valleywise

Valleywise Health Foundation has chosen its next CEO from within the community.

The foundation's board of directors selected Nicole Rivet, who most recently served as chief development officer for the Phoenix Art Museum, to fill the role. She will step into the post on June 26.

Valleywise Health Foundation is the nonprofit focused on providing financial support for programs at public health system Valleywise Health, which includes a public teaching hospital, world-renowned burn unit, Level I trauma center, Level II pediatric trauma center, three behavioral health hospitals, 11 family health centers and an HIV/AIDS clinic. Formerly known as the county hospital, Valleywise Health is the safety net system of care for those who are uninsured or underinsured.

Rivet brings more than 20 years of nonprofit fundraising experience to the job, and she has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals during that time. She also has held the Certified Fundraising Executive designation since 2011.

She pointed to her experience at the Phoenix Art Museum — where she has worked for more than four years, before and during the Covid-19 pandemic — as crucial experience for her new job.

"As part of the museum's senior leadership team during a period of tremendous change and uncertainty, I have witnessed firsthand the critical importance philanthropy plays in making our community stronger," Rivet said in a statement. "I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to lead an organization dedicated to ensuring that all members of our community receive exceptional care, regardless of their personal circumstances."

Rivet said raising funds to help train future health care professionals and to ensure access to care remains urgent amid longer-term impacts of a global pandemic.

Before the Phoenix Art Museum, Rivet's experience has included philanthropic consulting in health and human services fields, public radio, national governing sports bodies, environmental conservation, animal welfare, the arts and international aid.

Previous jobs included serving as vice president for national development of Catholic Health Initiatives National Foundation in Colorado, where she served from 2012-2016; director of corporate, foundation and agency relations for Colorado College; and director of foundation gifts for Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, D.C.

"We’re delighted to welcome Nicole to Valleywise Health Foundation during this milestone time in Valleywise Health's 145-year history," said Valleywise Health Foundation Board Chair Patti Gentry, in a statement. "Her extensive experience and passion for advancing community health, advocating for the vulnerable and working with donors to invest in innovative care models, made her an outstanding choice to lead the Foundation's high-performing team."

Valleywise Health is currently building the $603 million Valleywise Health Medical Center at 24th and Roosevelt streets in Phoenix that is slated for an early 2024 opening.

Spanning 10 stories, the 673,000-square-foot hospital will replace the aging hospital that has served as a safety net hospital for more than 50 years.

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