Focusing on three critical priorities—workforce development, access through innovation, and campus transformation—Transforming Health Care Here: The Campaign for Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham will revolutionize the delivery of care in Needham and beyond. At the helm of this ambitious fundraising effort are five dedicated Campaign Chairs, all of whom have deep ties to the community—Virginia Carnahan, Jeremy Cramer, Paul Fleming, Michael Lombard, and John Wright. As philanthropic leaders, these individuals have played a vital role in the hospital’s tremendous growth over the years. They are excited to continue building on BID Needham’s achievements to ensure exceptional, compassionate care is available close to home for all who need it.  

Carnahan, who recently completed her term as Chair of the Board of Trustees, has had a long career in biotech and worked in leadership roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals for many years. She looks forward to seeing the board’s careful planning set into motion as the campaign launches. “I’m excited to be on the precipice of putting the strategic plan we’ve been working on for the last three years into action,” says Carnahan. “We’re really at this pivotal point now where we can implement our vision.” During her time as Chair of the board, Carnahan served on the educational grants committee, helping to award professional development funds to BID Needham employees, and has a particular interest in the campaign’s focus on workforce development.  

Like Carnahan, Fleming, who serves as Head of Alternatives at BNY and is now Chair of the Board of Trustees, looks forward to building on BID Needham’s legacy of success as the hospital enters its next chapter. Having lived in Needham since he was young, Fleming has witnessed the scale of BID Needham’s growth from a small community hospital into the leading institution it is today. “We’re at a real inflection point here,” says Fleming. “We’ve done a tremendous amount of work developing the campus, developing the workforce, creating access, and we’re about to double down on that. It’s really exciting.”   

 A patient at BID Needham since age four, Lombard has also seen firsthand the transformative effects of philanthropy and community engagement on the hospital and takes pride in its advancement. As a current member of the Governance and Nominating and Philanthropy Committees, Lombard recognizes the impact of investing in BID Needham’s services and programs, as well as its care environments. “It is really a unique experience for me to walk in and know that we’ve got the best doctors and medical staff here, but also that I’ve had a part in the brick and mortar that surrounds me,” says Lombard, who is a Senior Vice President at Walker & Dunlop. As Campaign Chair, he looks forward to being part of BID Needham’s continued evolution.  

Cramer is CEO of Exponential Philanthropy, which provides philanthropic advisory services for high-net-worth families and management consulting to nonprofits, as well as a Board of Trustees member and Philanthropy Committee Chair. He notes the powerful ripple effect that the campaign will have on the entire community. “I think about the investment of time and energy and philanthropy as an investment in my family. To know that our neighbors can be treated with world-class community care is all that I can ask for,” says Cramer, who recognizes that supporting the hospital’s talented workforce is vital. “Investing in staff is a key part of this campaign because it is ultimately also an investment in the patients that they’re caring for.”  

For Wright, a Partner and Global Head of Credit at Bain Capital and a member of the Board of Trustees, the campaign represents an exciting opportunity for BID Needham and its supporters to leave their mark on the community, ensuring that residents and neighbors have access to high-quality care locally for years to come. “Now is the time for us to step up and make improvements here, for the benefit of future generations,” says Wright. “We will know that we were a part of that, and able to provide something that was better than it would’ve been, had we not been here.”    

For more information, email Samantha Sherman or Hillary Harrelson.  

Make a gift to the Transforming Health Care Here campaign today.