Ava Willis manages the operations functions of the development department and serves as the campaign director of Loyola University Health System in Chicago.

She has worked in higher education for more than 20 years as a faculty member and program director and, since 2000, in fundraising and development. A licensed medical technologist, Willis is a member of the National Association of Medical Minority Educators and serves on the board of Bottomless Closet, an organization that provides work-ready clothing, counseling and coaching to help women gain employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency. She earned a bachelor's degree at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala., and a master's degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She can be reached at awillis@lumc.edu.

You have taken many paths throughout your career in higher education. How did you get into development?

I have only been doing fundraising development/advancement since 2000; what got me into it was probably a fluke. I was traveling a lot in my job and was looking for something closer to where I lived. I wasn't looking at development specifically, but I saw an opportunity in corporate and foundation relations. They were looking for someone with a science background who could write a grant proposal. I applied for the position at Earlham College, a Quaker-affiliated independent residential liberal arts college in Richmond, Ind., and got the job.

Two weeks into that position, my supervisor got a different job. I got acquainted very quickly with additional responsibilities and eventually became senior director for foundation relations and government grants. I supervised the annual fund and advancement services personnel, researched funding sources, prepared grant proposals and reports to funders, and secured grants.

In 2004, I was recruited into the position I have now at Loyola University Health System, Chicago, as associate vice president for development operations and comprehensive campaign director. I had a kind of baptism by fire, but my decision to go into this was based on knowing that I could use my previous skill sets.

How have your other careers in hospitals and higher education prepared you for the multifaceted job of an advancement leader?

I think there are pieces of everything I've done before that I use in my work now. My first career was as a hospital medical technologist, then director of laboratories and stockrooms at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala. I was an instructor of general chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry. I also taught chemistry instrumentation.

Part of my work involved advising underrepresented minority students who were trying to get into healthcare professions. I enjoyed engaging students, watching the light switch on, or sometimes not.

And of course I enjoyed celebrating their success, and still do. Now they have families or have finished medical school and dental school. It's gratifying to see what they started so long ago and have brought to fruition.

My varied background and the many places I've lived in the country help me in fundraising, which is all about building relationships with prospective donors. You need to start from some place of conversation, of commonality. It's all part of this mosaic that is me.

Tell us about Loyola's upcoming fundraising campaign.

Our staff is mostly brand new to the institution. During the last three years, we have almost tripled the yearly cash dollars and new pledges. So we've been very busy recruiting and grounding a new staff and are also in the silent phase of our campaign.

That means we're in the period where we determine whether the goal chosen is the right goal-making sure we've raised at least half of what we hope to raise in total before going public with the campaign. This approach makes it more appealing to donors.

The silent phase allows us to show our results to date, determine how successful we can be and attract more people who may help us reach the next level.

You have two types of major donors. The first type is relatively close to your institution-maybe alumni or other longtime supporters who will want to be in on the first wave of the campaign. The second type may not be as close to the institution yet. They will take more time to cultivate.

We're part of a comprehensive campaign that includes Loyola University Chicago and Loyola University Health System. Our comprehensive goal will be announced in September 2008, and the public phase is expected to end in 2012.

The health system campaign features, among other things, two big elements-the hospital expansion to open by May 2008 and construction of a multimillion dollar research building on our campus.

How does your active volunteer involvement fit into your life and career?

I heard someone say in a speech that they have been blessed to do what they do for a living but their love is charitable or volunteer work. I think that's a good description.

Being a woman of color, when I was asked to join the board of Bottomless Closet, it was a no-brainer. The organization serves women who are trying to get into or back into the work force; they may have been on welfare or had some other sort of adversity. Bottomless Closet provides very low cost or free business attire. And it offers workshops on self-esteem and financial management and interview skills-all the things that can help them transform their lives. I am also involved with the National Association of Medical Minority Educators and Blacks in Development as well as tutoring high school students on weekends.

If I'm not willing to give my time and whatever talent I have, then I have forgotten where I came from. It's not me making a living, it's me having a life. Those things are not things I learned. They were put in me by my parents. My parents expected it from me.

Please describe your involvement with CASE.

When I took my first development position at Earlham College, that was the first I knew about CASE. I attend CASE V conferences regularly and serve on the district diversity committee. Beyond that, I have done a smattering of specialized conferences. I was privileged to be part of the inaugural class of the CASE Minority Advancement Institute Conference for Diverse Managers.

How does a Jesuit institution like Loyola tailor its advancement approach?

The philosophy of the Jesuits is that bettering yourself and sharing with all are equally important. And when you walk the halls of the hospital you can tell, as our tagline says, we also treat the human spirit. When you translate this philosophy into fundraising, you have to communicate to longtime supporters of the institution that core Jesuit values of tradition, mission and values remain very strong.

This article is from the July 2007 issue of BriefCASE.
Please share your questions and comments with Pam Russell via e-mail at russell@case.org or by telephone at +1-202-478-5680.