Rush University System for Health has appointed Gina Rodriguez senior vice president and chief development officer, effective April 6. Rodriguez will serve on the senior leadership team and report directly to Dr. Omar Lateef, CEO of Rush.
Rodriguez joins Rush at a transformative moment as the organization advances Without Boundaries: The RUSH Campaign, its comprehensive fundraising effort to support priorities across clinical care, education, research and community health. She will lead the system’s philanthropic strategy to strengthen donor engagement and expand support for innovation and growth across the enterprise.
“Gina will help expand our national and international reach while strengthening our philanthropic partnerships,” Lateef said. “Her leadership will support Rush’s continued growth and our ability to reinvest in the people, programs and discoveries that advance our mission and extend our impact beyond our walls.”
Rodriguez brings more than two decades of advancement and external relations leadership experience across nationally recognized nonprofit and health care institutions. She has led teams through major campaigns totaling more than $1 billion and built high-performing advancement organizations that generate sustained philanthropic investment across the globe.
Most recently, Rodriguez served as senior vice president of advancement and external relations at the Jackson Laboratory, where she led comprehensive donor engagement and principal and major gift strategy in support of its mission to improve human health. Prior to that, she was the first chief development officer at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, accelerating philanthropic growth in support of its Centennial Commitment.
Rodriguez also held executive advancement leadership roles at the Francis W. Parker and Ancona schools, leading capital and endowment campaigns that strengthened institutional sustainability. Earlier in her career, she served in development roles at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
At Rush, Rodriguez will oversee philanthropy across the system, partnering with senior leaders and volunteer boards to cultivate principal and transformational gifts. She will also align philanthropic priorities with strategic initiatives including health equity, neuroscience, bone and joint, cancer, education and workforce development, innovation and emerging opportunities.
“I am honored to join Rush and contribute to its bold vision for the future,” Rodriguez said. “Rush’s commitment to equity, innovation and community impact deeply resonates with me, and I look forward to advancing that mission.”
Rodriguez holds a Bachelor of Arts in French literature from the University of California, San Diego.
