Knapp, who just turned 50. "And UAlbany gave me the foundation for everything I've been able to achieve. If I can help even one student have that same opportunity, then I know I'm making the kind of impact that lasts. 

For Knapp, knowing that her planned gift —  and the UAlbany students it helps —  will endure as the proverbial "cherry on top", a fitting continuation for the former small-town girl who once served ice cream all those summers ago.