April 5, 2021

The young man in his early 20s and the seasoned executive were in a booth at Grille 26 in Sioux Falls the first time they met – when it became immediately apparent to the latter this wasn’t going to be an ordinary meet-and-greet.

“He introduced himself, and it became very apparent in the first five, 10 minutes, No. 1 he knew more about me, my background, my family, our kids, and he was in his early 20s,” said Bob Sutton, who at the time was serving in the role as president of the South Dakota Community Foundation.

“It became very apparent to me this was the best relationship builder that I had ever met. Period. End of story. He was that good, that quickly.”

Less than a decade later, Dzenan Berberovic reports directly to Sutton, now the CEO of Avera Health, as the system’s chief philanthropy officer.

At 32, he’s the youngest member of the eight-person executive committee by at least two decades.

It would be an impressive achievement for any rising leader. It’s nothing short of exceptional when you learn the rest of Berberovic’s story.

“If you want to write a book, this is the guy to write it about,” Sutton said. “You’ll have a bestseller. His story is amazing.”

Firsthand philanthropy

As a child, Berberovic already had experienced sides of life most never will.

At age 3, he lost his father in the ethnic conflict that engulfed his native Bosnia in the 1990s.

His mother, Emira, fled with him to Germany, where his earliest memories include being cared for and taught by an order of nuns.

They used the movie “The Lion King” to teach him about his father’s death.

“What a wonderful way to teach me that grief is OK and passing is part of life,” he said. “So coming to Avera really came full circle. Those sisters are always in my heart and emblazoned in my soul.”

He and his mother came to the U.S. after spending six years as refugees in Germany.

“I think my mom wanted to give me a life I would not have been able to have in Germany, and through the opportunity to come to the United States, she in every possible way is the American dream,” Berberovic said.

His mother would work a 4 a.m. shift at Smithfield, conclude 12 hours later and then work a second job from 4:30 to 8 p.m.

“She worked two jobs and was going to work a third job in order for me to attend college,” he said. “Thankfully, I was blessed with a significant scholarship that took that burden of finances away.”

Not only did the scholarship nearly cover the Washington High School graduate’s time at USD – it set him on a course toward his career.

“I felt the impact of generosity from a very personal perspective, and that’s what inspired my life’s work,” Berberovic said.

“The fact that someone could help someone they didn’t know, or maybe would never know, was something I couldn’t understand until I felt that generosity at 18, 19 years old and all the years after that I was in college.”

While at USD, he gave campus tours to donors, new employees and prospective students.

“So that gave me an up-close and personal view of philanthropy and how relationship-based work truly can make a difference for people.”

It led to his first full-time job after graduation at the USD Foundation and that resulting first meeting with Sutton, his future employer.

“He did amazing things for the USD Foundation – that shouldn’t go without saying,” Sutton said. “But when we had an opportunity – and I give credit to the Avera McKennan Foundation and their leadership for having a position and knowing he was someone they had their sights on independently of my relationship – they said this is a guy we’d really like to have in that role, and I was completely supportive.”

Berberovic joined the regional foundation in late 2017 after rising to executive director of principal giving at USD.

In 2018, he was named one of two Outstanding Young Professionals of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the nation’s most established organization of fundraisers. He was asked to serve on its global nominating committees after that and now serves on the board of its foundation for philanthropy.

“I wouldn’t say I’m probably good at it,” he said of his ability to fundraise.

“But I’ve always loved people, and that’s exactly how my mom is as well. The experience I had as a child moving to a different country twice reinforced my love for people. Even at a young age, people quickly sense when you’re kind and genuine, and I think it really is who you are at your core, and that’s helped me in this line of work. I just love people, and from a very young age, I’ve been able to strike up a conversation with a stranger and feel like I’ve known that person for years.”

He tries to downplay his age but acknowledges “when you’re in your 20s and asking for six and seven-figure gifts, you mature really quickly.”

His chief philanthropy role came one year ago in the spring of 2020.

“I think of Scripture, about being born for this moment,” Sutton said. “That seems like a really abstract way to describe it, but I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone who seems to inherently be created to be at this point in this time. But I think he has a heart for helping other people, and I think that comes from he and his mother being helped many times along the way.”

There’s another common bond between the CEO and the chief philanthropy officer too.

Sutton’s mother, Beverly, raised him after he lost his father at a young age. She worked in food service at Avera St. Luke’s.

Berberovic’s mother worked a part-time job in food service at Avera McKennan before he joined the foundation staff and still works there today.

“I quickly saw how much she loved being part of this organization,” he said.

If he knows she’s working and it fits her schedule, he’ll bring her coffee for a break.

Remember how he described his mother as the American dream? How about the fact that in a generation, her son now works in the C-suite of the same organization where she works in the kitchen?

“I think for her, it’s probably just as humbling as it is for me to sit in this role,” he said. “Decades ago, when we fled the war in Bosnia, could she ever imagine this would be the life for her? It has to feel surreal just as it does for me. But I think opportunities like this are sometimes only possible in a place like the United States and communities like the one we live in.”

Personal touch

Berberovic’s relationship with donors – he calls them benefactors – is uniquely personal. He has run a half-marathon with an 80-year-old benefactor. He has been in other people’s family photos.

“I have benefactors who maybe didn’t have children or godchildren, and on the day they learned they had cancer, they called me, or their spouse invited me to speak at their memorial service,” he said.

“It’s an honor to do this kind of work. People bring you into their life, and you get special glimpses into the thing they love and care about.”

Despite his executive leadership role, he estimates 60 percent of his time still is spent with benefactors.

“It means I work early mornings and late at night because there are a lot of other things that come across my desk,” he acknowledged.

He’s also focused on multiple major philanthropic initiatives, including the Home for Hope campaign, a $2.5 million fundraising effort to double the lodging space available for families with loved ones receiving care at Avera McKennan.

A planned expansion to Avera Behavioral Health also has a $5 million fundraising goal and addresses when Berberovic predicts will be “the next pandemic” of behavioral health challenges faced by the community.

“That’s really close to my heart as well because there are countless people in Sioux Falls who are struggling,” he said. “Just last year, over 400 kids did not have a place to stay when they committed suicide or wanted to commit suicide or had other suicidal experiences, so whatever we can do to get them help is so important.”

Avera, organizationally, was “built on a foundation of philanthropy,” he added, going back to how the sisters provided care for those in need.

“Our team is very focused on building a best-in-class program that’s really focused on relational philanthropy,” he said. “That’s how you move the needle and engage more individuals in a meaningful way in your work. The essence of philanthropy is inspiration, and if we can inspire more individuals to join us in this work, and more colleagues at Avera … if we can inspire them to see the impact of their kindness and the way they live out the mission has on our donors, that’s what’s going to move this organization forward.”

Berberovic is “developing himself as a leader as he goes along but not losing that enthusiasm for developing relationships completely and individually, and he does it in a way I’ve never seen,” Sutton said.

“When you spend time with him, you’re the only person that matters. If you’re a donor, he not only knows about you, but he thirsts for knowing more. He wants to know you on a level so if there’s anything he can do for you totally unrelated to Avera, he’s willing to do it.”

Outside of work, Berberovic and his wife, Kelsey, serve as wish granters for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Dakota & Montana.

He also serves on the USD College of Arts and Sciences deans advisory council, the board of the South Dakota Hall of Fame and is board chair of The Banquet.

“When I have the privilege of serving there, if I’m wearing an Avera shirt, many of the guests who receive nourishment at The Banquet thank me for what we do at Avera, and that’s humbling,” he said.

Within the Avera organization, Berberovic’s career is just getting started, Sutton predicted.

“And there’s no question he has the capability to do whatever he sets his mind to do, quite frankly,” he said. “That possibility ideally within this organization exists, but Dzenan will be a leader throughout this career and have ever-growing opportunities for great challenges and great opportunities going forward.”

He doesn’t appear to be looking far at this point.

“This is home for me,” Berberovic said. “I hope I serve Avera many, many more years. We’ve had many folks who retire for this organization after 30 or 40 years, and I hope I get to grow alongside Avera.”