Stacy Waters, MBA, has been named the new vice president of Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs (DHDAA), effective November 4, 2024.
Waters will lead Duke Health’s philanthropic, engagement, and strategic advancement programs. She will advance the entire development and alumni organization, which encompasses the Duke University School of Medicine, the Duke University School of Nursing, the Duke University Health System, and key connected centers, institutes, and initiatives. She will maintain a portfolio of principal and transformational gifts, prospects, donors, and volunteers. She will also advise and support Duke Health’s executive leadership, as well as other senior leaders and strategic partners.
“With over 20 years of proven success in building and strengthening teams, executing comprehensive fundraising strategies, securing transformational gifts, designing grateful patient programs, and enhancing the alumni and volunteer experience, Stacy is an exceptional addition to our leadership team,” said Duke University Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and School of Medicine Dean Mary E. Klotman, MD, and Duke University Health System CEO Craig Albanese, MD, MBA, in an announcement on September 9. “We are confident that her leadership, vision, and expertise will lead our outstanding DHDAA team to new heights.”
Waters joins Duke from Roper St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, South Carolina, where she served as the inaugural president of the Roper St. Francis Foundation and vice president of Roper St. Francis Healthcare. In this role, she created the foundation’s first strategic plan and campaign strategy, significantly increasing fundraising revenue and securing the largest gift in the institution’s history. She also worked closely with physicians and other leaders to develop the system’s first grateful patient program.
Prior to her tenure at Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Waters held senior leadership positions at Dell Medical School and UT Health at The University of Texas at Austin and UChicago Medicine and the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. In these roles, she demonstrated her ability to build and scale best-in-class development programs, cultivate donor relationships, and lead successful fundraising campaigns.
Waters attended the University of Chicago and received her Master of Business Administration degree from the Booth School of Business. She will report to Klotman and Albanese and will collaborate with David L. Kennedy, vice president of alumni engagement and development for Duke University.
J. Steven Barnes is currently serving in an interim role as DHDAA vice president.
“We would also like to thank J. Steven Barnes for his excellent leadership as DHDAA’s interim vice president and recognize the entire team for their extraordinary work throughout this transition period,” Klotman and Albanese said.