TSRI Names David Blinder to Key Fundraising Position

The Scripps Research Institute has appointed David Blinder, as senior vice president for external affairs at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI).

Blinder joins TSRI from the University of California (UC), Berkeley, where he has been associate vice chancellor of university relations and vice president of the UC Berkeley Foundation. In that capacity, Blinder was senior manager of a highly successful fundraising effort, The Campaign for Berkeley. Publicly launched in 2008, the campaign has raised $2.7 billion toward a $3 billion goal.

“We are very fortunate that David has agreed to join us,” said Michael A. Marletta, president and CEO of TSRI. “His leadership and accomplishments in development and management will be essential to our philanthropic efforts. I am very much looking forward to working with him to build a strong financial future for the institute.”

“I’m honored to join The Scripps Research Institute,” said Blinder. “I’m excited about the institute’s mission to advance biomedical discovery and human health and look forward to working with faculty and staff to advance President Marletta’s vision for Scripps.”

Blinder begins his new position, which oversees external affairs on both the Scripps California and Scripps Florida campuses, on March 1.

A Career in Higher Education and Philanthropy

Blinder earned a BA in philosophy, magna cum laude, from Princeton University in 1972 and an MA and PhD in philosophy from UC Berkeley in 1979 and 1981, respectively. He then joined Yale University as an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy.

In 1987, he joined the philanthropy staff at Princeton University, while continuing to lecture in philosophy. After positions in leadership gifts and corporate and foundation relations, Blinder became director of development for Princeton in 1992. At that time, he became involved in developing the university’s $1 billion 250^th anniversary campaign.

In 1995, he joined Wellesley College as vice president for resources and public affairs. There, he planned and implemented a record-breaking campaign for liberal arts fundraising.

In 2007, he joined UC Berkeley, where he was a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet, Council of Deans, and UC Berkeley Foundation Campaign Steering Committee.

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