The new UI Foundation director of development for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital has a long history of working with kids in Iowa City.
By Addison Martin
After 15 years, Johnson County Big Brothers Big Sisters Executive Director Scott Hansen has moved on to become the director of development for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, whose new facility is set to open in December.
“I started [Sept. 26] … It’s great; I mean the people here are as I expected, they’re all wonderful,” Hansen said. “They are extremely professional and extremely good at what they do, and extra friendly, and welcoming into this new place.”
Hansen will be in charge of raising funds for the new hospital in the form of private gifts, which is similar to what his responsibilities were at his last job, making him qualified for this new position, said Dana Larson of the UI Foundation, who is in charge of funding and development for the Children’s Hospital.
“Scott has a terrific background in the nonprofit world, coming from Big Brothers Big Sisters. Scott will be fundraising for the UI Children’s Hospital,” Larson said. “The new Children’s Hospital building opening in December is possible thanks in part to the work our fundraising team does with generous donors.”
Hansen said he has been lucky with the jobs he’s held in the past, and although he is excited about this new chapter in his life, he will miss his work and his coworkers at Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“It was definitely difficult to say goodbye to all of those relationships that you work for and work with, and an organization such as Big Brothers Big Sisters or any nonprofit is going to rely on those personal relationships; to say goodbye to those is extremely difficult,” he said.
Jill Kromminga, whohas worked at Big Brothers Big Sisters for 34 years and worked alongside Hansen, said he did a wonderful job of living up to the expectations and standards left by previous directors. She hopes that the group’s new director can keep that tradition of excellence alive.
“Sometimes, it’s easier to follow someone who did a lousy job and you can be the person who is the hero and rescues everything, but I think he did really good job of following good people and being respectful of the solid history,” she said. “He’s very wise in the way he handled the new position and as it developed.”
Hansen said he looks forward to the grand opening of the new Children’s Hospital as well continuing his work with nonprofits and providing philanthropy opportunities to the people of Iowa City and all around Iowa.
“When I saw the opportunity to work specifically for the UI hospitals, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up … any facility is only as good as the people involved, so I’m really excited to get to know all the folks that are actually doing the work there, about also just being able to know that I’m helping people fulfill their philanthropic wishes to support such a great hospital,” he said.
