Dan Pennington

Dan Pennington

Important work inspires generous benefactors

Dan Pennington didn't set out to become a development officer, but he is glad he followed that career path and that it led him to Mayo Clinic.

"I have the opportunity to work with so many inspiring people," Pennington says. "It is a pleasure to be able to interact with benefactors who are passionate about what they want to accomplish with their philanthropy. And matching their interests with the work of our physicians and researchers is very rewarding."

Most Mayo benefactors are grateful patients, and many have moving stories to tell about the care they — or a family member — received at Mayo and how this experience motivated them to make a gift. Pennington loves to hear those stories, and he also appreciates the perspective of benefactors who give for other reasons.

"I have the privilege of working with a donor who has never been a Mayo patient, and no one in his family has been treated at Mayo. But both his parents died of complications of stroke, and he wants to support the great science at Mayo," Pennington says. This benefactor has funded a Career Development Fund to support stroke research, and he is interested in what's happening at Mayo in this area.

Pennington joined Mayo Clinic in 2003, after more than a decade in development at other organizations. A graduate of the University of Kansas, he began his career raising money for educational organizations. Later he headed his own consulting firm, but jumped at the chance to come to Mayo. "Mayo simply is the best," he says, "and it is satisfying to be a part of this important work."