SEATTLE, July 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center today announced the appointment of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to its board of trustees. He is among five new board members at Fred Hutch, a Seattle-based pioneer in advancing groundbreaking research to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and related diseases.
The incoming 2016-17 board members joining Nadella are Bryan White, founder of Sahsen Ventures LLC; Mike Clayville, a vice president at Amazon Web Services, a cloud-computing leader; Carl Behnke, president of REB Enterprises; and Mark Fleischauer, chairman of JH Kelly Holdings, parent of Washington construction firm JH Kelly. In addition, the board designated Jim Sinegal, co-founder and former CEO of Costco Wholesale Corporation, as its first trustee emeritus. Sinegal has supported the Hutch’s strategic efforts since 2009.
“Here in Seattle, we’re experiencing a remarkable moment in history and geography; a congruence of health and life sciences and technology,” said Dr. Gary Gilliland, president and director of Fred Hutch. “Our newest board members will guide us in harnessing this momentum toward achieving the most ambitious goals in cancer research. I thank them for contributing their time and energies to helping our community and transforming the lives of others.”
“I’m thrilled to join the board of Fred Hutch, a Seattle-based institution doing world-class work to advance cancer research,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “As a board member, I look forward to seeing and learning first-hand how the work of the people and scientists of Fred Hutch can impact the lives of people and families around the world.”
In addition to its new members, the board of trustees has appointed new leadership. Christine Gregoire, former vice chair of the board, has been appointed chair. Gregoire, currently chief executive officer of Challenge Seattle, a private-sector initiative led by many of the region’s CEOs working to address issues that our region faces, served two terms as governor of Washington and three terms as attorney general. She has served on the Fred Hutch board of trustees since 2013.
Gregoire replaces outgoing board chair Paula Reynolds, who since 2011 has “served as an exceptional leader and has guided the institution through many milestones,” Gilliland said. Reynolds is former chair and CEO of Safeco and president and CEO of PreferWest LLC, a business advisory group. Matt McIlwain, managing director at Madrona Venture Group, has been selected by the board to serve as incoming vice chair. McIlwain brings a personal commitment to cancer research, diverse leadership experience and a passion for fostering cancer breakthroughs that he believes will increasingly be found at the intersection of the biological sciences, computer science and data science.
In addition to Nadella, the new Fred Hutch board members include a variety of distinguished innovators.
Bryan White is the founder of Sahsen Ventures LLC, former managing director at BlackRock Alternative Advisors and co-founder of Quellos Group LLC. He serves on the board of Pomona College, is an advisor to the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, is a member of the Investment Committee that oversees the University of Washington endowment and serves on the council for Chicago Booth, part of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
“It’s the right time and place. Given where medical innovation and cancer research are, Fred Hutch is in a position of strength. It’s an exciting organization to be associated with,” White said. “The idea to find cures a mantra of the Hutch rings clear to me.”
Mike Clayville is vice president of worldwide commercial sales and business development at Amazon Web Services, a collection of remote-computing services that make up its cloud-computing platforms. He was inspired to launch the Clayville Foundation following the death of his first wife, Holly, from cancer in 2011 at age 46. The Clayville Foundation seeks to find new links between viruses and cancer initiation.
“I feel that my experience with cloud-based technology will help the Hutch leverage the latest technology to bring insights to the control of and, inevitably, the end of cancer,” Clayville said. “I believe that cloud technology and big data will create more insights into cancer over the next five years than we have gleaned from science over the last decade. I would like to see the Hutch marry both disciplines to create outcomes that weren’t considered possible just a few years ago.”
Carl Behnke is the president of REB Enterprises, an investment company. Behnke currently serves as the co-chair of the board of ambassadors for Fred Hutch and is former chairman of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance board of directors.
“I see that, in the next short period, we’re going to make fantastic strides in really finding more and more cures for cancer as well as making the consortium we have between the University of Washington and Fred Hutch and Seattle Children’s become the premier place to be treated for cancer in the country,” Behnke said.
Mark Fleischauer is chairman of JH Kelly Holdings, parent company of JH Kelly in southwestern Washington, a family-owned construction firm that provides mechanical services to commercial facility owners. He plans to bring to the board his skills as a sharp listener and behind-the-scenes catalyst.
“I think about cancer daily, and the disease has altered my family’s trajectory in numerous ways career changes, caregiving, geographic changes, life-and-death decisions. What’s more devastating, however, is that we’re far from unique. This disease is ubiquitous and burdens all kinds of families in countless ways, every minute of the day,” he said.
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch’s pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation’s first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women’s Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. For more information visit fredhutch.org or follow Fred Hutch on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
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SOURCE Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
