Kellie Anderson, the current interim vice chancellor and chief development officer at the Medical and Health Sciences Foundation of the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has been selected to lead the advancement efforts for the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). As the new senior associate vice president for medical center advancement, Anderson will formulate and implement a robust fundraising and relationship-building program for the Medical Center. She will assume her new role on August 14.
A highly successful advancement professional with more than 25 years of experience in higher education and medical center fundraising, Anderson was selected following a competitive national search led by Senior Vice President for University Advancement Tom Farrell ’88, ’90W (MS) and Medical Center CEO and Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry Mark Taubman.
“Kellie is exactly the kind of enterprising advancement professional we need to help us build on the tremendous momentum created during The Meliora Challenge Campaign,” says Farrell. “Her background, drive and commitment to both the values that underpin philanthropy and great academic health care programs make Kellie the perfect fit for this important position.”
“Kellie Anderson impressed us with her experience and demonstrated leadership. At Pittsburgh, she led all aspects of fundraising for the academic medical enterprise including the University of Pittsburgh’s six health science schools, its Cancer Institute and Cancer Center, and flagship hospitals,” says Taubman. “Throughout her career, she has secured a number of high-profile grants from national foundations in support of health science programs and biomedical research and has successfully managed patient and family giving programs. Most recently, she was responsible for securing a minimum of $100 million in philanthropic support annually from individuals, foundations, corporations, and other organizations. That’s quite an achievement.”
Anderson first joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1999 as an associate director of development, where she was primarily responsible for establishing the corporate and foundation giving program for the Cancer Institute. Later, she expanded her portfolio to oversee all corporate and foundation relations for the University’s health science and clinical programs. In 2008, Anderson was named the executive director of central development for the University’s health sciences and clinical fundraising programs, overseeing five critical departments: annual fund, planned giving, communications, donor relations and stewardship, and corporate and foundation relations. In addition to managing and leading a diverse team of professionals, she maintained her own fundraising portfolio, focusing on major gifts from foundations and the development of compelling proposals for new prospects and donors.
In June 2015, Anderson was tapped for her current role as interim vice chancellor and chief development officer for the University’s Medical and Health Sciences Foundation, where she has worked to build a best-in-class program grounded in metrics, and created a positive working environment for a staff of 90 advancement professionals.
Anderson, who originally hails from Western New York, is eager to return home to her roots after almost 30 years in Pittsburgh.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to be joining the University of Rochester’s talented advancement team. Tom’s visionary leadership has created a culture of excellence that is grounded in strategic engagement and a commitment to supporting the mission of the University,” Anderson says. “There is a shared sense of purpose at Rochester that is very inspiring and motivating.”
“I look forward to partnering with Dr. Taubman and the many outstanding faculty and health care leaders at URMC,” Anderson adds. “Together, we will work to increase philanthropic support to improve patient care, to attract the best and brightest students, and to fuel research discoveries that benefit people in Rochester and the world.”
