Dear NEOMED Community:
In late June, we announced the planned departure of Mr. Daniel Blain, NEOMED vice president for Advancement. Mr. Blain’s official last day will be Aug. 31, 2021. During this interim period, he will serve as special assistant to the president. To help ensure a seamless transition I have worked with the NEOMED Foundation Executive Board to create a leadership succession plan. As part of this plan, we have asked Mr. Lindsey H. Loftus, M.Ed., M.A., to rejoin the NEOMED advancement team. Mr. Loftus is a proven leader in the area of advancement and is someone already very familiar to the NEOMED family. I am pleased to share that Lindsey has accepted an appointment as senior major gifts officer in the Office of Advancement. He has also agreed to serve as interim vice president for advancement at Northeast Ohio Medical University and interim president of the NEOMED Foundation, beginning Aug. 16, 2021. We plan to begin a formal search for the permanent vice president for Advancement and president of the NEOMED Foundation in the next six to eight months.
Mr. Loftus currently serves as executive director of the Portage Foundation. The foundation provides a permanent source of income to assist in meeting the needs of the community and the philanthropic endeavors of its donors. Prior to the Portage Foundation, Mr. Loftus served as the assistant vice president for principal, major and planned gifts at Lander University.
Mr. Loftus brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise. He earned a B.A. in telecommunications from Kent State University, a master’s in higher education administration from the University of Pittsburgh, and a M.A. in philanthropy and development from Saint Mary’s University. In addition, he has more than 25 years of higher education experience, including his 13 years at NEOMED. From 2006 – 2019, he served in several capacities at the University. Among positions he held were vice president for institutional advancement, executive director of the NEOMED Foundation, and senior development officer. Some of his accomplishments during this period include raising more than $15 million in gifts and commitments such as a $1 million capital gift to name an auditorium, a $1 million program endowment to enhance video course content streaming, a $1.5 million capital gift to name a student commons area, a $5 million program grant to fund a schizophrenia treatment center, and $2 million in program/capital support for Parkinson’s Disease research.
Prior to his time at NEOMED, Mr. Loftus was the executive director of alumni relations at Kent State University and the director of marketing, alumni relations at the University of Pittsburgh.
Please join us in welcoming Lindsey Loftus to his new roles at NEOMED.
Sincerely,
John T. Langell Deborah A. Okey
President Chair, NEOMED Foundation Board