New Advancement leader, new senior administration roles at WesternU
As the pomp and circumstance of Commencement recedes, Western University of Health Sciences is making several leadership changes during a summer of transition.
Diane Abraham, PhD, CFRE, joined WesternU June 12 in the new role of Vice President for University Advancement. This pivotal position was created upon the announced retirement of Senior Vice President Thomas G. Fox, PhD, who has supervised the Advancement team since 2009. Fox will retire June 30 after serving WesternU as an administrator and a consultant for more than a decade.
Abraham previously worked as Executive Director of the University of Wisconsin – Fox Valley Foundation in Menasha, where she strengthened organizational finances by securing major and planned gifts, including several six-figure estate gifts, and increased ROI for annual fundraising efforts by 50 percent.
Abraham earned her BA in economics and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh as well as her PhD in leadership studies from Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She is also a Certified Fund Raising Executive.
Some of Fox’s other duties as Senior Vice President will be distributed to WesternU stalwarts.
College of Allied Health Professions Dean Stephanie Bowlin, EdD, PA, will take on the additional role of Deputy Chief Operating Officer under Provost and Chief Operating Officer Gary Gugelchuk, PhD.
Executive Director of Public Affairs and Marketing Jeffery Keating, MA, will serve as Chief of Staff and will assist in a variety of administrative duties, special projects and priority initiatives of the Office of the President. He will also continue to lead public affairs and marketing.
A new Presidential Cabinet will begin to meet in July and advise the senior management group, enhancing communication with a broader exchange of perspectives about major administrative matters.
“As I mentioned in each of our graduation ceremonies, Commencement marks not only an ending, but also a beginning. Our graduates are embarking on careers of imminent meaning and worth,” said WesternU President Daniel R. Wilson, MD, PhD. “We who remain at the University are setting sail to explore further new horizons and expand our singular mission of humanistic health sciences.”
