“When you’re dealing with individuals, it’s more of a longer-term cultivation that matches your institution’s or your organization’s needs with their passion, versus foundations and corporations, where it’s a checklist.”

Patrick Johnson

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Joan Bahner, senior consultant, talks with Patrick Johnson, senior vice president of institutional advancement at Meharry Medical College. They discuss developing colleges’ relationships with corporations, foundations and other organizations. In their conversation, Patrick addresses: 

• How corporations, foundations and other organizations differ from individuals in terms of giving.
• Ways colleges can identify companies and organizations that would be good partners. 
• What a corporate engagement strategy should look like.

About Our Guest

Patrick Johnson is the senior vice president of institutional advancement at Meharry Medical College. At Meharry, Patrick leads a 22-person team in cultivating and maintaining relationships with large organizations, major corporation foundations and government entities in order to advance the college’s strategic vision. 

He is also responsible for initiatives supporting clinical programs, training experiences and community engagement opportunities through affiliations with a range of nonprofit, private and government healthcare organizations. He guides the leadership across the college’s medicine, dentistry and graduate studies and research schools, as well as oversees new model considerations for Nashville General Hospital. 

Patrick began his career in advancement at Fisk University. Other past experiences include serving as senior consultant at Campbell and Company, a nonprofit management consulting firm, and as the regional director of development for The University of Tennessee.

He is a graduate of Fisk University and completed the mini MBA degree program at Belmont University. Patrick sits on the board of the Tennessee Kidney Foundation and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Learn more about Meharry Medical College.
Follow Meharry Medical College: @Meharrymedical