Published date: January 24, 2023
LITTLE ROCK, AR. (Jan. 24, 2023) – Arkansas Children’s Foundation has promoted long-time fundraising executive Enid Olvey, CFRE, to the position of president. Her predecessor, Fred Scarborough, CFRE, will continue serving as chief development officer for Arkansas Children’s health system.
Olvey will continue serving as senior vice president of Philanthropy for Arkansas Children’s at the system level.
As she steps into the role of Foundation president, Olvey is responsible for daily strategy, leadership, direction and administration of the 40-member fundraising arm of the Arkansas Children’s system, its own independent non-profit.
A mainstay of the Arkansas Children’s Foundation, Olvey began her career there more than 19 years ago as a donor services representative. She is the highest-ranking woman to ever lead the Foundation and one of the youngest senior executives at Arkansas Children’s.
Along the way, she held a series of vital roles with increasing responsibility and has been named to the 40 Under 40 list of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP)—an international professional organization dedicated exclusively to development professionals who encourage charity in North America's healthcare organizations.
Olvey has been instrumental in the Foundation’s success the last several years, helping lead a team that has consistently raised more than $30 million annually. As Arkansas Children’s prepared to open Arkansas Children’s Northwest in 2018, Olvey was instrumental in the team’s work to raise a historic $52.5 million.
“A strategic fundraiser, creative thinker, and mentor to fundraisers and program managers, Enid is a true champion for children. She exhibits a passion for results and an unyielding commitment to the Arkansas Children’s mission of making children better today and healthier tomorrow,” Scarborough said. “No matter her role, Enid has undoubtedly transformed the fundraising team by focusing on mission, transformational impact, and meaningful board and volunteer engagement. This next stage in her career will advance fundraising that improves child health statewide.”
Olvey’s love for philanthropy began early when, as a college student, she served as the chair for her school’s Dance Marathon, a fundraising event that raises money in partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Olvey also fosters and encourages team participation in the Woodmark Group—a collection of 26 children’s hospitals working together to advance the mission of children’s hospitals in North America. She has been an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) during her tenure at Arkansas Children’s.
Along with her husband Brandon, she also passionately supports local animal shelters and organizations including Rescue Road.
Arkansas Children's is the only healthcare system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' more than 700,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs — all focused on fulfilling a promise to define and deliver unprecedented child health. Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a 336-bed, Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); the state’s only magnetoencephalography (MEG) system for neurosurgical planning and cutting-edge research; and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Arkansas Children’s Hospital is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in seven pediatric specialties (2022—2023): Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Pulmonology and Urology. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, is a level IV pediatric trauma center. ACNW operates a 24-bed inpatient unit; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and Northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department, equipped with 30 exam rooms. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.
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