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2023 40 Under 40 Winners

 
 

VP, Operations and Executive Director, Foundation

The Foundation for St. Luke's Hospital

Amanda has shown exceptional leadership potential. She entered into a role at a foundation that had not raised many funds to speak of for more than a decade and launched successful capital campaigns for life-saving 3D mammography equipment and a cutting-edge CT capable of bringing rapid stroke and cardiac diagnosis to our area.

Amanda is a builder of teams. She has effectively created relationships with our teammates that has reenergized a teammate giving campaign that the majority of our teammates participated in. She ensures all voices are heard, and she is a champion for health equity as evidenced by her passion to assure that citizens in our rural community have access to valuable healthcare resources.

Amanda has shown a tireless commitment to philanthropy. Her creativity in organizing events—from the Gala in a Basket during COVID to the innovative Men's Health Fair and Car Show—that both educate the community and raise vital funds for our organization has brought many advances to our community's health and the hospital's equipment!

Amanda is a lifelong learner, and she is consistently researching new programs that could connect important donor funding to our community needs. Her participation in our Community Health Needs Assessment and her desire to assure that we are reaching those who do not have the ability to access needed healthcare has allowed us to receive funding for mammograms for individuals who are unable to pay, grants for senior adult outpatient behavioral health, and vital equipment for our rural health clinic to allow medical cardiology to be brought to rural residents.

Amanda is deeply talented. A registered nurse by background, she has a depth of knowledge about healthcare and our needs that many healthcare foundation executives do not possess.

I’ve been a registered nurse for over 17 years. In 2020, I decided to step out of my comfort zone by leaving the hospital I had been at since I graduated nursing school. I interviewed at a rural community hospital in western North Carolina for a grant writer position and was inspired by the hospital leadership’s commitment to serve the community by growing hospital services, improving the facility, and upgrading technology. The hospital wasn’t looking to hire a nurse for the position, but it ended up a natural fit as I could use my clinical knowledge and background in hospital quality leadership to explain to donors and grantors how a project would improve patient care. This was a new side of healthcare for me, but I found it invigorating to be able to help make a difference for our patients, front-line staff, and community.

As a nurse, I am passionate about caring for people and ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality healthcare regardless of where they live or their socioeconomic status. When I became a nurse, I never imagined that one day I would be in this role. I find my career extremely rewarding as I get to witness daily the positive impact philanthropy has made in our critical access hospital over the past three years from starting a breast cancer prevention program with 3D mammography to starting a new cardiology service line with state-of-the art equipment. I enjoy collaborating with our front-line staff, leadership, Board, and community members to identify opportunities for our hospital to grow, and then securing funding to make our dream a reality. I find this career gratifying as I hear multiple stories from community members about how thankful they are to be able to receive exceptional healthcare close to home.

In 2021, a year into obtaining new hospital grants and managing COVID-19 funds, the position became available for the executive director at the foundation. I had worked closely with the foundation in writing grants for their 3D mammography campaign and had enjoyed getting to learn more about their operations. I was eager to continue to grow both personally and professionally in healthcare philanthropy. I had a lot to learn but with the support of the Board and hospital leadership, I started as ED in May 2021.The past two years have been a time of growth for our foundation as we built a strong Board, successfully completed two large back-to-back capital campaigns, launched back in-person events, and improved communication with our donors.

My greatest passion is ensuring our 100% locally owned and operated hospital is able to serve our rural community for many more years to come. According to UNC Sheps Center, 152 hospitals have closed since 2010 and North Carolina is number three in the country for most rural hospital closures. I never want to see our hospital name on this list or witness our community lose access to quality healthcare. I am proud to be part of this team that is always thinking ahead on ways to best serve our community, while working tirelessly to ensure our hospital’s financial sustainability.

My advice would be to really understand the “why” behind what you are asking donors to give towards. Meet with front-line staff, providers, and hospital leadership to gain the knowledge about how the project will allow them to better care for patients. Then be able to easily communicate to donors and foundations how lives will be positively impacted and keep everyone updated regularly on the progress of the campaign. Once completed, update donors on how the project is making a positive difference and how much you appreciate their support.

Fun Fact

Starting in second grade, through a program with USPS, I connected with a penpal in New Zealand. Before the days of email, we communicated through handwritten letters, cassette tapes, and holiday gifts that would take weeks to arrive. Now 32 years later, we are social media friends and can instantly connect. I hope to be able to meet in person one day!

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