The Queen’s Health System today announced that Nikki Gaitan, CFRE has been named Senior Vice President of Philanthropy. She will assume this newly created position on July 17, 2023.
Gaitan will serve as a member of the Queen’s Executive Team, overseeing the strategy and implementation of Queen’s philanthropy initiatives. This will include a multi-year effort to substantially grow annual philanthropic support in addition to creating new and more diverse sources of support and promoting an organizational culture of philanthropy in which all team members are fully equipped as ambassadors.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve the Native Hawaiian communities and all those that live on the islands of Hawaii by serving as the Senior Vice President for Philanthropy for The Queen’s Health System,” said Gaitan. “I look forward to building a Philanthropy Division that will focus on compassionate connection with community members, corporations, and grateful patients and their families.”
An award-winning philanthropic leader, Gaitan has spent the past 25 years at Loma Linda University Health in Loma Linda, California. She has more than 20 years of fundraising and administrative experience, most recently serving as Executive Director for Philanthropy & Patient Engagement Services. In that role, Gaitan managed 13 development professionals who were an integral part of a philanthropy team that raised approximately $50 million annually, and she created a strong major gifts program. In recognition of her career achievements, Gaitan received Pursuant’s “40 Over Forty Award” for excellence in the nonprofit sector in 2022. She also has received the Leadership of the Year Award (2016), a Gold Award from the Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Association (2016), and the Power of Inclusion Award from Loma Linda University Health (2015).
Gaitan holds a Master of Arts in Philanthropy and Development from LaGrange College (LaGrange, GA) and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California Coast University (Santa Ana, CA).
“We are thrilled to welcome Nikki to the Queen’s ‘ohana as she steps into this role to create an innovative, new approach to philanthropy for our organization,” said Rowena Buffett Timms, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for The Queen’s Health System. “Queen’s is in the midst of an ambitious, 10-year strategic plan that will transform our facilities and campuses, and Nikki’s demonstrated record of fundraising success combined with her passion for connecting with donors will, no doubt, help us achieve our goals. Queen’s is so fortunate to be adding Nikki to our leadership team.”
