President & Chief Executive Officer

Job DetailsJob Location: Wash. Reg. Med. Foundation - Fayetteville, AR 72703 Position Type: Full Time Education Level: 4 Year Degree Travel Percentage: Up to 50% Job Shift: Days Job Category: Executives

Organization Overview, Mission, Vision, and Values

Washington Regional Medical Foundation advances its mission - to support the mission of WRMS - by promoting healthcare improvement through philanthropy and outreach services. The mission of WRMS is to improve the health of people in the communities we serve through compassionate, high-quality care, prevention, and wellness education.

Washington Regional Medical System is a community-owned, locally governed, non-profit health care system located in Northwest Arkansas in the heart of Fayetteville, which is consistently ranked among the Best Places to live in the country. Our 425-bed medical center has been named the #1 hospital in Arkansas for five consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. We employ 3,200+ team members and serve the region with over 40 clinic locations, the region’s only Level II trauma center, and five Centers of Excellence - the Washington Regional J.B. Hunt Transport Services Neuroscience Institute; Washington Regional Walker Heart Institute; Washington Regional Women and Infants Center; Washington Regional Total Joint Center; and Washington Regional Pat Walker Center for Seniors.

Position Summary

The President, Washington Regional Medical Foundation is a C-level position and reports to the President and Chief Executive Officer of Washington Regional Medical Center. This position serves as the chief executive leader of the Washington Regional Medical Foundation and is accountable for the overall strategic direction, operational effectiveness, governance support, financial stewardship, and philanthropic performance of the Foundation. The President partners closely with the Foundation Board of Directors, health system executive leadership, physicians, donors, and community stakeholders to advance the Foundation’s mission, grow charitable support, and align philanthropic resources with Washington Regional’s strategic priorities. This role provides visible community leadership, strengthens the Foundation’s identity and influence, ensures responsible administration of Foundation assets and donor-restricted funds, and fosters a culture of philanthropy across the medical center and the patients served by Washington Regional.

Essential Position Responsibilities

• Serve as the chief executive leader of the Washington Regional Medical Foundation, providing strategic direction, operational oversight, and accountability for Foundation performance, growth, governance, and long-term sustainability.
• Partner with and support the Foundation Board of Directors by facilitating effective governance practices, board engagement, strategic planning, committee work, policy development, and informed decision-making.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive Foundation strategy that advances Washington Regional’s mission, expands philanthropic capacity, strengthens donor engagement, and aligns Foundation resources with medical center priorities.
• Provide executive oversight for all Foundation operations, including philanthropy programs, donor stewardship, grants, fund administration, budgets, reporting, policies, compliance, and internal controls.
• Serve as the Foundation’s primary ambassador and visible community representative, cultivating trust-based relationships with donors, civic leaders, business partners, physicians, volunteers, board members, and other stakeholders.
• Lead institutional advancement efforts by guiding major gift strategy, campaign planning, annual giving, planned giving, endowment growth, sponsorships, and other initiatives that generate philanthropic investment in Washington Regional.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of Foundation assets, donor-restricted funds, endowments, grants, and charitable contributions in accordance with donor intent, board direction, legal requirements, and organizational policies.
• Collaborate with executive leadership, service line leaders, physicians, and operational stakeholders to identify strategic funding priorities, evaluate philanthropic opportunities, and communicate the impact of charitable support.
• Establish systems and metrics to evaluate Foundation performance, donor engagement, campaign progress, grant outcomes, fund utilization, community impact, and return on philanthropic investment.
• Recruit, develop, lead, and retain a high-performing Foundation team, establishing clear goals, collaborative practices, accountability standards, and performance expectations that support Foundation and health system priorities.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related field required; master’s degree or other relevant advanced degree preferred.
• Seasoned nonprofit, foundation, advancement, or philanthropy executive with a minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including experience working with boards, leading teams, managing complex operations, using data to guide strategy, and advancing organizational growth.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and appropriately apply procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to Foundation operations, charitable giving, fundraising practices, and nonprofit governance.
• Proven success leading foundation operations, strengthening board engagement, building philanthropic programs, expanding donor relationships, and achieving meaningful growth in charitable support.
• Possession of a valid Arkansas driver's license is a requirement for this job.

Professional Skills

• Demonstrated expertise in foundation leadership, nonprofit governance, healthcare philanthropy, community engagement, donor relations, and charitable fund stewardship.
• Ability to set organizational vision, translate strategic priorities into actionable Foundation plans, and balance mission advancement, donor intent, governance expectations, operational needs, and financial implications.
• Established record of success securing transformational gifts, including major gifts in the seven-and-eight-figure range.
• Executive presence, credibility, and judgment necessary to serve as the public-facing leader of the Foundation and engage effectively with high-profile donors, board members, health system leaders, community leaders, and partner organizations.
• Proven ability to lead, inspire, and develop diverse teams while fostering collaboration, accountability, innovation, and alignment with shared goals.
• Proficiency using data, analytics, and performance metrics to inform strategy, guide decision-making, evaluate outcomes, and communicate impact.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, storytelling, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to translate complex organizational priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities.
• Advanced interpersonal skills necessary to provide effective leadership, build trust, influence across organizational levels, and communicate with hospital personnel, community members, board members, donors, and external partners.
• Advanced analytical, financial, and business planning skills necessary to lead Foundation operations; assess resource needs; support budget, investment, and fund stewardship activities; and prepare special and recurring reports or analyses for executive leadership and the Foundation Board of Directors.