Longtime CEO of Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter to step down June 8
After a nearly 20-year tenure, President and CEO Wendy L. Campbell of the Alzheimer's Association Delaware Valley Chapter is stepping down effective Friday, June 8.
Her impending retirement is bittersweet, as she recalls some of her proudest moments while at the helm of the nonprofit organization that serves the needs of nearly 300,000 people in the Delaware, southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania region who are affected by Alzheimer's or a related disorder.
"As I think back on the last 18 years, I take great pride in being part of a chapter that has grown substantially on so many fronts, from programs to advocacy to development," said Campbell. "I am most proud of building a staff, a board of directors and community of volunteers who demonstrate profound commitment to our mission as they serve our valued constituents."
Campbell joined the then-Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter in 2000. She subsequently led the merger of the 12-employee chapter in 2002 with the two chapters that served South Jersey and the State of Delaware, forming what is now the Delaware Valley Chapter. During her time with the chapter, Campbell grew its staff to more than 40 strong as services increased to address the rapid growth in new Alzheimer's cases due to aging baby boomers.
Under Campbell's leadership, the Philadelphia Walk to End Alzheimer's became the first walk in the nation to exceed $1.5 million in funds raised; it has retained the No. 1 position in both dollars raised and number of participants every year since 2015.
For 22 months, she also spearheaded the organization of a newly formed Alzheimer's Association Greater New Jersey Chapter as its interim executive director. The chapter serves central and northern New Jersey.
She leaves the Delaware Valley Chapter with the proud realization that as a member of the Alzheimer's Association 2019-21 Fiscal Year Strategic Plan Steering Committee, she had a hand in helping establish the goals and craft the plan that will guide the organization as it seeks to achieve its vision of a world without Alzheimer's.
"While I was hoping a treatment, cure or vaccine would be found during my tenure, I am proud to have been the Delaware Valley Chapter's leader," Campbell said. "I am confident the Alzheimer's Association research program and its effort to increase public awareness will continue to turn up political pressure for even more research dollars, which will one day find Alzheimer's 'first survivor.'"
Prior to joining the Delaware Valley Chapter, Campbell served for nearly 20 years as vice president of Pennsylvania Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. A native Pennsylvanian, Campbell received her undergraduate degree from Smith College in Northampton, Mass., and her MBA and MPH graduate degrees from Columbia University in New York City. She is a resident of Jeffersonville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
