Armstrong McGuire & Associates Recruits President for Blue Cross Blue Shield
March 14, 2019 – The non-profit sector has gained economic strength in recent years, making it the third largest employer in the country. Nearly two million not-for-profits employ 10.7 million people and produce $1.9 trillion in revenue. In the past decade, employment in the sector grew by 17 percent. With demand for non-profit talent at an all-time high, search firms have plenty of work looking for candidates.
Recently, non-profit specialists Armstrong McGuire & Associates placed John Lumpkin as the new president of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation in Durham, NC. Senior advisor Beth Briggs led the assignment.
The foundation wanted a visionary, strategic professional with proven management and leadership expertise, philanthropic knowledge and acumen, an understanding of how social determinants of health impact healthcare, and a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, said Armstrong McGuire & Associates. Dr. Lumpkin fit that bill having a wide ranging career in the healthcare system – from practicing emergency medicine and teaching medical students, to leading improvements to programs dealing with emergency and bioterrorism preparedness, infectious disease prevention and control, immunization, supporting local health departments, reducing childhood obesity, and more.
Dr. Lumpkin most recently served as senior vice president of programs for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Before that, he was director of the Illinois Department of Public Health for 12 years. Mr. Lumpkin was the first African-American trained in emergency medicine in the country after completing his residency at the University of Chicago.
“We are thrilled to have John Lumpkin lead the Blue Cross NC Foundation,” said Patrick Conway, CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and Blue Cross NC Foundation chairman. “A barrier-breaker and nationally-renowned leader in the healthcare field with significant state and community-based expertise, he has the experience and passion to lead the Blue Cross NC Foundation’s work to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians. Dr. Lumpkin is committed to traveling around North Carolina and learning how best to serve the state and its communities.”
New Role
In his new position, Dr. Lumpkin will be charged with leading the strategic development and implementation of the foundation mission, bringing clarity vision and values to enhance the impact and outcomes on health in North Carolina. He will also be responsible for identifying and monitoring trends and emerging issues related to communities, health, equity, leadership, non-profits, philanthropy and grant making that move beyond healthcare access to healthcare systems transformation and systems change.
Why Recruiters Center On Fundraising Skills
Organizations nationwide are under pressure to find leaders who can act as de facto chief fundraisers – and recruiters are in lock step to find talent to satisfy the demand. These leaders need to be strategic thinkers who can motivate the stakeholders whose philanthropy pulls everything together.
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Founded in 2000, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of all North Carolinians. The non-profit has invested $130 million in North Carolina communities through more than 975 grants.
Serving Non-Profits
Armstrong McGuire & Associates, established in 2003, is based in Raleigh, NC. A full-service firm, its specialties include fundraising counsel, leadership development, executive recruitment, strategic planning, board training, fundraising training, capital campaigns, organization assessments, board development, feasibility studies and philanthropy.
Ms. Briggs provides service in every facet of non-profit and foundation governance and stewardship: recruiting executive leaders, recruiting and training boards of directors, organizing and motivating volunteer campaign teams, and conducting strategic planning and fundraising workshops.
Previously, she was executive director of Dress for Success, a non-profit helping unemployed and underemployed women find meaningful employment and economic security. Before that, she founded and served as president of Creative Philanthropy, providing grant-making, administrative, strategic planning, emerging trends and issues identification, executive searches and counseling services for corporations, foundations, non-profits and individuals seeking to maximize the impact of their philanthropy.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
