GRAND RAPIDS – Van Andel Institute officials announced Thursday the appointment of Love Collins, III as Vice President of Development effective immediately. Collins most recently worked at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, where he served as Vice President for Advancement since 2007.

?With more than twenty years experience in a variety of industries including health care and research, Mr. Collins has a proven track record of successful outcomes in comprehensive fundraising,? said VAI Chairman & CEO David Van Andel. ?He is a key component of VAI’s efforts to enhance and expand all facets of our development program.?

Collins? career includes experience in the areas of capital campaigns, major gifts, planned giving, annual fund management, donor cultivation, stewardship and other development processes. Previously, Collins served as a senior development officer managing fundraising operations for the College of Medicine, Cancer Center, and Hospital at Howard University. His background also includes executive-level fundraising positions at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Florida A&M University and Foundation, and Dillard University. He served as Deputy Managing Director of Operations and International Fundraising for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and Director of Corporate Strategic Planning for BellSouth Corporation.

Collins is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and obtained an MBA degree from Emory University?s Goizueta Business School. He also served five years as an infantry and airborne officer in the United States Army.

?I am very excited to begin the next phase of my career in Grand Rapids,? said Collins. ?What the region, the Medical Mile, and the Institute in particular have accomplished in terms of reinventing West Michigan?s future as a vital hub of biomedical research is a success story the rest of the country will be very interested to learn about.?

The appointment of Collins continues VAI Executive Team staff changes and restructuring announced in March 2010, and builds on efforts to enhance key areas in support of the growth of the organization. While working to develop a national focus in response to growing needs for philanthropic support for all entities of VAI, Collins? team will build on previous efforts to construct a broad-based program for the pursuit of private support for the Institute including annual giving, major and planned giving, and corporate and foundation giving.

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