WASHINGTON, D.C., October 20, 2011 – The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), representing more than 4,800 executives of philanthropic programs in North America supporting not-for-profit hospitals, clinics, health systems and related facilities, has announced its recently-elected board of directors.
AHP is the leading authority for standards, knowledge and leadership in health care philanthropy. As the world’s largest association for health care fundraising professionals, AHP members raise more than $9 billion each year for community health services. AHP supports its members and serves the public through high performance standards, expert knowledge development and executive leadership that advance the practice and performance of health care philanthropy at both the local and national level.
The AHP board of directors is the association’s chief policy-making body, with overall responsibility for ensuring that AHP’s business, property and affairs are managed in a manner consistent with its purpose, bylaws and applicable laws. Officers serve one-year terms and regional directors serve for two years.
Officers of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy are:
Chair: Susan J. Doliner, FAHP, CFRE, associate vice president of Maine Medical Center (MMC)– Development Department. Located in Portland, Maine, the 637-bed teaching hospital Maine Medical Center serves as a community hospital for the people of greater Portland and as the premier tertiary care center for northern New England. MMC’s Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital is the state’s only accredited children’s hospital.
Chair-elect: William S. Littlejohn, CEO and senior vice president of Sharp HealthCare Foundation in San Diego, Calif., which supports the charitable missions of Sharp Memorial Hospital, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns, Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital, Sharp Vista Pacifica Hospital, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center and Sharp Rees-Stealy.
Past-chair: Mary Anne Chern, FAHP, ACFRE, president of White Memorial Medical Center Charitable Foundation, Los Angeles, Calif. White Memorial Medical Center, a part of Adventist Health, is a 353-bed, not-for-profit, faith-based, teaching hospital serving communities in and near downtown Los Angeles.
Secretary-Treasurer: Merv D. Webb, FAHP, vice president of the Rockingham Memorial Hospital Foundation (RMH), Harrisonburg, Va. At RMH, in addition to building annual support and planned giving programs, capital campaigns have been conducted for two cancer centers, a $10 million endowment program, a new hospital and more recently for a women’s center.
Vice-chair for Membership and Communications: Pamela Puleo, FAHP, executive director, Concord Hospital Trust, Concord, N.H. Concord Hospital, a regional medical center, is the second busiest acute care hospital in New Hampshire with 238 staffed beds.
Vice-chair for Regional Affairs: Jill Kyle, MBA, CFRE, vice president of Institutional Advancement for Abington Health, Abington, Pa. Abington Health is a health system comprised of Abington Memorial Hospital and Lansdale Hospital, both of which are teaching hospitals, and three outpatient centers in the suburbs of Philadelphia. In the past 12 years, Abington Health Foundation has received contributions totaling in excess of $133 million, including $25 million in support of its Nursing Initiative and $55 million for Building on the Best, a major building campaign.
Vice-chair for Education and Certification: Emily H. Benham, FAHP, CFRE, vice president of development for Bayfront Health Foundation in St. Petersburg, Fla., which supports Bayfront Medical Center, a major trauma and teaching hospital serving St. Petersburg and West Central Florida.
AHP regional directors are:
AHP Midwest: William H. Kiel, CFRE, now in his second term as a regional director, is vice president for development for Allegiance Health in Jackson, Mich., a community-owned and locally-governed health system comprised of more than 40 facilities serving residents of Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Ingham, Calhoun and Washtenaw counties and beyond.
AHP Southeast: Sharon A. Jones, FAHP, CFRE, vice president for development with Chapters Health System, of Temple Terrace, Fla., a four-county nonprofit system that provides care services related to aging, complex medical conditions and end-of-life concerns.
AHP Pacific: Susan Blake, senior director for operations and support services for Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation, Seattle, Wash. Seattle Children’s is the pediatric referral center for Alaska, Washington, Montana and Idaho, providing expert care in 60 pediatric subspecialty areas, complemented by the work of Seattle Children’s Research Institute, a worldwide leader in pediatric research.
AHP Mid-Atlantic: Ellen Finnerty Myers, CFRE, chief development officer and vice president of community affairs for Carroll Hospital Center of Westminster, Md., where she leads the fundraising program for the hospital as well as their affiliate Carroll Hospice. She also oversees the auxiliary, volunteer services, legislative affairs and The Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County. Carroll Hospital is a 213-bed facility with more than 400 physicians covering over 38 medical specialties.
AHP New England: Jack Dresser is vice president for development and community services at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass. He is responsible for developing philanthropic and volunteer resources to help advance the mission of the 177-bed community hospital.
AHP Rockies and Southwest: Sandy L. Ogletree has served as the executive director of the UMC Health System Foundation of Lubbock, Texas, for 10 years. As the director, she is responsible for all philanthropic initiatives for UMC, a major trauma and teaching hospital serving the Texas South Plains and Eastern New Mexico.
AHP Canada: Jory Pritchard-Kerr, FAHP, is executive director at Collingwood General & Marine Hospital (G&M) Foundation in Ontario, Canada. G&M Hospital serves the Georgian Triangle, which encompasses Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Clearview Township and The Town of the Blue Mountains. The G&M Hospital is a 72-bed facility serving more than 60,000 permanent residents and 2.5 million annual visitors to the communities of Wasaga Beach, Collingwood, Stayner, Creemore and the Blue Mountains.
The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, established in 1967, is a not-for-profit organization whose members direct philanthropic programs in 2,000 of North America’s nonprofit health care providers.
Institutions for which AHP members raise charitable funds provide essential, comprehensive health care services to their communities, as well as wellness programs, mobile health vans, mammography screenings, hearing and eye exams, and other community-based health care services. AHP members include fundraising professionals, development staff, public relations professionals, trustees, marketing specialists, administrators and executives interested in health care fundraising. To learn more, visit the AHP website at www.ahp.org.
Editor’s Note on credential abbreviations:
CFRE: Certified Fund Raising Executive
ACFRE: Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive
FAHP: Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy