New VP will provide strategic leadership to external relations

UVic has a new vice president external relations — Faye Wightman, currently the president of B.C.’s Children’s Hospital Foundation in Vancouver.

Wightman was chosen from among 46 candidates after an extensive national search. Her five-year term begins July 15, 2003.

The search was initiated last fall when UVic’s vice president external Jim Griffith announced his retirement at the end of June. Dr. Craig Pinder, currently acting dean of business, will serve as vice president external for the year until Wightman’s arrival.

Wightman’s role will be to: enhance the university’s external relations to support the new strategic plan; strengthen its relationships with alumni, donors, business and community leaders, and governments; implement a sustained fundraising program and increase funding from all sources including through partnerships and new revenue generating opportunities; oversee a government relations program; and increase the university’s involvement in the community.

UVic President David Turpin, who chaired the search committee, says the committee is “absolutely thrilled that we have been able to convince Faye to take on this challenge. As we canvassed the country looking for potential candidates from among those considered to be the best in this field, Faye’s name kept coming up over and over again, whether we were talking to people from Toronto, Vancouver or
Halifax. Since word of Faye’s appointment has begun to spread, I’ve received a stream of calls telling us how fortunate we are to get her.”

Turpin says that the committee was impressed with Wightman’s “exceptional knowledge and experience. She is articulate, a strategic thinker, and a great facilitator.”

For her part, Wightman is “very excited to be asked to be a part of UVic. This university does such wonderful things, and people’s sense of pride in that is so obvious. The division of external relations can play an integral part in linking UVic with the outside community to help the university get where it wants to be. With the successes UVic has already had, my job will be to make more people realize what this university has to offer and how they can help.

“I’ve been raising funds for research and education for the past 10 years, and I understand the significant impact it can have. I also appreciate the importance of sustained funding for the future. ”

Wightman has been president of the Children’s Hospital Foundation and a member of the hospital executive team since 1988. The foundation’s annual revenues increased by 650 per cent to $25 million per year over that time. She also led the foundation’s first capital campaign, which raised $52 million for a research centre, research endowments and a hospital expansion.

More than $70 million in endowment funds have been established during her tenure. Starting with two endowment funds, the foundation now administers 150 endowed programs, chairs, and fellowships. Wightman’s responsibilities include raising, investing and disbursing these funds as well as managing a 35-person board of directors comprising corporate and community leaders.

In 2000 and 2001 she also served as executive advisor, government relations, to the Children’s and Women’s Health Centre of B.C., providing advice to the hospital executive and board and playing a major role in establishing an Institute for Child Health within the Canadian Institutes for Health Research program. She also created a government relations department to enhance the centre’s relationships with all three levels of government.

Wightman’s experience includes stints as vice president development and community relations for the Children’s Hospital, campaign director for the Lower Mainland United Way, and director of health and community services for the BC/Yukon division of the Canadian Red Cross Society.

She holds a BSN from UBC, and was a nursing instructor at Vancouver General Hospital and an instructor in the fundraising and management of non-profit organizations certificate program at Vancouver Community College. She currently sits on the advisory committee for curriculum development for BCIT’s fundraising management program.

Born in the Kootenays, Wightman has lived in Vancouver for the past 32 years. An avid tennis player, golfer, and gardener, she has two adult children.