News > LBBC board of directors welcomes 7 new members

LBBC board of directors welcomes 7 new members

Megan Rutt takes over as new board chair

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On January 1, 2022, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) welcomed its new board of directors. Included on the board are new board chair Megan Rutt (formerly vice chair), who will serve a two-year term, and seven new board members elected to three-year terms.

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Megan Rutt, Board ChairWith 16 returning members, the collective board members bring a vast range of experience in finance, medicine, pharmaceuticals, business, systems management, media, law, and advocacy with a shared passion for LBBC’s mission and the need for improved care, information, and access for those with breast cancer.

“We welcome this talented, committed group of individuals who will help Living Beyond Breast Cancer reach those who will be diagnosed with breast cancer or who are living with a breast cancer diagnosis,” says Jean Sachs, CEO of Living Beyond Breast Cancer. “Everyone at LBBC is looking forward to working with Megan as board chair. Megan consistently approaches issues with compassion combined with a strategic perspective.”

Ms. Rutt will be taking over for Teresa Kohl, who as board chair since 2019 helped steer LBBC through the first two years of the pandemic.

“We were fortunate,” notes Ms. Sachs. “Teresa thoughtfully and calmly guided us through the challenges brought on by the pandemic, and LBBC thrived.”

The pandemic has brought on new challenges as well to those diagnosed with breast cancer, getting treatment, being immune compromised, and dealing with recovery through an overburdened health system. Ensuring LBBC continues to effectively serve its community given the realities of a long-term pandemic — and even grow the organization’s reach — will be one of the continued priorities for the organization’s board.

LBBC board members bring a varied richness of backgrounds and expertise to LBBC, yet they all have in common an understanding that everyone has their own story about breast cancer — an understanding that is often borne of personal experience.

“Every story and situation is unique and deserves support and compassion,” says Nancy Lyskawa, an executive vice president at the software support provider Rimini Street.

“As a black woman,” says Keya Williams, CFO of Spring Point Partners, “I deeply value LBBC's commitment to sharing the stories of Black women diagnosed with breast cancer, while also increasing diversity efforts within the organization.”

Atiba Page, diversity and inclusion manager at Bristol Myers Squibb, can attest to every story being unique. She has had over “a hundred doctor visits, six rounds of aggressive chemotherapy, over thirty rounds of radiation treatments, a single right mastectomy, and gamma knife, and MRI thermal ablation brain surgery, all within the last two years.”

Such an ordeal demands a community of support and knowledge and that those living with breast cancer are seen as individuals.

In joining the board, Dr. Sameer Gupta, a medical oncologist at Bryn Mawr Hospital, notes, “LBBC has helped my patients not only through treatment but has also been instrumental in providing resources to get adjusted to the new normal during long-term survivorship.”

Another theme within this board is a shared desire to give back.

“As a breast cancer survivor who has benefited from LBBC’s programs and services,” Amy Reichbach explains, “I’m excited about the opportunity to serve on the board.”

Another new board member, Amy Burkholder, a veteran network news medical producer, explains, “​​I want to do better for every person who hears, ‘You have breast cancer,’ and to ensure they are treated well.”

Board chair Megan Rutt explains, “I find that it is my responsibility to the breast cancer community to give back.” She was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2013 at age 37, when she was working full-time, a marathon runner, and her three children were under the age of three.

“LBBC has empowered me,” says Linda Brassington, “and giving that gift to others is a privilege.”

Learn more about LBBC's board of directors
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About LBBC

Catherine Ormerod, MSS, MLSP

Headshot of Cathy Ormerod, EVP of LBBC
  • Has worked at LBBC since 2013
  • Breast cancer has touched the lives of many of Cathy's family and friends. She's dedicated to elevating the voices of people with breast cancer, as it will be their involvement that will humanize and improve care for all.
  • Is a lifelong bookworm — don't get in between Cathy and her second-Tuesday-of-the-month book club; fiction primarily, please.

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Living Beyond Breast Cancer is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to create a world that understands there is more than one way to have breast cancer. To fulfill its mission of providing trusted information and a community of support to those impacted by the disease, Living Beyond Breast Cancer offers on-demand emotional, practical, and evidence-based content. For over 30 years, the organization has remained committed to creating a culture of acceptance — where sharing the diversity of the lived experience of breast cancer fosters self-advocacy and hope. For more information, learn more about our programs and services.