Baylor College of Medicine
James Digan
The Nemours Children’s Health System recently announced the appointment of James Digan as its next enterprise chief development officer. Currently the president of the Baylor Medical Foundation and senior vice president of Institutional Advancement at Baylor College of Medicine, he arrives at Nemours with 25 years of experience in academic health systems.
Just prior to his time at Baylor, Digan served for four years as president of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation while working as its vice president of international outreach as well. During his tenure leading the foundation, Digan oversaw a comprehensive restructuring of the organization through which he also led it to break fundraising records, bringing in more than $300 million and over 100,000 new individual donors.
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Digan’s time leading the Rochester General Hospital Foundation was similarly highlighted by successful organizational reform. Over the five years he spent as president, he spearheaded a plan that combined several independent development operations into one to greatly increase the efficiency of the foundation.
A self-made man without an impressive educational background, Digan graduated from Colgate University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religion in 1987. His true start in the executive arena of the health systems industry wouldn’t come until 2003. After moving up through the ranks of the industry for more than a decade, he was hired as chief development officer and executive vice president of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he would stay for five years. He gained recognition for his exemplary work planning and executing a $400 million fundraising and awareness campaign a year early while exceeding original targets.
“Jim is one of the most accomplished and respected development professionals in the country,” said R. Lawrence Moss, MD, chief executive officer and president of Nemours Children’s Health System in a press release about the appointment. “Over a distinguished 25-year career in academic health systems, Jim has consistently exceeded expectations and set a standard of excellence for himself and his teams. He will be a tremendous asset to Nemours in achieving our goal of transforming children’s healthcare to deliver the healthiest generation of America’s children.”
Digan will be moving from Texas to Jacksonville, Florida, to work at the Nemours Children’s Health System headquarters. His new position will see him responsible for portfolio development, staff management and leadership engagement for Nemours’ five-state philanthropic footprint. James Digan officially begins work as enterprise chief development officer in July.
