Thomas Giffin has been named senior director of development at the UAB School of Health Professions. He comes to the University of Alabama at Birmingham from the foundation at the University of Cincinnati where he raised private dollars for the law school.
“Our goal will not be to create philanthropic experiences – it will be to create the best possible philanthropic experience that merges donors’ passions and interests with the school’s goals,” said Giffin.
Giffin will lead the team of Leann Pelliccio, assistant director of development, and Amanda Sherman, alumni engagement coordinator, in working with UAB Advancement to develop and implement new strategies to secure major gifts to support the School of Health Professions’ goals in education and scholarship, research and innovation, and community partnerships.
“Tom comes to us at an exciting time as we prepare to launch an aggressive growth plan to increase academic offerings, research discoveries, community engagement, clinical enterprises and more over the next five years,” said Dean Andrew J. Butler, Ph.D., UAB School of Health Professions. “Tom is passionate about developing authentic relationships and discovering what excites people to give so I look forward to working closely with him to meet all our future goals.”
“Successful philanthropy happens because people have a deep desire to make a difference with other people, so we will outline how major gifts create desired future outcomes and then let the donor know how their involvement directly impacts our people,” said Giffin. “Connecting the dots between a donor’s personal story, Dean Butler’s vision, and a philanthropic opportunity within the school is what our team will strive to accomplish every day.”
During the past year at Cincinnati, Giffin was instrumental in raising private dollars for Women in Law, a program that funds student and faculty initiatives, and, despite limitations due to the COVID pandemic, also increased funding for the school’s Jones Center for Social Justice.
“The pandemic period has proven that we can steward our long-term, loyal allies, no matter where they are situated, or where they relocate in the future,” said Giffin. “Our blueprint will be to create lasting, long-term relationships with donors who recognize the investment returns that support our vision and I know we are extremely well positioned in the School of Health Professions to make that blueprint successful.”
In Giffin’s career, he also served as director of development at Clayton State University in Atlanta, and at fundraising posts at Virginia Tech and Clemson University.
