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Sharon Thornton has accepted the position as the President of the Memorial Medical Center Foundation, which has philanthropically supported Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach for more than 50 years raising between $7-15 million annually. The 501(c)(3) is led by a 26 member Board of Directors.
Thornton comes to the Memorial Medical Center Foundation with more than 22 years of experience in development, and a background in law. Prior to her new role, Thornton served as the Executive Vice President/Chief Philanthropy Officer for the Sun Health Foundation in Surprise, Arizona, Chief Development Officer for the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield, Oregon, as well as positions at the Hoag Hospital Foundation in Newport Beach, California, and the University of California, Irvine.
In this role, Thornton will oversee the fundraising activities for both hospitals, serve as the liaison between hospital administration and the board of directors, and provide oversight for the development and implementation of strategy to strengthen and grow fundraising support.
From 1996 to 2000, Thornton was the Director of Planned Giving at another MemorialCare entity – MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center. During her time at Saddleback Medical Center, she successfully solicited six, seven and eight figure gifts, managed the identification of several hundred new donors, and developed a marketing plan that significantly expanded the gift pipeline.
“We are looking forward to having Sharon join our Foundation team,” says John Bishop, CEO, Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s & Women’s. “Many of our programs are not reimbursed at a level that enables long-term growth. Fundraising is one way that we can support these underfunded programs to ensure that these programs are available to our community. Sharon’s experience in fundraising and leadership is a perfect fit with our goal of supporting these programs. We are happy to welcome her back to the MemorialCare family.”
“I am happy to be back with the MemorialCare family representing Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s & Women’s,” says Thornton. “My goal is to build strong relationships with our donors and the community.”