Derek C. Bellin

Derek Bellin, Senior Vice President, brings to GG+A over 30 years of experience working with fiduciary leaders, C-suite executives, faculty and others engaged in advancing research, teaching and service missions. His expertise includes planning and executing philanthropic campaigns, talent acquisition, management and retention, branding and marketing, reputation management and crisis communications, as well as federal, state and community relations. Derek’s experience includes rebranding two of the nation’s premier private research universities, one of Boston’s renowned healthcare systems, co-producing the 2004 vice presidential debate and fundraising campaigns ranging in scope from $100 million to $2.85 billion. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education, PR Week, The Holmes Report and the Association of Fundraising Professionals have recognized his teams for development productivity, innovative multi-media advertising campaigns, web and publications content and design, media relations, international event promotion and crisis communications in the higher education and health care sectors.

Derek C. Bellin is a member of the firm’s Academic Medicine/Healthcare practice area and Senior Leadership Council. He has led both the philanthropic campaigns and rebranding and communications efforts for R1 private research universities and renowned healthcare systems throughout the country.

Prior to joining GG+A, Derek served for five years as the Associate Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs for the Office of Advancement at the University of Colorado Boulder. As the principal advancement strategist for executive and academic leadership, Derek led a team of 170 advancement professionals focusing on philanthropy, alumni and donor relations, sesquicentennial campaign planning, and advancement marketing and communications. He doubled the university’s annual philanthropic productivity to $220 million and launched a $40 million social impact investment fund in partnership with university research and innovation.

Before joining UC Boulder, Derek held the title of Senior Consultant with Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC. There, he directed executive recruitment of chief enterprise-level officers for higher education, academic medicine, advocacy, and research-intensive institutions.

Derek additionally served as the Senior Vice President, Chief Communications, Marketing and Philanthropy Officer at Lahey Health, a $2 billion healthcare system with international patient care, medical education, and research mission. As a member of the executive team, Derek led the integration of legacy marketing, communications, philanthropy, government, and community impact teams of thirteen new member organizations to create a system-wide advancement operation of 125 professionals. Under his leadership, Lahey Clinic launched the Lahey Health brand doubling awareness, and principal and grateful patient giving programs, reversing a 12-year decline in philanthropic results and quadrupling fundraising productivity.

Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President for University Relations and Chief Development and Marketing Officer at Case Western Reserve University and Assistant Vice President for University Development and Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the $2.2 billion Campaign for Columbia at Columbia University with comparable improvement in fundraising results, donor, patient and alumni satisfaction at both institutions.  Derek began his advancement career at Stanford University in the Office of Medical Development during their $1B Centennial CampaignDerek received his B.S. in Resource Economics and Political Science at the University of Vermont and has been professionally recognized or an been an invited speaker by the Association of Governing Boards, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Public Relations Society of America, PR Week, the Holmes Report and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Clients:

• City of Hope 
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 
• Dartmouth Health and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth  
• Duke Health 
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center 
• Guys and St. Thomas’ Hospital 
• Hartford Healthcare – St. Vincent’s Medical Center 
• Johns Hopkins University 
• Institute of Cancer Research 
• King’s College London 
• LifeBridge Health System 
• McMaster University 
• Medical University of South Carolina 
• Northshore University Health System 
• Stony Brook University 
• Texas Children’s Hospital 
• University College London 
• University of Pennsylvania Medicine 
• University of Southern California  
• University of Texas Health Science Center Houston 
• University of Washington Medicine 
• University of Western Ontario