Young Supporters Board Adds New Members

In only its second year, the Young Supporters Board of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center has become a tremendous success, recently adding 11 new members to the 20-member organization.

“We are so thrilled that the Young Supporters Board has taken off the way it has,” says Edward Partridge, M.D., Cancer Center director. “The new members bring fresh energy to an already enthusiastic group.”

Each new Young Supporter has been touched by cancer in some way, and together they bring a variety of experience and perspective to the board.

• Abigail Aaron, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Louisiana State University in 2004. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree from UAB in 2007 and now works in health information management for UAB’s Department of Family Medicine. Ms. Aaron’s mother was diagnosed with two cancers in March 2007, one of which is extremely rare. “The doctors and nurses at UAB have given my mother top-notch care that I truly believe is comparable to any cancer center in the country,” Ms. Aaron says. “I want to give back to the center that’s given my family so much.”

• LaKisha Cargill is a breast cancer survivor who was treated at the Cancer Center. Originally from Birmingham, Ms. Cargill received a bachelor’s degree in English from Birmingham-Southern College in 2000. She is a member of several community groups, including the Young Business Professionals, and also coordinates the State Farm Angel Tree Project.

• Andrew Case is an analyst at Harbert Management Corporation. The Nashville native earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Tennessee. “I wanted to get involved with the Birmingham community, and the Young Supporters Board allows me to help raise awareness for a cause that affects so many people,” he says.

• Birmingham’s Holley Johnson is a food editor and registered dietitian at Southern Progress Corporation. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food and nutrition and human nutrition, respectively. She also is active with the Junior League of Birmingham, Habitat for Humanity and the YWCA.

• Jennifer Kiessling, a native of Huntsville, received her degree in electrical and computer engineering from UAB in 2001. She then earned her M.D. from the School of Medicine at UAB in 2005 and is now an internal medicine resident for Baptist Health System. “As a physician, I see patients every day with cancer,” she says. “I want to volunteer in the community in honor of these patients and their families.”

• Devon Laney is the vice president of client services at Innovation Depot. Originally from Centre, Alabama, he holds bachelor’s degree in international business and a master’s degree in business administration, both from the University of Alabama. He also studied at the International Business School in Groningen, the Netherlands. He is active in several community organizations, including the Birmingham Venture Club and Magic City Art Connection. “I have had both family members and good friends diagnosed with cancer,” he says. “I have to be involved in some way to give back to those affected by cancer to show that their strength and courage do not go unnoticed.”

• Sarah McDonald, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, works as an account executive at Cayenne Creative, a local advertising agency. She received her master’s degree in communications and bachelor’s degree in public relations from Auburn University. She also volunteers as a reader at local elementary schools.

• Camper O’Neal is a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch in his hometown of Birmingham. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from Auburn University in 2004. Mr. O’Neal’s mother, Dolly O’Neal, is a breast cancer survivor and cofounder of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. He also is involved with the Monday Morning Quarterback Club and volunteers as a football coach for a local youth league.

• Stewart Silsbee, also from Birmingham, graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in marketing in 2001. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2002 and was treated at the Cancer Center. Since his cancer has been in remission, he has become active with several community groups, including St. Mary’s on the Highlands and Camp Smile-a-Mile.

• Betsy Styles of Birmingham has close ties to the Cancer Center. Her grandmother was a charter member of the Supporters Board, and her parents are both current members of the board, with her father serving as president. Mrs. Styles graduated from the University of Alabama in 2002 with a major in retailing and marketing minor. She is a member of the Junior League of Birmingham, the Ballet Guild and Mountain Brook Community Church.

• Sam Todd, another Birmingham native, is a graduate of Princeton University and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Alabama, where he helped start a program to promote dialogue about race relations. Mr. Todd lost his father to colon cancer several years ago, and his mother is currently fighting breast cancer. “Cancer has had a tremendous impact on my life,” he says. “When I returned to Birmingham, I wanted to get involved with an organization dedicated to the daily treatment of patients, and that’s what the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is about.”