Rolando Damian Rodriguez served since 1991 as President of the Jackson Memorial Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and developing new programs for the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, one of the largest teaching hospitals in the nation. Under his direction, the start-up foundation has developed a number of community projects, including raising $28 million for the creation of the Ryder Trauma Center and over $13 million for the development of Jackson’s Holtz Children’s Hospital. Most recently, he has founded the International Kids Fund, a program aimed at raising support throughout the world for the care of critically-ill children from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Previously, Mr. Rodriguez spent five years leading the Catholic Health and Rehabilitation Foundation, an Archdiocesan agency created under his guidance to develop and support a variety of health and elderly care programs in South Florida. He was responsible for the development and funding of Genesis, one of the first comprehensive residential AIDS programs in the nation. 

Rolando has been active on local and national levels of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (recently renamed the Association of Fundraising Professionals), having served as President of the local chapter in 1991. Nationally, Rolando was the first Hispanic American to serve on NSFRE national committees and boards, and recently completed his second term on the NSFRE Foundation Board. He has been highly involved in developing diversity efforts aimed at attracting and training more minority fund raising professionals. His latest challenge has been to help foster the development of philanthropy and the fund raising profession in Mexico, including serving as visiting faculty for fund raising courses in Mexico City and Tijuana.

Locally, Rolando serves on the Advisory Board for Actor’s Playhouse in Coral Gables, on the Board of Governors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and is Chairman of the Chamber’s Children’s Health Initiative. He has chaired a number of community initiatives and events and is involved in civic activities in his home city of Miami Beach through service on various city committees.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Mr. Rodriguez grew up on Miami Beach, where he currently resides. He has B.A. and M.S. degrees in Community Psychology, is married to Patricia Caballero and has 2 children, Nicholas and Lauren.

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