Chip Bryant is Covenant Health’s new vice president and chief philanthropy officer. He will oversee operations of Covenant Health’s five foundations, as well as planned giving, major gift campaigns and special events. He succeeds Patrick Birmingham, who is assuming full-time responsibilities as vice president of governmental relations for Covenant Health. Bryant will join Covenant Health on Feb. 12.
Jim VanderSteeg, Covenant Health president and CEO, welcomed Bryant, saying, “Chip brings a humble spirit and heart for service and his community, along with fundraising expertise and years of success in leading major giving campaigns and building donor relationships. He will be an asset to our not-for-profit organization.”
Bryant has been a partner and vice president for Integrated Strategy Group (ISG) & Palmetto Philanthropy since Aug 2023. Before that, he served as vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he established valuable connections with donors and explored partnerships to expand opportunities for philanthropic gifts to the university. He spent seven years in this role, and during his tenure, his team achieved extraordinary results, setting multi-year fundraising records, raising over $1.3 billion, and fostering exceptional donor engagement. He also served as UT’s director of campus-wide campaigns and executive director of development for the Haslam College of Business.
Bryant was previously the regional vice president of Action Sports Media. He received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.