Vice President and Managing Group Leader for Wisconsin Medicine

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA) seeks a visionary, strategic, and experienced healthcare advancement leader to serve as Vice President and Managing Group Leader for Wisconsin Medicine (VP/MGL). As the chief fundraiser and strategist for all medical advancement, the VP/MGL will lead philanthropic efforts across Wisconsin Medicine—an integrated partnership between the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) and UW Health, the university’s affiliated health system. The VP/MGL will build upon the momentum and success of medical advancement to further elevate the program as a best-in-class academic medical fundraising enterprise at a pivotal moment.

Wisconsin Medicine has experienced dramatic growth and transformation over the last two decades, moving from nascency into a $100 million-a-year fundraising operation. In 2022, Wisconsin Medicine embarked upon its first-ever campaign to secure $500 million by December 2025. As of February 2025, the $500 million goal has been exceeded. As WFAA now prepares for a university-wide comprehensive campaign, the VP/MGL will play a key role in shaping Wisconsin Medicine’s next chapter of philanthropic success within the campaign and beyond, ensuring the Wisconsin Medicine team is a fully integrated and highly collaborative contributor to the larger university-wide foundation.

The VP/MGL will report directly to Senior Vice President of Development (SVP) Kyle Buchmann as part of the WFAA executive management team, and partner closely with CEO of UW Health Dr. Alan Kaplan, as well as incoming Dean of SMPH, Dr. Nita Ahuja. The VP/MGL will serve as a trusted philanthropic advisor to Drs. Kaplan and Ahuja and members of their respective senior leadership teams, building and broadcasting a clear strategic vision for Wisconsin Medicine philanthropy that engages key academic, research, and clinical partners in the fundraising and engagement process. Historically, Wisconsin Medicine has benefitted from close, collaborative relationships between these leaders and entities. Together, they will work with the VP/MGL to define strategic priorities for Wisconsin Medicine and promote a culture of philanthropy within its community of grateful patients and families, donors, staff members, friends, and alumni.

The VP/MGL must possess the strategic vision to create and implement an overarching aspirational plan for the future of Wisconsin Medicine grounded in sound data analytics and a robust infrastructure. This leader will take a holistic and comprehensive approach, leveraging all levels and functions of the medical advancement enterprise from annual to principal gifts and advancement marketing and communications, events, and stewardship, as well as WFAA resources and partnerships. The VP/MGL will be an accomplished and high-performing leader capable of building trust and generating excitement among the enterprise’s external and internal constituencies, and of galvanizing philanthropic investment at principal and transformational levels. Additionally, the next VP/MGL will contribute to strengthening a unique and cohesive brand for Wisconsin Medicine, in part through increased visibility and positioning of key leaders, and clarity and consistency of messaging. The VP/MGL will lead team efforts around enhanced data reporting in order to more fully unlock the enormous potential in untracked patients. These efforts will expand the pipeline of support for the next comprehensive campaign and beyond. At the highest levels, the VP/MGL must also partner with university leaders and WFAA colleagues to leverage the university’s longtime success in interdisciplinary research to fund big ideas that align Wisconsin Medicine synergistically with the rest of UW–Madison.

Effective collaboration and team leadership within the foundation will be critical to the VP/MGL’s success. By forging strong partnerships with peer colleagues and leadership in WFAA, the VP/MGL will strengthen the advancement integration of Wisconsin Medicine and the foundation at large, while introducing bold innovations and educating others on the unique nature of medical advancement and its donor base. The VP/MGL will directly lead a talented and deeply committed medical advancement team of 33 professionals who are nimble and eager to raise sights. Tenures on the team far exceed industry standards due in large part to a positive work culture, passion for medical fundraising, and a focus on professional growth opportunities. The VP/MGL will advocate for staff and motivate them to continue exceeding goals, fostering virtues of teamwork, excellence, and consistent collaboration in support of a unified, overarching vision for medical advancement.

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned fundraising professional with a demonstrated growth mindset and at least ten years of development leadership experience, preferably in a large and complex research university or academic medical center environment. The successful candidate will be an experienced leader adept at motivating and empowering staff, as well as facilitating cohesion and team success. The VP/MGL must demonstrate the credibility, sophistication, and emotional intelligence necessary to serve as a partner to executive leaders and effectively engage broad internal and external constituencies. Utilizing exceptional skills in communication and diplomacy, the VP/MGL must build bridges with all members of a complex, matrixed enterprise that includes a university, foundation, and health system. The successful candidate will also possess a strong track record of personal fundraising success at major and principal gift levels. Importantly, the VP/MGL must effectively articulate and embody the mission and goals of an outstanding comprehensive research university, and demonstrate a commitment to advancing the vision of a premier academic medical center.

Rachel Ellenport and Grace Zakim are leading this search with Maureen Perry and Megan Gorman.

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer *The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is the “doing business as” name of the merged organization comprising the University of Wisconsin Foundation (supportuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.