“Feeling overwhelmed with gratitude” is how new University of Hawaiʻi Foundation Chief Executive Officer Tim Dolan describes what it feels like to be back in the Aloha State. Dolan took the foundation’s reins in February and also serves in the newly created position of UH Vice President for Advancement.
“There are two things that I really want to accomplish as part of the foundation,” he said. “I want us to be much more integrated with life at the university. And I also want to pull out and focus on the talent of our researchers and our faculty who are accomplishing great things.”
Dolan is familiar with the university. Early in his career, in 2001 and 2002, he served as development director for the John A. Burns School of Medicine and the UH Cancer Center.
UH President David Lassner said, “We welcome Tim back home and, now that he is also part of the UH leadership team, we look forward to increased synergy between the university and the foundation.”
Dolan noted, “There’s something that’s really special about being in the community here where people just talk about the university all the time. They want us to be successful. They know that the UH System is a driver for innovation throughout the state.”
His last post was at the University of Sydney in Australia. As vice principal for advancement, Dolan led that university’s historic $1-billion campaign and helped double the number of donors. Today he is responsible for significantly increasing UH’s fundraising efforts—something he’s keen to do now that he’s back home.
Dolan said, “The fact that my kids were born here, and the fact that we love it so much—this is exactly the place where we want to be.”
—By Kelli Trifonovitch
