NEW ORLEANS — The Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine (XOCOM), formed in 2024 through a partnership between Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) and Ochsner Health (Ochsner), has announced the appointment of Danita Beck Wickwire as its inaugural executive director of development.
In this role, she will lead all philanthropic strategies, campaign planning, and principal giving efforts to advance the college’s institutional priorities and mission of promoting health equity, innovation and the reimagination of healthcare. XOCOM will expand the physician workforce and provide new opportunities for more students seeking careers in medicine in the New Orleans downtown BioDistrict.
Positioning the college for transformational investments that support its growth as the 5th allopathic historically Black college and university (HBCU) in the nation and the first in the Gulf South, Wickwire will focus on strengthening philanthropic partnerships and deepening engagement with existing donors.
“As executive director of development, Danita Wickwire’s role will be pivotal in creating and maintaining meaningful relationships between XOCOM and those invested in transforming the landscape of healthcare by advancing the mission of our new medical school,” said Dr. Leonardo Seoane, founding dean of the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine. “Danita’s track record for securing transformational gifts, combined with her deep commitment to institutional excellence, makes her the ideal leader to advance the development strategy for XOCOM. Her vision and experience will help position XOCOM as a national model for medical education rooted in academic excellence, designed to transform the lives of its students and improve health outcomes for our communities.”
Experience and National Fundraising Roles
Wickwire brings nearly 30 years of strategic fundraising and campaign leadership experience across higher education, academic medicine, public health and national nonprofit sectors.
She joins XOCOM from the National Audubon Society, where she served as vice president of strategic and principal giving. During her tenure, she facilitated more than $83 million in principal gifts as part of the $826 million “Elevate” campaign and advanced organizational growth through the strategic engagement of emerging philanthropic leaders.
Before joining Audubon, Wickwire held fundraising leadership roles at Johns Hopkins University, where she developed and executed principal gift strategies across the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Her work supported more than $80 million in philanthropic commitments for the university’s $6.015 billion “Rising to the Challenge” campaign.
She gained additional campaign leadership experience at CCS Fundraising, the national consulting firm that designs and manages large-scale fundraising initiatives across the nonprofit sector. In that role she directed multi-million-dollar initiatives in education and other philanthropic fields.
Her appointment marks a return to Xavier, where she first connected with the university through the SOAR pre-college program as a high school student.
XOCOM’s Curriculum and Academic Framework
XOCOM will feature curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration, clinical proficiency and compassionate patient care, equipping graduates with the skills needed to address complex healthcare challenges.
Xavier is a national leader in STEM and health sciences and is recognized for sending more African American students to medical school than any other university in the United States, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
In addition, Xavier’s College of Pharmacy is among the nation’s top producers of African American pharmacists, consistently ranking in the top three to four colleges for African American Pharm.D. graduates.
The medical school will open after receiving full accreditation. XOCOM has achieved candidate status from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which is the step prior to preliminary accreditation. The program will be supported by more than 200 Xavier and Ochsner faculty members who will guide curriculum development, governance and research priorities.
XOCOM’s academic model emphasizes early community engagement, health equity and emerging medical technologies. Seoane said the college builds on Xavier’s long-standing pipeline of African American medical graduates and is designed to help address the nation’s physician shortage and meet Louisiana’s workforce needs.
Recent Philanthropic Momentum
Earlier in Nov., Xavier University announced a $38 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, her second major gift to Xavier following a $20 million gift in 2020 in recognition of the university’s national impact as the only historically Black and Catholic institution in the United States.
“These funds will enable us to expand our affordability initiatives, which directly support talented students from diverse backgrounds,” said Dr. Reynold Verret, President of Xavier University of Louisiana. “This gift affirms who we are—and who we are becoming—at a pivotal moment in our history.”
The new gift will support priorities outlined in Xavier’s Centennial Capital Campaign, including the university’s commitments student support and pathways that help students thrive.
The donation arrives at the culmination of a Centennial year defined by high alumni engagement, expanded national recognition and significant philanthropic momentum. Homecoming drew thousands back to campus.
