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Board of DirectorsOur Board of Directors serves as the guardian of the LAF mission -- to inspire and empower people living with cancer. The Board and itscommittees ensure that our mission continues to be appropriate, relevant and vital to the cancer survivorship community. Lance Armstrong Lance Armstrong Facing testicular cancer and not yet knowing his own fate, in 1997 champion cyclist Lance Armstrong established the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a non-profit organization that inspires and empowers people affected by cancer. This marked the beginning of Lance’s role as an advocate for cancer survivors and a world representative for the cancer community. One of the world’s best cyclists at the age of 25, Lance’s competitive nature helped him confront his diagnosis head-on as he called himself not a cancer victim, but a cancer survivor. As a record-holding, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, Lance’s story gives hope and strength to people affected by cancer. A leading advocate for cancer survivors, Lance was appointed to serve on the President’s Cancer Panel, an advisory group that reports directly to the President about Americans and cancer, for two consecutive terms. With his continued involvement with the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the cancer community, Lance serves as a constant reminder that in the battle with cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything.
Jeffery C. Garvey Jeff Garvey is one of the founders of Austin Ventures. AV has over $3 billion under management and is the most active venture and growth equity firm in Texas and among the most established in the nation. Jeff has been actively involved with the Lance Armstrong Foundation since its inception in 1997. He is the founding chairman of the LAF Board of Directors.
Dennis Cavner is a principal of Waxman Cavner Lawson, a financial services firm serving high net worth individuals. He has been actively involved with the Lance Armstrong Foundation since 1999, is a past Chairman of the Board and is a Trustee of the Lance Armstrong Foundation Endowment. Dennis holds both business and law degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and serves on the Advisory Board of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service of the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT. He lives with his wife, Chris, in Austin, Texas.
Mike Sherwin is a resident of Cleveland, Ohio and has been involved in the private equity capital investment business for many years. In addition to serving on many corporate boards, both public and private, Mike has had active roles with several non-profit organizations. From 1992 to 1997, he served as president of The Cleveland Museum of Art, an organization with an annual budget of approximately $35 million and an endowment of nearly $800 million.
Craig Nichols, M.D., is a world-renowned physician and researcher with special experience and expertise in treating patients with Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and testicular cancer. In his role as director of clinical program development at Providence Cancer Center, Dr. Nichols assembles multidisciplinary teams of researchers, physicians, nurses and support people to improve outcomes and the standard of care for other cancers as well. Highly specialized clinical expertise, groundbreaking research, and patient outreach and education are the hallmarks of these programs. Before joining Providence Cancer Center in 2007, Dr. Nichols served at Oregon Health & Science University as professor of medicine, the DeArmond Chair of Clinical Cancer Research, head of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, and associate director of the Cancer Institute. He previously served at Indiana University, obtaining the rank of professor of medicine. Dr. Nichols received his medical degree from OHSU. After completing his internal medicine residency at Alton Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, he received fellowship training in hematology and oncology at Indiana University. Joe Aragona Joe Aragona is a founder and General Partner of Austin Ventures. AV has over $3 billion under management and is the most active venture and growth equity firm in Texas and among the most established in the nation. Since joining AV in 1982, Joe has focused on information technology and growth equity investing and has worked with software, communications, semiconductor and service companies. Prior to joining Austin Ventures, Joe earned both his MBA and bachelor's degree from Harvard University and worked in the Merchant Banking Group of the Bank of Boston and Chemical Bank. Currently, he is a director of 724 Solutions, Inc. (Software for mobile network operators), QuickArrow (Professional services automation software), Entorian (NASD: ENTN) (High-density memory solutions), LDR Spine (Spinal implant devices), Spinal Restoration (Early intervention spinal solutions) and NewHope Bariatrics (Bariatric surgery centers). Joe was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) from 1999 - 2006, chaired its Research Committee, and served as Chairman of the Board. Joe is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (livestrong.org), which focuses on cancer survivorship issues, and Casa Montessori, an early childhood development center. Karen S. Cook Karen Cook has more than 30 years of experience in the investment industry starting as an equity trader at Goldman Sachs and continuing into hedge fund management. She is CIO of Steinhardt Mgt. Co. and general partner of Nepeta Partners, LP. She is involved with a number of philanthropic endeavors, most notably with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She serves on the board of Fifth Avenue Alternative Investments (Bessemer Trust) and is on the Board of Overseers and co-chairs the investment committee of the International Rescue Committee. Karen received a BA from Wheaton College and received her MBA from NYU.
Harold Freeman, M.D. is senior advisor to the director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Freeman is also president and founder of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in New York, New York. He has been a professor of clinical surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, also in New York. For twenty five years (1974 - 1999), Dr. Freeman was director of surgery at Harlem Hospital in New York. Dr. Freeman served as chairman of the US President’s Cancer Panel for an 11 year period under both President George H. W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. Dr. Freeman served as national president of the American Cancer Society from 1988-1989. He is the chief architect of the American Cancer Society's initiative on Cancer in the Poor and is a leading authority on the interrelationships between race, poverty, and cancer. The Society established the "Harold P. Freeman Award" in 1990 to recognize his work in this area. This award is presented annually by American Cancer Society divisions throughout the U.S. to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the fight against cancer in the poor. Dr. Freeman pioneered the "Patient Navigation Program" which addresses disparities in access to treatment, particularly among poor and uninsured people. This program is designed to assist medically underserved patients in navigating their way through a complex health system by overcoming barriers to timely diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The success of Dr. Freeman's "Patient Navigation Program" has led many other health care organizations to adopt similar initiatives. Based on this model the Patient Navigator and Chronic Disease Prevention Act was signed into law by President Bush in June 2005. As a graduate of Catholic University of America, Dr. Freeman received the Harris Award for "Outstanding Scholar, Gentleman, and Athlete and was later inducted into the Athlete's Hall of Fame of the University.
Sanjay Gupta, M.D. is the National Emmy award winning chief medical correspondent for the health and medical unit at CNN. Dr. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery, plays an integral role in the network's medical coverage, which includes daily packages, the half-hour weekend show House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and coverage of breaking medical news. Based in Atlanta, he also co-hosts Accent Health for Turner Private Networks, provides medical segments for the syndicated version of ER on TNT, contributes health news stories to CNN.com, writes a column for TIME magazine and recently launched a weekly podcast called Paging Dr. Gupta. Dr. Gupta joined CNN in the summer of 2001 and became part of the network team covering the September 11 attacks in New York City. Breaking news about anthrax and its deadly effects highlighted Dr. Gupta's coverage. In addition to his work for CNN, Dr. Gupta is a member of the staff and faculty of the department of neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Before joining CNN, Dr. Gupta was a neurosurgeon at the University of Tennessee's Semmes-Murphy clinic, and before that, the University of Michigan Medical Center. He became partner of the Great Lakes Brain and Spine Institute in 2000 and in 1997, he was chosen as a White House Fellow — one of only 15 fellows appointed. He served as special advisor to the First Lady.
Dr. Johnson is a graduate of the Medical College of Georgia. In 1983 he joined the Vanderbilt faculty where he holds the Cornelius Abernathy Craig Chair in Medical and Surgical Oncology. He is a board-certified internist and medical oncologist, an internationally recognized clinical investigator in the fields of lung and breast cancer, the author of more than 300 publications, editor or co-editor of numerous oncology textbooks and a member of the editorial board of numerous internal medicine and cancer journals. For his pioneering work in the treatment of lung cancer, the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group named Dr. Johnson Investigator of the Year in 1992. He received an Outstanding Clinical Investigator Award in 1997 from the Alliance of Lung Cancer Survivors' Network. Currently Dr. Johnson serves as the Deputy Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Director of the Division of Hematology & Medical Oncology. Dr. Johnson has been named to numerous "Best Doctors" lists including Woodward & White's Best Doctors in America, Good Housekeeping magazine's "top oncologists for women" and in 1996 he was identified by American Health magazine as one of the best oncology specialists in the U.S. in a poll taken among Department of Medicine Chairmen.
Mark McKinnon is vice chairman of Public Strategies, as well as president of Maverick Media. As chief media adviser to President George W. Bush, McKinnon directed the advertising effort for the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. He currently advises Senator John McCain. McKinnon is an award-winning media producer and communications strategist who has served as principal media adviser for hundreds of corporate and political campaigns in the United States, Latin America and Africa. President Bush appointed McKinnon to serve as a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the independent, autonomous entity responsible for all U.S. government and government-sponsored, non-military, international broadcasting. The nine-member board includes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. McKinnon attended the University of Texas at Austin and served as editor of the award-winning university newspaper, The Daily Texan. He spent several years in Nashville working as a song-writer with Kris Kristofferson. And was wildly unsuccessful. McKinnon's quality of life is exceptionally enhanced by the enduring love and patience of his wife, Annie (whom he met before he could drive), and his daughters, Brita, 22 and Kendall, 19. Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr. P.H. Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, is a Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where she also is founding director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR). She also is the Dielmann Chair in Health Disparities Research and Community Outreach and the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Endowed Chair in Cancer Healthcare Disparities and Outreach at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She also is Co-Associate Director of the Cancer Prevention and Population Science program at the CTRC. Over the past 25 years, Dr. Ramirez has directed many research programs focused on human and organizational communication to reduce chronic disease and cancer health disparities affecting Hispanics/Latinos and other populations. In 2007, Dr. Ramirez was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and was named a Professor of Survivorship by Susan G. Komen For the Cure. She chairs the CDC’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection and Control Advisory Committee and Komen’s National Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council, and is a member of Komen’s Scientific Advisory Board, Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade Scientific Advisory Board, the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s Board of Directors and the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Translating Genomic Based Research for Health.
Blaine Rollins is a testicular cancer survivor since 1998. Currently he is Director of Research for Mueller Capital Management, a multi-strategy hedge fund in Greenwood Village, CO. From 1990 to 2006, he worked for Janus Capital analyzing and investing in public companies. He is also on the Board of Governors of the Burridge Center for Security Analysis and Valuation and the Colorado Leeds School of Business and the Advisory Board of the Colorado Leeds School of Business. A Colorado University graduate with a BS in Finance, he lives with his wife and two children in Denver, Colorado.
Navdeep (Nav) S. Sooch co-founded Silicon Laboratories in August 1996 and has served as Chairman of the Board since its inception. Mr. Sooch served as Chief Executive Officer from inception through the end of fiscal 2003 and served as interim Chief Executive Officer from April 2005 to September 2005. From March 1985 until founding Silicon Laboratories, Mr. Sooch held various positions at Crystal Semiconductor/Cirrus Logic, a designer and manufacturer of integrated circuits, including Vice President of Engineering, as well as Product Planning Manager of Strategic Marketing and Design Engineer. From May 1982 to March 1985, Mr. Sooch was a Design Engineer with AT&T Bell Labs. Mr. Sooch holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Dearborn and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Mitch Stoller is president and chief executive officer of Safe Kids Worldwide. Mitch is a veteran nonprofit executive with over 25 years of association management experience. Prior to joining Safe Kids Worldwide, Mitch serviced as president of the The Marrow Foundation where he provided the strategic vision and leadership necessary to strengthen the fundraising and recruitment potential of The National Marrow Donor Program, which maintains a registry of more than six million volunteers. Mitch also has served as the president and chief executive officer of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, where he was responsible for leading one of the fastest growing nonprofit organizations in the field of cancer survivorship. Among other things, Mitch implemented a paradigm-changing program in the nonprofit world by introducing the LIVESTRONG wristband campaign. In his role as president and chief executive officer of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, Mitch dramatically increased the funding and created the Dana and Christopher Reeve Quality of Life program, which has invested more than $2 million in the disability community every year. Mitch has a bachelor of science degree from Frostburg St ate College and a master of arts degree in philanthropy and development from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He serves on the board of directors of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and The Players Development Academy.
Raised in Three Rivers, Texas, Lee Walker graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Physics (class of 1963) graduating Phi Kappa Phi (top academic 5% of his class), receiving NASA and National Science Foundation (NSF) funding for his post graduate work in nuclear physics (theoretical cosmic ray research). He was named Honorable Mention All Southwest Conference Basketball Team his senior year. Lee received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1967. He served as the President of Dell Computer Corporation through its formative years. After leaving Dell in 1990 for health reasons, Lee was asked to teach at the University of Texas at Austin. The success of his “Elements of Entrepreneurship” and “Not for Profit Excellence” courses in the Graduate School Business Management Department earned him best teaching award three times. Lee teaches a freshman course entitled “Community and Place” in the Plan II Honors Program. The Austin Chamber of Commerce recognized Lee as their 1998 Austinite of the Year. In 2000 Lee was a founder of Envision Central Texas. In 2004, Lee received the Texas Nature Conservancy Lifetime Achievement award. In 2006 Lee and his wife Jennifer Vickers received the AFP’s Outstanding Philanthropists of the year. Lee was elected as one of the 200 members of the Philosophical Society of Texas in 2005. In 2005 The Lance Armstrong Foundation created The E. Lee Walker Imagination Award, an annual grant up to $500,000 to researchers in cancer survivorship. Lee lives in Austin with his wife Jennifer and their two daughters, Gabriella and Giulia. In addition, Lee has two older daughters, Amanda and Suzanna Walker and a grandson, Sam, who also reside in Austin.
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