Changes Underscore Global Leadership in Science and Research, Patient Advocacy and Marketing Partnerships
DALLAS – Sept. 10, 2010 – Ambassador
Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world’s largest breast cancer organization, and the board of directors today announced the appointment of Elizabeth (Liz) Thompson to president and Katrina McGhee to executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
Thompson is a highly respected leader in the global cancer community, recognized for her passion for driving innovation in science and medicine, and her expertise in formulating educational and public policy initiatives focused on quality and outcomes. As president, she will report directly to Ambassador Brinker as CEO, and will drive the organization’s efforts to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.
Thompson most recently served as Komen for the Cure’s senior vice president, medical and scientific affairs, responsible for the organization’s global research portfolio with more than $289 million in current, active grants; community investments of more than $98 million last year alone; management of Komen’s lauded
Scientific Advisory Board and Scientific Advisory Council, and oversight of the organization’s global mission growth strategies. She serves as Komen’s voice on numerous external boards, review panels and committees. Thompson joined Komen in 2008 as the managing director, public and medical affairs. She brings a strong background in medical publishing and cancer advocacy to the role.
McGhee is a well-known expert in marketing, cause marketing and new business development. The NonProfit Times named her to the Top 50 Power and Influence list in 2010 in addition to being named one of the Top 20 Minority Business Leaders in 2009 by the Dallas Business Journal and the 2008 Corporate Social Responsibility Pioneer of the Year by PRNews. In addition to her Komen responsibilities, she serves as board chair of the National African American Women’s Leadership Institute.
McGhee will report to Thompson and will be responsible for Komen’s global marketing, communications, events and multicultural marketing, in addition to her current oversight of new business strategies, cause marketing programs, more than 200 corporate partnerships, millions of donors and more than $350 million in annual revenue. She previously served as Komen’s senior vice president of global business development and partnerships. McGhee joined the organization in 2006 as director, cause marketing after a long stint in marketing for the American Heart Association.
“Liz and Katrina bring unsurpassed expertise to their new roles and are uniquely qualified to lead Susan G. Komen for the Cure into the next era of global growth with a dedicated focus on science, research, patient advocacy and partnerships,” said Ambassador Brinker. “Liz’s credibility in the cancer community – combined with the world-renowned leadership of Dr. Eric Winer, Komen’s chief scientific advisor – provide a powerful foundation as we focus the world on the growing global breast cancer crisis. Change of this magnitude cannot be done without Katrina’s talent and influence with global corporations, philanthropy and non-profit organizations.”
Brinker also announced that Mike Williams, who has served as interim president of the organization since November 2009, will remain as an advisor to Komen focused on organizational development and management, specifically as operating head of the organization’s Washington, D.C. office.
“A strong leadership team guided by the vision of Nancy as the founder and creator of the breast cancer movement is critical as Komen is called upon to lead the effort to end breast cancer worldwide,” said
Alexine Clement-Jackson, chair of the Komen board of directors. “The board of directors of Komen has been intentional about the organic growth of its leadership, and Liz, Katrina and the senior management team represent the passion and talent needed to increase screening, ensure quality care, downstage the disease worldwide and ultimately end breast cancer forever.”
With this announcement, Komen marks the close of recent management transition designed to streamline operations, reduce overhead costs and facilitate a rapid expansion of the organization’s global work.
“It is an honor to serve as the president of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in such a dynamic time in the cancer movement under the leadership our visionary founder and CEO, Ambassador Brinker,” said Thompson. "Moving forward, our energies and focus must remain directed to programs and initiatives that produce sustainable outcomes in our effort to end cancer and truly make a difference for the women and men we serve."
Nancy G. Brinker ignited the global breast cancer movement 30 years ago by promising her sister Susan G. Komen, who died at age 36 of the disease, that she would put an end to the shame, pain, fear and hopelessness caused by breast cancer. In 1982, with a handful of dedicated friends in Dallas, Brinker founded Susan G. Komen for the Cure in her sister’s memory.
Brinker shares her story in her upcoming memoir, “
Promise Me,” to be published on Sept. 14, 2010 by Crown Archetype. The book tells the story of the sisters, their loving bond from childhood through adulthood, the cancer that took one sister’s life and threatened the other’s and the promise between them that launched the global breast cancer movement, transforming and saving the lives of millions of women.
