Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations: John Zeller
 |
"Mr. Zeller brings a wealth of experience, creativity and tremendous leadership skills to this critically important position. He has an enormously successful track record developing strong fundraising and alumni relations organizations that have delivered very impressive results. He also has a keen understanding of the increasingly critical role that philanthropy and alumni relations must play in the future of higher education," Dr. Gutmann said.
"As important, John is a consummate collaborator who appreciates the importance of working in a collaborative and cohesive manner across schools to maximize the University's full potential. He will add even more strength to an already impressively strong leadership team. I am delighted that John will lead our ambitious plans in fundraising and alumni relations for the University and help us meet the goals articulated in the Penn Compact as we move from excellence to eminence," Dr. Gutmann added.
During his tenure at Johns Hopkins, Mr. Zeller led the effort that raised to date more than $850 million towards the $1 billion goal for the Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine, with more than three years remaining in this campaign. In the previous campaign ending July 2000, more than $705 million was raised, exceeding the $600 million goal. Mr. Zeller also developed and implemented a highly successful "grateful patient" giving program and increased donor support for capital projects.
Mr. Zeller joined Hopkins in 1995 as executive director for the Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine and was named Associate Vice President in 2000. Previously, he had served as associate vice president for medical center development at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he was responsible for achieving the medical center's $103 million portion of Rochester's $376 million Campaign for the ‘90s.
Mr. Zeller received B.A. and M.A. in education from Elmira College in New York, where he served as director of admissions from 1979 to 1983. He joined Guthrie Medical Center in 1983 as director of development, and in 1987 became vice president for college relations and resource development at Ithaca College.
Mr. Zeller is a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council for Advancement and Support to Education and the National Society for Fund Raising Executives.
President Gutmann thanked Medha Narvekar for her "truly exemplary service and extraordinary success as interim vice president for more than two years. We could not have asked for a more capable leader to direct the University's development efforts during this interim period. I personally am tremendously grateful to Medha both for all she has done and all she will continue to do in moving Penn forward."
Posted 11/22/04