On behalf of the West Virginia University Foundation, thank you for considering this important opportunity. This Executive Brief contains an overview of the organization, details on the position and a few points we would like you to consider before pursuing this opportunity.
This document is intended to provide you with information - it is not a contractual document. Some of the material may be subject to change. We will do our best to keep you informed of any new developments over the course of the search.
At any time during the search process, should you have any questions or require further clarification, we would be happy to assist.
The Organization: West Virginia University Foundation
University of West Virginia
Founded in 1867, West Virginia University is a public, land-grant institution. The West Virginia University System is a family of distinctive campuses united by a single mission. From the groundbreaking research of West Virginia University's flagship in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs of WVU Potomac State in Keyser to the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley — the University is leveraging its talents and resources to create a better future for West Virginia and the World.
West Virginia University Foundation
The West Virginia University Foundation solicits, invests and administers private support on behalf of West Virginia University. In fiscal year 2024 between July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024, the Foundation received a record $282.6 million from 40,849 gifts made by 20,350 donors.
The Foundation annually provides direct support to the University for many purposes, including scholarships and fellowships, academic program development, chairs and professorships, faculty development and research, equipment and facilities, and libraries.
The West Virginia University Foundation was officially incorporated on Dec. 3, 1954. More than 70 years later, the West Virginia University Foundation, with a 29-member board, remains strong in its mission to enrich the lives of those touched by West Virginia University by maximizing private charitable support and providing services to the University and its affiliated organizations.
WVU Foundation - Leadership Spotlights
Cynthia L. Roth - President and CEO, WVU Foundation
Cynthia L. Roth
President and CEO, WVU Foundation
Cynthia L. “Cindi” Roth began work as President and CEO of the WVU Foundation January 1, 2014, after spending eight years at the University of Pittsburgh, serving as associate vice chancellor of institutional advancement. Prior to her role at Pitt, Roth served from 2002-2005 as executive director of Family House, Inc., in Pittsburgh. Before that, she served as vice president of patient care services at several hospitals across western Pennsylvania including West Penn Allegheny Health System/Forbes Regional Hospital, South Hills Health System and Sharon Regional Health System. Roth earned her master of public management degree from the Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.
Will Green - Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer
Will Green
Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer
A senior executive with nearly 20 years of experience in both health care and higher education fundraising, Will Green serves as WVU Foundation's Senior Vice President of Development and Chief Development Officer. Prior to his role at the WVU Foundation, Green was the Vice President for Development at Rutgers Health, a major component of the Rutgers University Foundation. There, he oversaw all aspects of fundraising and engagement for the system’s eight schools and seven centers/institutes. This includes directing all philanthropic activity, managing staff, and interacting daily with donors and prospects.
Prior to joining Rutgers Health in 2017, Green spent three years as executive director of clinical support and major gifts at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he led and coordinated the CHOP Foundation’s major and principal gifts program. Before that, Green served in various senior and progressive advancement roles, including positions at Villanova University (2010-2014) and the University of Pennsylvania (2007-2010).
Green earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
Jamie Cooper Moales - Vice President for Development, WVU Medicine & Health Sciences
Jamie Cooper Moales
Vice President for Development, WVU Medicine & Health Sciences
Jamie Cooper Moales works as WVU Foundation's Vice President for Development, WVU Medicine & Health Sciences. She works with WVU Foundation and WVU Medicine leadership to boost private philanthropy in support of all clinical units within the WVU Health System, which includes 24 hospitals and five institutes. Cooper Moales has diverse development experience that includes demonstrated fundraising success in biomedical research and academic medical center environments. Prior to her role at WVU Foundation, Cooper Moales was living in Durham, North Carolina, where she served as executive director of development for the Duke Cancer Institute and Duke Children’s.
Cooper Moales earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and leadership, with a minor in leadership studies, from the University of Charleston. She also earned a master’s degree in liberal studies at Georgetown University. She recently renewed her Certified Fundraising Executive credential, which she has held continuously since 2018. She also serves on the Governance Committee for the National Association of Cancer Center Development Offices.
Samantha Adler - Executive Director of Development, WVU Medicine
Samantha Adler
Executive Director of Development, WVU Medicine
Samantha Adler is a senior advancement leader with extensive experience driving major and principal gift philanthropy for leading academic medical centers and universities. She currently serves as Executive Director of Development for WVU Medicine, where she oversees fundraising for the Heart and Vascular Institute, the Rosenbaum Family House, and the Eye Institute, while also leading development initiatives for the Department of Orthopaedics. Samantha brings a track record of exceeding goals, strengthening donor pipelines, and advancing mission-critical programs. Previously, she held leadership roles at Marquette University, Michigan State University, and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The Opportunity: Senior Director of Development, Heart & Vascular Institute (HVI)
Dr. Vinay Badhwar is the Executive Chair of the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute and Service Line and the Gordon F. Murray Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery of West Virginia University, in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Dr. Badhwar completed his surgical residency and fellowship training at McGill University and the University of Ottawa in Canada, and the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He spent 9 years in clinical and academic practice in Florida following which Dr. Badhwar served as the Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2016. Since 2016, Dr. Badhwar has led West Virginia University’s rapidly expanding cardiology and cardiovascular surgical clinical and academic programs, including one of the most advanced robotic cardiac programs in the United States.
With a focus on national clinical evidence development and augmenting rural access to advanced therapy, the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute has dedicated their efforts to lowering cardiovascular mortality in West Virginia, while simultaneously being a top enroller in national NIH/NHLBI clinical trials and providing a multitude of impactful contributions to the international literature. Dr. Badhwar holds 8 patents, and he is funded by the NIH NHLBI. He has over 400 publications, he has given over 400 invited presentations, and he is a member of the American Surgical Association and Sigma XI Scientific Research Honor Society.
As the Executive Chair of the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute and Service Line, Dr. Badhwar leads this $ 1.8 B multi-hospital enterprise within the WVU Health System. Under his leadership the “HVI” faculty have published over 500 peer reviewed publications since 2017. In 2021, HVI was designated a University Research Center, one of only seven at WVU. Nationally and internationally, Dr. Badhwar has provided personal leadership contributions in cardiac valve surgery innovation including mitral repair, atrial fibrillation surgery, and robotic cardiac surgery. He has held several leadership roles in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, and the American College of Cardiology. He served as the Associate Editor of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery from 2018-2024 and he now serves as the Senior Editor for The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. In addition, Dr. Badhwar is the Vice-Chair of the NHLBI Cardiothoracic Clinical Trials Network (CTSN), immediate past Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research providing executive oversight for the STS National Database, and he is the current First Vice President of the STS. The STS is the largest international organization of heart and lung surgeons, and he will assume the presidency in 2026.
Position Summary
In coordination with the WVU Foundation and WVU Medicine & Health Sciences Development, this position is responsible for designing and executing the development program for the WVU Medicine Heart & Vascular Institute.
Key support is provided by WVU Medicine & Health Sciences Development and the central office of the West Virginia University Foundation in the areas of: prospect management, communications, donor engagement, corporation and foundation relations, annual giving, planned giving, and regional major giving.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Lead and direct private philanthropic support at all levels for WVU Heart & Vascular Institute, including leadership, major, annual, and planned giving. The Director will utilize and coordinate several outreach activities to identify and engage prospective donors, including personal contact, electronic and social media, direct mail campaigns, and special events.
Personally identify, select and manage a portfolio of high-potential prospects in order to expand the base of philanthropic support from a regional, local and selected national prospect pool. Coordinate and manage work to focus on leadership and major gift prospects with evaluated gift potential as identified by the WVU Foundation prospect research program. Emphasis on face-to-face contact with prospects and donors, including travel as needed. Meeting quantifiable (personal and team) work objectives established for each fiscal year.
Maintain a dynamic “Top 25” list of donors to be solicited within a 12-month time frame along with actively qualifying prospective donors to feed pipeline growth.
Actively participate in the creation, implementation, and training of faculty for the WVU Medicine & Health Sciences’ Grateful Patient Families and Friends Program, representing the interests of WVU Heart & Vascular Institute.
Work closely with the Executive Director of Development for WVU Medicine on prospect strategy, needs coordination, necessary support functions, work implementation, and progress reporting.
Engage WVU Heart & Vascular Institute and J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital leadership as appropriate in raising private support. Develop and maintain collegial relationships with Heart & Vascular Institute physicians, researchers, and staff.
Capitalize on all fundraising resources available through the WVU Foundation, for advancing and supporting funding priorities and development program including Plus Delta Partners training.
Coordinate fundraising activities and prospect management with colleagues throughout Medicine and Health Sciences, as well as the University, to further collaboration and develop multiple interest donors. Develop engagement and solicitation strategies with leadership and partners to increase productivity.
As informed/directed by leadership, identify, enlist, motivate, guide, and encourage volunteers to further drive support for the program, especially in the areas of leadership and major gift cultivation and solicitation. Align with and support the Leadership Council and lead future campaign committees.
Partner with colleagues in WVU Medicine & Health Sciences Development and the central office of the WVU Foundation in the areas of prospect management, communications, donor engagement, corporate and foundation relations, annual giving, planned giving, and regional major giving.
Travel, including overnight, is sometimes required.
Education, Experience and Competencies:
Bachelor’s degree and 7-10 years of direct fundraising experience with a preference for previous work in an academic medical center and grateful patient fundraising, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Master’s degree preferred.
Must have a proven track record as a successful individual fundraiser, having closed a significant volume of major gifts, ideally at the six and seven-figure level.
To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Development software and Word Processing software.
Grateful Patients
WVU Medicine & Health Sciences Development and the WVU Foundation established the Grateful Patients, Families and Friends Program to provide opportunities for individuals, family members, and friends to recognize the exceptional care provided by WVU Medicine healthcare professionals. The West Virginia University Foundation, Inc. (WVUF) operates the Grateful Patient Families and Friends (GPFF) fundraising program as a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliant program. As such, access to the data and the GPFF system is restricted. This position will be granted access to the GPFF Dashboard in order to fulfill the job responsibility of fundraising for the GPFF program.
Boyden Team:
Applications and nominations will be accepted until a Senior Director of Development, HVI is appointed. For most favorable consideration, applicants should submit a resume immediately. These nominations, expressions of interest, and applications will be handled with complete confidentiality and may be submitted directly to:
With over 20 years’ experience in executive search, Dan Grassi has partnered with clients ranging from startups to the Fortune 500. His experience spans most aspects of digital media, interactive entertainment and consumer products. Dan joined Boyden in 2003 and quickly rose to prominence by fostering collaboration domestically and globally, including the creation of an annual training conference.
Ashley Travis is an experienced associate with a focus in various sectors such as higher education and healthcare. She partners with institutions to develop research-driven strategies that align with organizational goals and core values. Ashley is passionate about connecting talented individuals and forward-thinking organizations that share a commitment to excellence, innovation, and positive impact in their respective fields.
WVU Foundation - Senior DoD, HVI - Job Description (PDF Download)
