Newly Created Position to Spearhead New Office of Institutional Advancement
NEW YORK (December 15, 2006) — Senior development professional Susan Holt has been named to the newly created position of chief development officer at Weill Cornell Medical College. She is responsible for creating a new Office of Institutional Advancement to better meet Weill Cornell's development priorities as it enters the third phase of its strategic plan and beyond. Ms. Holt reports to the dean of the Medical College and provost of medical affairs for Cornell University, Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., and to the vice provost for development, Larry Schafer.
Ms. Holt joins Weill Cornell with nearly 25 years of fundraising credentials, the majority of that time spent in major academic medical centers. She enjoyed a long and distinguished career at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she developed the philanthropic underpinning for the institution's NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, managed the Medical Center's $625 million campaign in the University's $1.25 billion campaign, and led principal giving. Most recently, she served as associate dean for development and alumni relations at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
"Development is a critical and valued function at Weill Cornell. The current and previous campaign drives have demonstrated how successful fundraising energizes our alumni and friends and supports our tripartite mission of research, education and patient care," says Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College.
"Susan Holt has the talent, experience, energy and drive needed to build and lead a robust and dynamic advancement program that will engage and involve all of our donors and new constituents in an even more ambitious campaign. She will enhance Weill Cornell's capacity to focus on the development of transformational gifts nationally and internationally, central to the third phase of the Medical College's strategic plan," says Larry Schafer, vice president and vice provost of development.
"I am excited by the expertise and creativity that Susan brings to our development program," states Sanford I. Weill, chairman of Weill Cornell's Board of Overseers. "Her track record in leveraging private support for complex basic and translational biomedical research programs will be an important asset to the success of this campaign and to Weill Cornell's future."
In addition to working with Dean Gotto, Mr. Schafer and Mr. Weill, Ms. Holt will work closely with Mr. Robert J.Appel, chairman of Weill Cornell's newly launched Discoveries That Make a Difference campaign, and his volunteer committees.
"Campaigns are not about raising fundraising benchmarks. They are about creating the capital needed to make real differences in people's lives. With the creation of a new Weill Cornell development program, which concentrates on the unique strengths and needs of this institution, and with Susan's leadership, I know we will create an even greater legacy for the future," says Mr. Appel.
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The Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College
The Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College — located in New York City — is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine. The Medical College, which is a principal academic affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, problem-based learning, office-based preceptorships, and primary care and doctoring courses. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in such areas as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, AIDS, obesity, cancer and psychiatry — and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease in an effort to unlock the mysteries behind the human body and the malfunctions that result in serious medical disorders. Weill Cornell Medical College is the birthplace of many medical advances — from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., and most recently, the world's first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease. Weill Cornell's Physician Organization includes 650 clinical faculty, who provide the highest quality of care to their patients.
Lezlie Greenberg
leg2003@med.cornell.edu