The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation announced today that it has named Steve Blair vice president for institutional advancement.
Blair comes to OMRF with over a decade of development experience. Most recently, he served as external relations director for the Cardiovascular Center at the University of California, San Diego, where he raised more than $30 million in a six-year period.
Prior to his tenure at UCSD, Blair served as director of development for the American Heart Associations’ San Diego chapter. He holds a B.S. in speech communication from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.
“Steve Blair has made a career out of developing and successfully implementing innovative fund-raising and public relations strategies,” said OMRF President J. Donald Capra, M.D. “He will be a tremendous asset to OMRF, both in helping to finish our capital campaign and in building this organization so that it can continue to serve Oklahomans for generations to come.”
Capra noted that OMRF’s five-year, $100 million “For the Future of Medical Research Campaign” currently stands at more than $97 million.
Gene Rainbolt, chair of OMRF’s capital campaign, predicts that Blair will be “a dynamic leader for a dynamic organization. Steve’s successful experience raising significant funds in the medical field is a perfect match for the vision, needs and ambitions of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.”
OMRF also announced that it has added Jenny Lee as its creative director. Before joining OMRF, Lee spent 19 years at Kellum & Lee, an Oklahoma City design agency she co-founded. Lee’s work has earned numerous honors, including Addy, PRSA Upper Case and IABC Bronze Quill awards. She received a B.A. cum laude in mass communications and fine art from Oklahoma City University.
About OMRF:
OMRF (www.omrf.org) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and curing human disease. Its scientists focus on such critical research as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease. OMRF is home to Oklahoma’s only Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and only member of the National Academy of Sciences in the area of biomedical research.
