CHA Names New Chief Development Officer

Philanthropy leader Julie Sun will help expand fundraising strategies

  Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a community health system serving Cambridge, Somerville and Boston’s metro-north communities, has named Julie Sun as its new chief development officer. In this role, she will provide leadership for a growing development department and work on fundraising strategies to support CHA’s plan to improve population health, aid facilities development and expand its academic and clinical programs. In her new role as chief development officer and senior leader within CHA, Julie will work closely with CEO Assaad Sayah, MD, the CHA Foundation Board, clinical leadership and other stakeholders to meet development goals.

Julie Sun comes to CHA from the University of Washington, where she served as chief advancement officer for the School of Social Work. She led all fundraising initiatives and alumni engagement for the School, surpassing UW’s Be Boundless $6 billion campaign goal. In collaboration with the Dean, faculty and campus partners, Julie secured $24.7 million to fund 415 fully funded scholarships to increase the mental and behavioral health workforce in the State of Washington and cross-sector collaboration with private funders, the state legislature and statewide higher education institutions. Prior to this role, she was the director for international development, West Coast major gifts, at Cornell University, where she was responsible for major donors in Asia, the West Coast and New York.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in music and sociology from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in international studies with a concentration in international business from Ewha University in Seoul, South Korea. She is a leader in creating and building fundraising teams and infrastructure and is a seasoned frontline fundraiser, cultivating and securing seven-to-eight-figure gifts, implementing corporate and foundation fundraising and launching new and innovative fundraising programs.

“With a strong commitment to advancing DEI in the philanthropy and advancement sector, Julie has an impressive track record of successful fundraising to advance the field of social work in social justice, health equities, racial equities, and child and youth welfare,” said CHA Chief Financial Officer Jill Batty. “Her skills and knowledge are ideally suited to serve our patients and communities, and we are excited to welcome her to CHA.”

CHA includes two hospital campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices and the Cambridge Public Health Department. CHA patients have seamless access to advanced care through the system’s affiliation with Beth Israel Lahey Health. CHA is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine.