Erlanger's chief development officer leads fundraising effort for Children's Hospital

Julie Taylor

In her fifth floor office overlooking Erlanger's main hospital, Julie Taylor still displays many of the Sesame Street characters from her previous fundraising job at WTCI-TV, Chattanooga's PBS station that airs the popular children's television series with local donations. But in the past three years, Taylor has been leading a far bigger fundraising effort for children, and in 2018 the campaign surpassed its record-setting goal.

As chief development officer for the Erlanger Health System, Taylor has led the campaign for donations to build a new $40 million outpatient facility at the Erlanger Children's Hospital. In his first week on the job when he arrived in Chattanooga in 2013, Erlanger CEO Kevin Spiegel asked Taylor to find a way to raise most of the funds needed to build the outpatient facility to help upgrade the 45-year-old Children's Hospital, then known as the T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital.

At the time, Erlanger was still bleeding red ink and some were skeptical about the hospital undertaking major capital projects like a new hospital. But Taylor began talking with the medical community, a variety of public leaders and potential major donors for a new outpatient center and the idea soon took hold.

"What better way to excite a community around philanthropy than a campaign for a children's hospital," Taylor said. "I love the fact that we are a public hospital that serves everyone and there's a lot to be said for the mission of Erlanger and the need and potential for this children's hospital."

After surpassing the $28.5 million fundraising goal set for the $40 million outpatient Children's Hospital over the past three years, Erlanger is now drafting plans for an even bigger new inpatient children's hospital, which will require raising even more money.

"It's an exciting time at Erlanger," Taylor says.

Taylor, a former radio advertising manager who came to Chattanooga 26 years ago, now uses her sales skills to head the fundraising and philanthropic efforts for Erlanger and has oversight of the Erlanger Health System Foundations, including the Baroness Erlanger Foundation, The Children's Hospital Foundation and Children's Miracle Network. She also oversees volunteer services which also directs the Volunteer Auxiliary and Employee Events.

She is the past chair of The Women's Fund of Greater Chattanooga, is a member of Chattanooga Women's Leadership Institute and is on the advisory board for the Junior League of Chattanooga.