VCU news

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley and Melanie Solaimani

The Medical College of Virginia Foundation has hired William P. Kotti as president of the MCV Foundation following a national search. Kotti also will serve as the chief development officer for Virginia Commonwealth University's MCV Campus.

As president of the MCV Foundation, Kotti will manage the foundation, which serves as the repository for most of the private gifts received by the MCV Campus schools and centers. As the chief development officer for the MCV Campus, Kotti will work closely with Sheldon Retchin, M.D., vice president for health sciences and chief executive officer of the VCU Health System, Peter L. Wyeth, vice president for University Advancement, and the deans and development directors on the campus to develop a long-range fundraising plan.

"Bill makes a fabulous addition to our senior leadership team on the MCV Campus, and I look forward to working closely with him on advancing all the schools and programs on the medical campus. There is much to do on this campus, and Bill will be a great help in guiding me on the role private philanthropy should play in the fulfillment of our ambitious plans," Retchin said.

Kotti most recently worked as associate dean for resource planning and development for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, where he managed the school's effort to raise $275 million. He will start his new duties at the MCV Foundation on Jan. 8.

"The deep heritage and sustained commitment to the highest levels of research, scholarship and community service at Virginia Commonwealth University's MCV Campus attracted me to this position," Kotti said. "I am proud and honored by this appointment, and I look forward to working in partnership with the university and MCV Campus leadership, the foundation trustees, the alumni and the outstanding development team to help bring the program to new levels of success."

Kotti also will serve as a primary resource for planned giving programs on the MCV Campus, will partner with other development directors on that campus to raise higher levels of private support and will serve as the liaison between the foundation board and the university administration.

"Mr. Kotti demonstrated the qualifications, experience, enthusiasm and personal characteristics that we feel will provide the MCV Foundation with the leadership and expertise to guide our organization throughout the future years," said Ruth W. Campbell, M.D., chair of the MCV Foundation Board of Trustees.

Kotti earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in public administration from the University of South Carolina. He is currently completing studies for a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration with a special concentration in the development-advancement field and leadership. 

Kotti brings "an extensive wealth of senior development leadership experience to VCU," said Wyeth. "He will help us position the schools and programs on the MCV Campus to raise the needed private support for the university priorities on that campus."

Chartered in 1949, the MCV Foundation assists campus schools, departments and centers in their efforts to sustain excellence in education, research and patient care. The foundation is led by a Board of Trustees whose members include top medical, business and community leaders from across the Richmond area and beyond.