Press Release | Sept. 18, 2024
CENTENNIAL, Colo.—An experienced nonprofit administrator and marketing expert has been selected as the next executive director of the Center for Health and Hope.
Justin Levy of Denver has been named to succeed the Center’s founder, the Rev. Dr. Donald E. Messer, effective October 28, 2024. The nonprofit organization, a partner with the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund, focuses on supporting and advocating for persons infected and affected by HIV and AIDS throughout the world.
Selected unanimously after a nationwide search, Levy currently serves as assistant director of marketing and communications at the University of Denver Newman Center for the Performing Arts, where he specialized in strategic communications and community partnerships.
The chair of the ransition and selection committee, Claudia Svarstad, described Levy as being “an exceptionally qualified professional, with excellent experience in nonprofit management and fundraising. A stellar communicator with a positive personality, and a proven passion for the Center’s mission, Levy exceeds our leadership expectations.”
Levy holds a master's degree in nonprofit management from Regis University and a bachelor's degree from the University of the Pacific. He earned a certificate from the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts Leadership Cohort in 2024, focusing especially on institutional diversity, equality, and inclusion efforts.
He has served on the board of directors of the Center for Health and Hope, president of the Raphael Levy Memorial Foundation, and member of the 150th Anniversary Fundraising Cabinet of Temple Emanuel. He and his wife, Cari, a medical doctor, journeyed to Kenya and Rwanda with the Center for Health and Hope in 2023.
Messer, who will continue serving as Chair of the Center Board, applauded Levy’s choice, noting that “the Center and our worldwide partners could not have a better person leading us into a fruitful future.”
Levy’s appointment coincides with news that the Center’s one-time capacity-building campaign has raised $475,000 in gifts and pledges toward its $500,000 goal. The announcement by the campaign co-chairs, William Bradford and Chin Keong Tan, emphasized the need “to finish the fund-raising and ensure continued Center stability and service to persons stigmatized and marginalized around the world.”