JB&A Professionals

Mary Ellen Clark, Vice President
Midwest Region

Decades of volunteer and board commitments led Mary Ellen Clark into the fundraising profession 13 years ago. She describes her experience in nursing and small business management as natural training for the cultivation of major gifts and successful foundation startups.

A graduate of Avila University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and the University of Kansas with a master’s as a clinical nurse specialist, Mary Ellen played a significant role in changing the Nurse Practice Act, allowing nurses to expand their roles beyond the bedside. As a clinician, educator and consultant, her entrepreneurial spirit grew. She was the founder and president of Nurse Consultants, a healthcare placement firm, and founded the Association of Nurse Entrepreneurs.

Mary Ellen joined Jeffrey Byrne & Associates from the Providence Saint John Foundation, where she started the foundation’s fundraising programs, endowment and led its first capital campaign. Her work on Capitol Hill secured the hospital’s first appropriation, paving the way for annual funding from Congress. As the former Director of Development, and later, as Vice President of Advancement for Avila University, Mary Ellen worked with major gift donors, grew alumni giving and assisted several successful capital campaigns.

Mary Ellen has led and served on numerous boards including the Avila University Alumni Association, Saint Joseph Health Center Board of Trustees, and the Catholic Education Foundation. She is a graduate of Leadership 2000 and has participated in numerous strategic planning programs that have had a positive impact on the community and the organizations she served.

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