Amelia J. Alverson has been named executive vice president and chief development officer for Northwell Health. She joined Northwell in October after 16 years at Columbia University, where she served as executive vice president for university development and alumni relations. Alverson succeeds Brian T. Lally, who is retiring at the end of the year after a long and successful career in development, including the last 12 years leading the Northwell Foundation.
In her role at Columbia, Alverson was the architect of The Columbia Commitment, the most ambitious year-over-year campaign in higher education at the time, which raised $5.6 billion in five years. She also played a central role in guiding some of the most consequential philanthropic partnerships in Columbia’s history, including transformational gifts that led to the renaming of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. These landmark contributions continue to advance cancer research and patient care, drive progress in precision medicine, strengthen Columbia’s capacity in basic science and enabled VPS to become the first medical school in the nation to eliminate student debt.
“Northwell is quite fortunate to welcome such an accomplished leader and force in the development world,” said Northwell President and CEO Dr. John D’Angelo. “Amelia’s experience, success and strategic vision will be critically important as we embark on a new chapter at Northwell. Philanthropic support profoundly shapes our ability to raise health across the regions we serve, and I look forward to partnering with Amelia and our donor community.”
Before her tenure at Columbia, Alverson served as vice president of development at Stanford Hospital and Clinics, assistant chair for development at the Mayo Foundation and associate dean for development at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She holds a Master of Business Administration from The University of Toledo and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Central Florida.
“I’m honored to join Northwell at such a pivotal moment in its history,” said Alverson. “Together with my colleagues at the foundation and across the health system, I look forward to building upon Brian’s remarkable legacy and helping to lead Northwell into a new era of philanthropic achievement — one that will profoundly impact our patients, their families and all who continue to benefit from our discoveries, innovation and compassionate care.”
Under Brian Lally’s leadership, the Northwell Foundation became a strategic engine for growth, innovation and long-term sustainability. Among his many meaningful contributions and accomplishments, Lally led an extraordinary team to the successful completion of Northwell’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, Outpacing the Impossible. Ambitious from its launch in 2018, the campaign exceeded its initial $1 billion goal in September 2022, and the goal was extended to $1.4 billion — a total that was reached in December 2024. In all, the campaign raised more than $1.44 billion from more than 209,000 generous donors.
