F. Graham Lee, Vice President of Philanthropy for University of Maryland Memorial Hospital Foundation and University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, is set to retire on January 7, 2022 after serving 45 years as a fundraising professional.
Lee first served at Memorial Hospital Foundation from 1989 to 2002, and then again from 2012 to the present. During his tenure, Lee worked with volunteers to complete two successful capital campaigns — a $7.5 million campaign launched in 1989 for the renovation and expansion of UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, and a $6 million campaign for the establishment of the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center on Martin Court in Easton in 2014, with a grand opening in June 2016.
F. Graham Lee
In addition, Lee engaged hundreds of community members and volunteers to assist in raising vital funds to support the advancement of health care services on the Mid-Shore. Through annual appeals and special events such as the annual golf tournament to benefit hospital services, crab feasts to benefit UM Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown and clay shoot tournaments to benefit the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center, Lee raised several million dollars for community health care during his tenure. He also created planned giving opportunities to meet evolving health care needs, such as the purchase of new medical technologies, facility renovations and support for health care professionals in obtaining specialized education to advance their skills.
“Graham Lee is an icon in our community,” said Ken Kozel, President and CEO of UM Shore Regional Health. “His love for people and his dedication to helping Shore Regional Health secure the financial resources needed to provide comprehensive, accessible health care is remarkable. As a major ambassador for our brand and the loving and compassionate care we provide, Graham will be deeply missed.”
“A good fundraiser must be fearless and aggressive, yet lovable and charming — a ‘friendly pit bull,’” said Charlie Capute, Chair, UM Memorial Hospital Foundation Board of Directors. “That describes my good friend Graham Lee. He is a fundraising master. I love visiting with him, on hospital business or personal. Health care philanthropy is a niche profession and Graham does it better than anyone I have ever seen or been associated with. He will be missed in many ways.”
Lee began his fundraising career at Cape Fear Council, Boy Scouts of America, in Wilmington, North Carolina. He also served at Geisinger Medical Center Foundation in Danville, Pennsylvania, where he organized volunteers to help raise funds for the first rural Ronald McDonald House.
Lee’s resume also includes positions at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, Baptist Health System in Knoxville, Tennessee, the MidShore Community Foundation in Easton, UM St. Joseph’s Medical Center Foundation in Towson and the YMCA of the Chesapeake in Easton.
Upon retirement, Lee said he plans to spend more time with his wife, three children and three grandchildren. “I’m a lucky man!” he said. “I’ve had a great career and was able to share the excitement of life with an awesome community and donors who care about making life better on the Eastern Shore.”
“I’m so grateful to have enjoyed the support of the Foundation Board, senior leadership and hundreds of dedicated volunteers over the years. I hope that going forward, local community members throughout the five-county region served by UM Shore Regional Health will continue to value and support the advancement of health care services that are so important to the overall quality of life we enjoy.”
Individuals interested in making a gift in honor of Lee can send a check to UM Memorial Hospital Foundation, IHO Graham Lee, Post Office Box 1846, Easton, MD 21601.
About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
About the University of Maryland Medical System
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 13 hospitals and 9 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.
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