ALSAC names Ericka DeBruce chief diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging officer

ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^® , has announced the appointment of Ericka DeBruce to the role of senior vice president, chief diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging officer. DeBruce succeeds Reginald Porter Jr. who has been named senior vice president, relational development and social responsibility. Porter is now leading efforts to engage key donors in support of the St. Jude mission while continuing to spearhead ALSAC’s work to positively impact the communities where its employees live and work as well as partners’ corporate social responsibility practices.

DeBruce will be building upon established programs, including ALSAC’s Business Resource Groups, and spearheading strategic initiatives to ensure ALSAC is a culturally competent and inclusive organization that promotes diversity of thought, background and experiences for employees, patient families and supporters.

“ALSAC and St. Jude were founded on the ideals of a diverse, inclusive and equitable world, and that remains at the core of our DNA,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC. “I witnessed Ericka’s passion and deep subject matter expertise firsthand when she trained our team in the past, and we are incredibly fortunate she has joined us full-time to continue efforts to foster open, honest dialogue and collaborations which are imperative to our success and true to our founding principles.

DeBruce has nearly two decades of experience leading diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts at global Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and other organizations. Her proven record of success in creating organizational cultures that leverage individual differences and value equal opportunity for all includes recognition for Unum as one of Forbes America's Best Employers for Diversity while she served as its chief inclusion and diversity officer.

"Joining the ALSAC team is a full-circle, career moment for me,” said DeBruce. “One of my first positions was working for a sibling charity overseeing a program focused on diversifying the blood supply to assist children with sickle cell disease. While in that role, I learned about the vital research and treatment methods that St. Jude provided to children and hospitals around the world, never imagining I would someday have the honor to lead diversity initiatives for the fundraising and awareness organization for the institution.”

The addition of DeBruce as a leading industry expert brings new opportunities for ALSAC to continue to advance an inclusive and equitable environment for employees, patient families, supporters and members of the communities the organization serves.