Matt McNair (pictured) has been appointed president of Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Foundation Board of Trustees, taking charge of the institution’s non-profit fundraising initiatives.

McNair will begin the role on August 13, leading OHSU fundraising campaigns such as the Onward initiative, which has so far generated $1.7bn of a targeted $2bn to support research, education and care in fields including cancer, paediatrics and neuroscience.

OHSU Foundation manages more than $650m of assets sourced from private philanthropists to support university facilities which include OHSU Hospital, home to a 522-bed teaching hospital, biomedical research hub and level 1 trauma centre.

McNair is currently president of Ohio State Innovation Foundation, a commercialisation division of Ohio State University, as well as vice-president for economic and corporate engagement at the same institution.

He has held both appointments since October 2015, combining management of Ohio State’s spinout portfolio with building corporate and civic relationships for the university. McNair also served as the chief advancement officer at Ohio State’s College of Engineering from 2012 until 2015.

McNair previously spent five years at University of Nebraska Foundation, the philanthropic advancement vehicle of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, after a four-year stint as chief deputy attorney general in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.

He remains on the board of directors of community bank Nebraska Bank of Commerce.

His arrival complements the appointment of Danny Jacobs, former chief academic officer at University of Texas Medical Branch, as president of OHSU beginning August 1.

Steve Janik, incoming chair of the OHSU Foundation Board of Trustees and co-chair of the presidential search committee, said: “Matt’s range of experiences, superb leadership skills and impeccable character make him a perfect fit to lead the OHSU Foundation at an important time of transition for the entire university.

“OHSU’s philanthropic success over the past several years has set the bar extremely high, and we are certain Matt will excel in every aspect of the job, from further expanding our fundraising efforts to leading a high-performing team.”