Career Has Been a Calling For Mercy NWA Executive

It was the opportunity to augment his professional skill set that got Clark Ellison into the world of business development and fundraising.

Three years after graduating from Central Missouri State University in 1988, Ellison landed a job as a marketing and public relations professional at Springdale Memorial Hospital (now Northwest Medical Center-Springdale).

When the hospital started a foundation in the early ’90s, Ellison thought he would try it out, simply for a change.

The decision has proven to be beneficial, and not just for Ellison. In 1998, he had shown enough talent as a fundraiser to be hired as executive director of development for Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas, where he was also responsible for public relations and marketing for the system’s hospitals, clinics, charitable foundation and volunteer services.

In 2002, the same year he was honored as a member of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 class, Ellison began leading a successful $42 million capital campaign, needed for the construction of Mercy Hospital, a $140 million, 350,000-SF complex just off Interstate 49 in Rogers.

The hospital opened in January 2008, and as someone intimately involved in bringing the facility to fruition, Ellison ranks his involvement as one of the most rewarding experiences of his career.

 “It was really exciting for me,” Ellison recalled of the hospital’s opening. “Will I ever have that kind of opportunity again? I don’t know if I will or not. But it’s something I can kind of hang my hat on and say, ‘You know what? I made a difference here.’”

Ellison, 50, is still making a difference as regional vice president for Mercy’s south-central communities, responsible for enhancing philanthropy programs, strengthening relations between donors and increasing visibility with stakeholders, corporations, foundations and the public.

He also oversees the efforts of Mercy Health Foundation Northwest Arkansas and Mercy Health Foundation Fort Smith, raising money and community awareness for the hospital and its services.

One of the more visible efforts in that pursuit is the annual Mercy Health Foundation Charity Ball.

“We’ve seen such incredible growth,” Ellison said of the event, which will be held for the 21st time in December. “The first year we raised around $75,000 and last year we raised more than $900,000.”

He also assisted Mercy Health Foundation Joplin with community relief and special projects after a devastating tornado there in May 2011.

Ellison said the people he shares the Mercy vision with are what inspires him.

“When they understand that and support us through philanthropy, it’s a huge win,” he said. “Not just for Mercy, but for me and also for the donors. They enjoy getting behind something that is successful and something you truly see makes a difference in the area.”

Ellison said telemedicine and behavioral health care are service lines Mercy NWA hopes to further enhance through philanthropy.

Mercy Hospital’s senior behavioral facility, aided by a $1 million gift secured by Ellison from the Walmart Foundation, opened in June 2013 and addressed an unmet need in the area, allowing the geriatric population to receive psychiatric services in Northwest Arkansas, rather than be sent to a specialist out of town.

Through fundraising efforts, Mercy has also been able to support and expand its footprint in Benton County, opening clinics recently in Bella Vista and downtown Rogers, with another set to open soon in Centerton.

“It’s going to take some time, but we’re trying to address the access needs in Northwest Arkansas,” Ellison said. “One of the things that I love about Mercy is we try to visit with the community about what their needs are in their area.”

Ellison became a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) in 2005, a distinction held by just 36 other development professionals in Arkansas.

He currently sits on the advisory board of Credit Counseling of Arkansas (CCOA) and enjoys leisure time hunting and fishing.

As for the future? Ellison, married with two children, said Northwest Arkansas is home and he can’t envision a career with another organization.

“I think it is my calling to be at Mercy and do what I am doing,” he said.