Meharry Medical College was founded just 11 years after the end of the Civil War with the mission of educating African Americans to serve the underserved.
Today, the nation’s largest private, historically Black academic health sciences center has trained thousands of healthcare professionals. Guided by its faith-based roots within the United Methodist Church and driven by a belief that health equity is key to alleviating suffering, Meharry continues to activate its service-oriented mission. Today, three out of every four Meharrians return to urban or rural communities to serve others by providing medical or dental services.
Whether its graduates are physicians, dentists, scientists, professors, or public health professionals, the Meharry experience equips them to affect the world as a force for change led by the motto: “Worship of God Through Service to Mankind.”
The Opportunity
Meharry Medical College is on a mission to expand its commitment to health equity, and it sees its advancement team as an engine for making its growth possible. As the College builds its advancement program to support its goals, it seeks a Senior Associate Vice President for Advancement (SAVP) who will be a key architect of fundraising strategy and infrastructure as well as the leader of a growing team.
Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Institutional Advancement, and serving as the second-most senior development officer, the SAVP will have direct oversight of all fundraising programs, including principal, major, and planned giving; annual giving; alumni relations; corporate and foundation relations; prospect research; and the operations that support fundraising activities.
This extensive portfolio will allow the SAVP to build and implement comprehensive strategies that unify functions, maximize internal capacity, and expand Meharry’s culture of philanthropy.
On the cusp of celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2026, Meharry will welcome its next SAVP at an auspicious moment—a time when reflecting on the past and boldly imagining the future are equally encouraged. The Senior Associate Vice President will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of one of the nation’s most vital historically Black medical institutions.
