St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and ALSAC announce new Board members

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^® and ALSAC, its fundraising and awareness organization, announced today that two new members have joined the ALSAC/ St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors. The announcement comes as St. Jude continues to advance its $12.9 billion strategic plan and celebrates 63 years of Finding cures. Saving children.® The new members started their service in the last fiscal year.

• Khalil Barrage is a managing director at The Invus Group, LLC and chief investment officer of Invus Public Equities. Barrage joined Invus in 2003 and manages teams of investment professionals across offices in New York, Paris and Hong Kong. He is a frequent speaker on biotechnology and investment panels and is the co-founder of Biosciences Lebanese International Network (Biolink.org), a global networking platform for life science professionals of Lebanese descent. He holds a BA from the American University of Beirut.

• Mike Hamra is chairman and CEO of Springfield, Mo., -based Hamra Enterprises, a family-owned franchisee of nearly 200 restaurants operating under the Wendy’s, Panera Bread, Noodles and Co., and Caribou brands. He holds a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri and an MBA from Kennesaw State University. Hamra continues a tradition of family service to the lifesaving mission of St. Jude; his late father, Sam, was a member of the Board.

Seven other members were elected to the Board in 2023 and 2024:

• John D. Farina Jr. joined the Board after serving on the National Committee from 2022 to 2024. Prior to his retirement, Farina was the managing partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Northeast Region, leading a team of 3,500 partners and staff that advise domestic and international companies on complex matters. He has more than 35 years of experience in corporate finance and accounting and has served in a variety of board and leadership roles.
• Carla Z. Hassan is chief marketing officer of JPMorgan Chase with responsibility for firmwide marketing, which includes advertising, media, sponsorships, market research and customer insights for the Chase, JPMorgan, and corporate brands. She is experienced in brand building and portfolio management.
• Katherine N. Lapp joined the Board after serving on the National Committee from 2023 to 2024. Prior to her retirement in 2022, Lapp served as the chief administrative officer at Harvard University, where she was responsible for the financial, administrative, and operational aspects of the university. She earned her Juris Doctor from Hofstra University.
• Samia Melhem is a lead digital development specialist in the World Bank's Digital Transformation Vice Presidency. In her 30 years of experience in development at the World Bank Group, Melhem has worked on ICT in several sectors, including improving health & education services, and Digital public infrastructure. She has worked in more than 50 countries and holds an MS in Computer Sciences, and an MBA in Finance from GWU.
• Neela Montgomery was most recently CEO of Orveon Global, a collective of premium and prestige beauty brands, and previously served as CEO and executive chairwoman of Crate and Barrel, as well as president of CVS Pharmacy and executive vice president of CVS Health. Montgomery studied English Literature at Oxford University and holds an MBA from INSEAD in France and Singapore.
• Kathryne Reeves has more than 25 years of marketing and general management experience in roles across healthcare, technology, and consumer products. Reeves holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
• Aarti S. Shah, PhD was senior vice president and chief information and digital officer at Eli Lilly and Company prior to her retirement in 2021. Dr. Shah served in several other functional and business leadership roles at Lilly including senior statistician, research scientist, vice president for biometrics, and global brand development leader in the company’s Bio-Medicines business unit.  She earned her doctorate in applied statistics from the University of California at Riverside.

Members of the Boards of Directors and Governors are volunteers who serve without compensation. They provide governance and strategic oversight for St. Jude and ALSAC.

"These are truly exceptional individuals, and I know our mission will benefit from their expertise, leadership, and dedication," St. Jude Board of Governors Chair Judy A. Habib said. "These new members represent an intentional evolution of our Board, as we combine the strategic sophistication of the best for-profit boards, the unwavering mission focus of a nonprofit and the heartfelt passion of a family foundation as we continue to pass the torch from our founder, Danny Thomas."

“Our new Board members truly bring a wealth of knowledge and diverse expertise to our mission," ALSAC Board of Directors Chair Frederick M. Azar, M.D. said. "Their global vision and deep commitment will strengthen our collective ability to dream bigger and reach farther — which will make an even greater difference in the lives and children and families across the globe. Together, we continue to build on a legacy of hope, compassion, and healing at St. Jude.”

In 2022, the St. Jude Board of Governors approved a $1.4 billion expansion to the 2022-27 strategic plan, bringing the total to $12.9 billion – the largest in the history of St. Jude. The plan, now in its fifth year, focuses on expanding patient care and clinical and laboratory-based research related to pediatric catastrophic illnesses such as cancer, blood disorders, neurological diseases and infectious diseases. It also provides for creating 2,300 new jobs and constructing two 15-story towers dedicated to patient care and clinical research as part of an overarching goal to intensify progress in the laboratory, the clinic and around the globe.

Thanks to the support of 11 million active donors, St. Jude is able to maintain its foundational promise that no family ever receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – so they can focus on helping their child live.