Chief Advancement Officer
Bobbi Silver
On the surface, it is natural to assume that the role of an advancement officer is to raise money. It is true that fundraising is central to the position, but at its core, it is really about connecting and building relationships.
“People give to people,” Frontier Nursing University Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) Bobbi Silver said. “Yes, we need to provide important funding to our institutions, but it’s also important that we have meaningful connections with people to facilitate support for the institution in ways that they are passionate about. We want to treat people with respect and kindness and connect them to the university.”
Silver, who began her role as Frontier’s Chief Advancement Officer on March 28, 2022, brings nearly 20 years of experience in fundraising and marketing. Most recently, she served as the Director of Development at the Diocese of Lexington. Prior to that, she was the Vice President of Philanthropy at the YMCA of Central Kentucky and worked in fundraising roles at the University of Kentucky. Read Our Q&A with Bobbi
In each of those roles, she saw the value of connecting people to causes that were important to them. At Frontier, she found a cause that is important to her.
“I love Frontier’s mission and how it started in Eastern Kentucky, focusing on this unmet need to help people and families in rural areas,” Silver said. “Our purpose is to change the landscape and healthcare of rural and marginalized communities. I was also drawn to our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Not all places follow through with their spoken intentions. At Frontier, we hold our feet to the fire. We are what we say we are, and that’s important to me.”
Commitment to service and purpose comes naturally to Silver, whose father served in the U.S. Army. He was on active duty during her childhood, which meant the family was frequently on the move. They lived in Belgium, Alaska, Colorado, and Virginia before moving back to Maryland, where her parents were originally from. After finishing high school, Silver graduated from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. She found a job in Savannah, Georgia, where she met her husband, Matthew, who was stationed there as an Army Ranger. The couple made their way back to Kentucky, where Matthew’s parents lived.
Silver began working in a nonprofit setting early on in her career. Her first jobs out of college had been sales-related, but a position with a non-profit organization helped her find her true calling.
“I always had this yearning to do good for others,” said Silver. “When we moved to Kentucky, I looked for fundraising-related positions. My first job when we moved to Kentucky was fundraising and corporate support for WEKU (a non-profit radio station at Eastern Kentucky University). From there, I moved into other roles where I worked with some great people and got to learn about the fundraising world.”
“Stay connected. Stay connected to your faculty. Become a preceptor. Give back with a scholarship. Lift someone else up. Look for alumni in your region you could connect with. Giving is important, but it’s not just about money.”
– Bobbi Silver, FNU Chief Advancement Officer
Silver’s impressive record of success in development, alumni relations, external affairs, grants management, and marketing made her a strong candidate for Frontier’s CAO position. But it was her immediate connection to Frontier’s mission and culture that made her a natural fit.
“We are so excited to welcome her and her family to the Frontier community,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM, said. “We know she will help us continue to grow and successfully fulfill our mission.”
To do that, Silver wants to know why the members of the FNU community are passionate about Frontier. She wants to know their stories and how they got where they are.
“Fundraising is caring about people, which fits perfectly with our Culture of Caring,” she said. “It’s meeting people and hearing about their journeys. Where were the stumbling blocks? What connections to the university helped them through those? That’s my favorite part about fundraising.”
Silver said that she wants to focus on building lifelong connections with students to keep them better engaged with the university throughout their careers and beyond.
“If I could say anything to the students, I would say philanthropy involves giving, but it’s not just that. Philanthropy is about giving of ourselves and includes volunteering and giving back, lifting someone else up,” Silver said. “I recently watched a video in which Kitty Ernst said, ‘Don’t ever leave.’ I think that’s the perfect phrase. Stay connected. Stay connected to your faculty. Become a preceptor. Give back with a scholarship. Lift someone else up. Look for alumni in your region you could connect with. Giving is important, but it’s not just about money.”
Silver intends to build deeper connections with alumni and hopes that many will come to visit the new Versailles campus.
“We want to connect with our alumni in a more intentional way,” she said. “We want to get them on campus so they can see it and celebrate it. There’s a lot for our alumni and friends to be proud of. It’s a great time to get engaged. It’s an open invitation to call me and come visit.”
Silver is quite active away from her work at the university. The Silvers have two children, Calvin, who is in college, and Eden, who is in high school and active in sports. Silver also enjoys hiking with Matthew and their dog and dreams of one day taking a trip to Scotland.
“Family connection is a number one priority for me,” Silver said. “I recognize how precious time is right now because my kids are growing up. Once they reach this teenage and low 20 age, time just tumbles over itself so much faster. I try to be more focused on living in the moment.”
-
-
Bobbi with her husband Matthew
-
-
Bobbi with her youngest son Eden
-
-
Bobbi with her oldest son Cal
Silver has already found a home at Frontier. In just her first few months at the university, she feels connected to the university, its mission, and its people.
“I have found that this place has been incredibly welcoming, warm, and very encouraging to put yourself out there, learn, and take risks. That’s who we are,” she said. “I’m excited to be with this incredible faculty and wonderful staff. Everyone is happy to be here and to help in any way. That sense of service speaks to my heart. I want our department to be of service to others. Our goal is to support the university in all the ways we can, and I think we have a really great team that can do that.”
Get to Know Bobbi Silver
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to read (especially any Agatha Christie-inspired mysteries), hike, be outside, going to the theater to see plays, watch my youngest son participate in high school track, and visit my oldest son at college. I love NFL football, especially my Baltimore Ravens. (I was born in Baltimore.)
What attracted you to your role at FNU?
I am a first-generation college graduate and am particularly interested in helping students from rural or marginalized communities with their education. FNU’s history and commitment to these same communities drew my attention to this position. The faculty, staff and students here are an incredibly caring community and I am truly grateful to serve in this role.
Do you have any fun facts you’d like to share?
-I grew up an Army Brat and moved around quite a bit. Through high school, I lived in two countries, four states, and went to nine different schools. I’m not afraid of change!
-I love a good road trip.
-I prefer to listen to audiobooks rather than music.
-I love to bake.
What are you most excited about in this new position?
Frontier is in a great place in its evolution. I am excited to start in this role at this point in time to engage with our alumni, celebrate our new campus, and work with the community. I have a great team who are dedicated to Frontier, which makes my job so much easier. I truly appreciate the joyful spirit I have encountered at Frontier and how diligent everyone is in working together to transform health communities.
Do you have a favorite quote, and why?
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” -Amelia Earhart; I love this quote because it’s a great reminder to be brave, to experience the world, and to see joy. I am an overthinker and while that certainly has its place, I sometimes need a reminder to make the daring decision and be bold.
Do you have any TV shows to recommend or that you enjoy?
Lately, I’ve been watching the entire series of Ina Garten’s Back to Basics on Discovery+. Her voice is so soothing and I’m picking up some great cooking tips.
Carrie Belin is an experienced board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and a graduate of the Johns Hopkins DNP program, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Georgetown University School of Nursing, and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She has also completed fellowships at Georgetown and the University of California Irvine.
Angie has been a full-scope midwife since 2009. She has experience in various birth settings including home, hospital, and birth centers. She is committed to integrating the midwifery model of care in the US. She completed her master’s degree in nurse-midwifery at Frontier Nursing University (FNU) and her Doctorate at Johns Hopkins University. She currently serves as the midwifery clinical faculty at FNU. Angie is motivated by the desire to improve the quality of healthcare and has led quality improvement projects on skin-to-skin implementation, labor induction, and improving transfer of care practices between hospital and community midwives. In 2017, she created a short film on skin-to-skin called 
Justin C. Daily, BSN, RN, has ten years of experience in nursing. At the start of his nursing career, Justin worked as a floor nurse on the oncology floor at St. Francis. He then spent two years as the Director of Nursing in a small rural Kansas hospital before returning to St. Francis and the oncology unit. He has been in his current position as the Chemo Nurse Educator for the past four years. He earned an Associate in Nurse from Hutchinson Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bethel College.
Brandy Jackson serves as the Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs and Assistant Educator at Wichita State University and Co-Director of Access in Nursing. Brandy is a seasoned educator with over 15 years of experience. Before entering academia, Brandy served in Hospital-based leadership and Critical Care Staff nurse roles. Brandy is passionate about equity in nursing education with a focus on individuals with disabilities. Her current research interests include accommodations of nursing students with disabilities in clinical learning environments and breaking down barriers for historically unrepresented individuals to enter the nursing profession. Brandy is also actively engaged in Interprofessional Education development, creating IPE opportunities for faculty and students at Wichita State. Brandy is an active member of Wichita Women for Good and Soroptimist, with the goal to empower women and girls. Brandy is a TeamSTEPPS master trainer. She received the DASIY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty in 2019 at Wichita State University. 
Dr. Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine is an Arab-disabled queer woman of color with a PhD in Nursing and an interdisciplinary certificate in Disability Ethics from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Dr. Jamal-Eddine’s doctoral research explored spoken word poetry as a form of critical narrative pedagogy to educate nursing students about disability, ableism, and disability justice. Dr. Jamal-Eddine now serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in UIC’s Department of Disability and Human Development and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND). During her doctoral program, Sabrina served as a Summer Fellow at a residential National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute at Arizona State University (2023), a summer fellow at Andrew W. Mellon’s National Humanities Without Walls program at University of Michigan (2022), a Summer Research Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute (2021), and an Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) trainee (2019-2020).
Vanessa Cameron works for Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nursing Education & Professional Development. She is also attending George Washington University and progressing towards a PhD in Nursing with an emphasis on ableism in nursing. After becoming disabled in April 2021, Vanessa’s worldview and perspective changed, and a recognition of the ableism present within healthcare and within the culture of nursing was apparent. She has been working since that time to provide educational foundations for nurses about disability and ableism, provide support for fellow disabled nursing colleagues, and advocate for the disabled community within healthcare settings to reduce disparities.
Dr. Lucinda Canty is a certified nurse-midwife, Associate Professor of Nursing, and Director of the Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Columbia University, a master’s degree from Yale University, specializing in nurse-midwifery, and a PhD from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Canty has provided reproductive health care for over 29 years. Her research interests include the prevention of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, reducing racial and ethnic health disparities in reproductive health, promoting diversity in nursing, and eliminating racism in nursing and midwifery.
Dr. Lisa Meeks is a distinguished scholar and leader whose unwavering commitment to inclusivity and excellence has significantly influenced the landscape of health professions education and accessibility. She is the founder and executive director of the DocsWithDisabilities Initiative and holds appointments as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Learning Health Sciences and Family Medicine at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Nikia Grayson, DNP, MSN, MPH, MA, CNM, FNP-C, FACNM (she/her) is a trailblazing force in reproductive justice, blending her expertise as a public health activist, anthropologist, and family nurse-midwife to champion the rights and health of underserved communities. Graduating with distinction from Howard University, Nikia holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in public health. Her academic journey also led her to the University of Memphis, where she earned a master’s in medical anthropology, and the University of Tennessee, where she achieved both a master’s in nursing and a doctorate in nursing practice. Complementing her extensive education, she completed a post-master’s certificate in midwifery at Frontier Nursing University.
Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).