A chief fundraiser for the University of Maryland will assume a newly-combined post in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences designed to raise funds for the program as it settles into a reshuffled leadership structure for the overarching Medical Center.
As associate dean for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and associate vice president for Medical Center development, Dennis Narango will spearhead efforts to create ties with alumni to funnel financial resources toward the school, research efforts, the Medical Faculty Associates and the GW Hospital starting Nov. 21.
In his dual role that arose as a result of the Medical Center’s revised three-dean leadership model, Narango said he wants to build up the University’s medical programs through private money, including both business revenues and philanthropy.
“I want to expand and deepen a culture of philanthropy in medicine, to build on our current successes and to grow in innovative, proactive ways, particularly around major gifts,” Narango said.
The yearlong reorganization of the Medical Center – now in its final stages – eliminated the position that collectively oversaw all development, fundraising and alumni relations for the three medical schools of the University, the Medical Faculty Associates and the GW Hospital.
Jeffrey Akman, interim vice provost for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, said Narango’s “proven track record as a leader of a highly complex academic medicine development program” at a top-tier research institution made him a good fit for GW’s medical school.
“We were particularly interested in recruiting a nationally-recognized development professional with the experience and history of success in this area,” Akman said.
Narango spent the last three years as associate dean for development and chief development officer at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine. Before that, he served as acting vice president for institutional advancement, assistant vice president for institutional advancement and director of development at the University of Maryland University College.
The Loyola University alumnus also acted as director of alumni and development at Loyola Blakefield High School in Towson, Md. for two decades.
In a separate role, Ellen Urbanski – who was hired in June – will look after development efforts for the School of Public Health and Health Services, while the 1-year-old School of Nursing will rely on the Office of Development and Alumni Relations as a whole.
Vice President for Development Mike Morsberger said Narango’s years of experience in higher education and university medical schools “brings a deep understanding of the unique aspects of development and alumni relations in that environment.”
Efforts in the medical school will coincide with the ongoing development of an intensive University-wide fundraising campaign that seeks to boost development levels by 5 to 10 percent over the next year.
