Komen Advocacy Alliance Board of Directors

Board of Directors 2009-2010

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Advocacy Alliance board of directors functions to govern and advise in our efforts to translate the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever into action at all levels of government to discover and deliver the cures.

Karen L. Webster — President, Market Platform Dynamics (MPD): a management consulting firm that helps companies profit from industry disruption. She serves as an advisor and member of the board for a number of companies operating in the payment, mobile, technology and digital media industries. Her history of consulting experience includes serving as Managing Director of Global Marketing and Planning for PricewaterhouseCoopers and serving as Chief Operating Officer for a consulting subsidiary of the MMC family of companies. Karen is a passionate philanthropist. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she serves as a member of its Executive Council for the Women’s Cancer Program, the Board’s Committee on Quality. She is a member of the science committee of the Board of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Karen is the co- founder of twoAM (Two Women on A Mission), a fundraising initiative focused on raising awareness and funds for breast and ovarian cancer research. Karen recently launched Living Conversations (www.livingconversations.com), a web-based community of breast cancer survivors, which was recently profiled on The Today Show.

Jane Abraham — President of Abraham Strategies LLC., a small business that handles strategic marketing assignments for a variety of clients. She also is the General Chairman of the Susan B. Anthony List, a not-for-profit membership organization and connected Political Action Committee that supports pro-life political candidates and issues. The wife of former Senator and U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, she has long been a breast cancer advocate, having actively participated for a number of years in both the annual Komen Race for the Cure held in Washington, D.C., as well as the two Race for the Cure events hosted in her home state of Michigan. She also currently serves on the boards of the Detroit-based Covenant House Michigan serving at-risk and homeless youth, the Arab American National Museum and The Nurturing Network, an international charitable organization that responds to the immediate and comprehensive needs of women facing the crisis of an unplanned pregnancy.

Grace Bender — A native Washingtonian, Grace has more than thirty years experience in public relations, government relations, management, and community volunteer work. She has been active in many non-profit organizations, both as a board member and as a committee member. Her work has included program development, fundraising, financial management, creating special events, as well as chairing galas and balls. The organizations range from inner-city nonprofits to major cultural institutions. Her company, Infinisity, Inc., is producing healthcare aids such as mymedmanager™, a personal healthcare and medication organizer.

Eve Benton — President and CEO of Benton Advisory Services, a management consulting firm that provides consulting services to CEO’s in the areas of growth strategies, strategic planning, business plan development and implementation, senior staff assessment, turnarounds, cost containment, and mergers and acquisitions. In 1999, Eve founded and continues to chair Vehicles for Change, the largest nonprofit car award program in the U.S. Vehicles for Change awards automobiles to working poor families in the Mid-Atlantic region and currently awards in excess of 500 cars annually. Eve has served on both profit and non profit boards. She has also held positions on the Alumni Board of Harvard Business School, Washington Performing Arts Society, Wolftrap Foundation, Leadership Washington and the Committee of 200.

Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker  -- Founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  She founded Susan G. Komen for the Cure on a promise she made to her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer. She led a relentless breast cancer information and awareness campaign and succeeded in breaching the silence surrounding the disease, fundamentally changing the way it is talked about and treated. She started the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® and also pioneered cause-related marketing, both of which have had a profound impact on the breast cancer movement. An outspoken champion of all people with breast cancer as well as those who are at risk for developing the disease, Ambassador Brinker takes her cause and her passion all over the world, seeking the fresh input and international partnerships essential to ending breast cancer forever. Among her many leadership roles, Brinker served as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary from 2001-2003 and as U.S. Chief of Protocol from 2007-2009.

Juan Antonio Chavira — A former Bexar County Texas Judge, Chavira is a co-survivor and father of Komen for the Cure Advocacy Ambassador Ricardo Chavira.

Debbie Dingell — Vice Chair of the Barbara Karmanos Cancer Center. She is an active civic and community leader in both Michigan and Washington, D.C. and is a recognized national advocate for women and children. The wife of Michigan Congressman John Dingell is also the former vice chair of the General Motors Foundation and executive director of Global Community Relations and Government Relations at GM. And she is a founding member of the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure, formerly known as the National Race for the Cure.

Lila Hertz — Past president of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Atlanta Affiliate. A breast cancer survivor, she is a major Atlanta philanthropist and civic leader. She and her husband, who is president of United Distributors, were recognized as the 2007 Georgia Fundraisers of the Year. For a number of years she co-chaired “Fashion Cares,” which raises funds for the Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund and the Komen Atlanta Affiliate. She’s on the board of Piedmont Hospital, Emory Winship Cancer Institute and Prevent Child Abuse Georgia.

Alexine Clement Jackson chairs the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® board of directors as it governs the world’s largest breast cancer organization in fulfilling its promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever. A 23-year breast cancer survivor, Jackson has been a long-time Komen for the Cure advocate and public spokesperson for cancer prevention, early detection and quality health care for all. She has been an active volunteer in the Washington, D.C. and national community for more than 30 years, including a five-year term as National Board Chair of the YWCA of the USA. With the YWCA, Jackson was a member of the United States delegation to YWCA World Council meetings in Seoul, Korea and Cairo, Egypt and joined a 10-member World YWCA delegation for a fact-finding mission in the Middle East. She is currently on the board of the Intercultural Cancer Council, the Prevent Cancer Foundation, Black Women’s Agenda and Strathmore Hall Music Center among others. A magna cum laude graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga., Jackson received her Master of Arts from the University of Iowa. She is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Spelman College.

Tina Lewis — President of HRL Group LLC, which owns and operates eight McDonald’s franchises in the Las Vegas, Nevada area. In addition, along with her husband Harold, she has owned and operated 10 McDonald’s franchises in San Diego, California. Tina is also a talented jewelry designer, with her “Designs by Tina” company operating as an approved vendor for MGM Mirage. This work was inspired by her personal journey though cancer – she is a three-time and nine-year survivor of breast cancer. Tina speaks to numerous community organizations and, through the San Diego Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, has developed a partnership with Scripps and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to present breast cancer awareness workshops for women of color. She has also served on the Scripps Polster Breast Center Board of Directors.

Joyce G. Mazero — Partner and Chair of the Haynes and Boone Restaurant and Retail Industries and Franchise and Distribution Law Practices. She has substantial business experience as lead project partner assisting clients in developing strategy, structuring, negotiating, implementing, and resolving disputes for product and service–based domestic and international license, franchise, distribution, and shared services systems as well as the full gauntlet of relationship, governance, competition, and enforcement issues associated with such systems. She is the founding member and Chair of the DFW Chapter of Women Corporate Directors (2008-present); a member of the Hospitality Management Board of Governors for the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management at the University of North Texas (2008-present) and is a member of the Advisory Board of New York – based fashion design house, Nina McLemore (2007-present). Joyce also served on the Promise House Board of Directors (2000-2008), received recognition as Outstanding Board Member in 2006 and was Chair of the Board (2007-2008).

Ginger Pape —A former Wall Street executive and corporate officer of a Fortune 500 company, Pape is an entrepreneur and repotting consultant.  Long an advocate for women's issues, she helped found both the National Women's Business Center (WBC), which trains women to start and/or expand their own businesses, and the Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure -- now known as the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure -- in Washington, D.C.  Prior to the launch of Repotting LLC with Diana Holman, Ginger founded and ran two government relations consulting businesses, which focused on financial, technology and health issues.  Her clients included the American Stock Exchange, Scripps League Newspapers, Inc., and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  Over the past 15 years, Ginger has advised women from all walks of life on their repotting process.  She is a well-known speaker on this topic.

Carol Penfold-Patterson —Co-Founder, along with her husband Dr. Bruce Patterson, of Incelldx, the first single-cell theranostics company dedicated to the detection, monitoring and treatment of life-threatening diseases such as HIV/Aids, HPV/cervical cancer, breast cancer, hepatitis and organ transplant rejection.  Ms. Penfold-Patterson is the Executive Director of Penfold-Patterson Research Institute (PPRI) World Health through Diagnostics.  PPRI's mission is to provide low cost diagnostics to the developing world, utilizing existing instrumentation.  These instruments are presently used throughout the world to determine CD4 counts in HIV infected individuals.  PPRI is currently developing a rapid breast cancer diagnostic to be performed using the installed instrument base.  An Architectural Designer, she was previously an executive with major Chicago Architectural firms.  She has over 20 years of award-winning experience in commercial and residential Architectural design.  During her tenure she worked with non-profit organizations such as Daughters of Charity St. Vincent de Paul, Northwestern Hospital, Children's Memorial Foundation, and Girl Scouts of America.  Ms. Penfold-Patterson lives with her husband and their daughter in Palo Alto, California.

Elysia Holt Ragusa — Managing Director of Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc., Ragusa has over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate. She currently provides team leadership and direction for the Central Texas market, while also servicing clients in Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Prior to joining Jones Lang and LaSalle, she served as President and COO of The Staubach Company. Elysia serves on the Board of Fossil, Inc., and is a member of the Dallas Citizens Council, International Women’s Forum, the Dallas County Community College Foundation Board, and is a lifetime Board member at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business. She has also served on the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, the United Way Executive Committee, the Visiting Nurse Association and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Dee Dee Ricks — Co-Founder and Partner of Ricks and Ray Partners LLC, which serves and advises many hedge funds and has offices in NY, Chicago and San Francisco. Dee Dee is also an activist and philanthropist who generously supports the Ralph Lauren Cancer Center, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and other cancer charities. Thanks in part to her efforts, the Ralph Lauren Center was selected as the 2008 Beneficiary of the 100 Women in Hedge Funds, which will provide funding for the Center’s Screening and Patient Navigations Programs in medically underserved communities in Chicago, San Francisco and Oakland, CA.

Stephanie Siegel — A noted philanthropist, Stephanie Siegel is active in supporting many charitable, political and Jewish causes. The wife of former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, Ned L. Siegel, she helped establish The Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative and The Bahamas Breast Cancer Foundation. In addition, she has been involved with the Boca Ballet Theatre, and also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Miami City Ballet School at Delray Beach, Florida. She has also been active for many years in the activities of Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Florida, establishing The Siegel Family Student Center. More recently, Stephanie and her husband Ned L. Siegel, established The Siegel Family Scholarship Fund at the University of Pennsylvania, where they are also members of the Parent Leadership Committee. The Siegel’s also served as members of the NYU Parent Committee.

Laura Wheat — Former Board Chair of Gilda’s Club Worldwide and current Mayor of Westlake, Texas. Laura also currently serves as co-chair of the capital campaign for the Westlake Academy Arts and Sciences Building and is a member of the board of Gilda’s Club North Texas. Laura practiced securities law for 10 years. Other past involvements include Board Chair of Ronald McDonald House of Dallas and St. Philip’s School and Community Center.