ALSAC announces transition of Richard C. Shadyac, Jr. as CEO

After 15 years of guiding ALSAC’s record success, Shadyac will help usher in the next generation of ALSAC leadership

Chief Operating Officer Ike Anand will assume leadership of the organization and become interim CEO effective March 1, 2025

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Richard C. Shadyac Jr. will step down as President and Chief Executive Officer of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, on March 1, 2025, the organization announced today. ALSAC Chief Operating Officer Ike Anand will assume the administrative leadership of the organization as Shadyac shifts his focus to donor, partner, and external relations during the transition. Anand will become interim CEO on March 1, upon Shadyac’s transition to an advisory role, as the ALSAC Board of Directors conducts a global search for a permanent CEO.

Under Shadyac’s leadership, American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) has become one of the most respected healthcare-focused nonprofits in the world, dedicated to supporting the St. Jude mission of advancing cures and treatments for pediatric catastrophic diseases.

Shadyac has exercised a lifelong commitment to ALSAC and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He started collecting coins for St. Jude as a young boy, advancing to Board Chair, and eventually becoming ALSAC President and CEO in September 2009.

“We are grateful to Rick Shadyac for his selfless and tireless service to ALSAC and St. Jude. His direction has made it possible for St. Jude to deliver care and conduct vital research at a scale that was unimaginable 15 years ago and positions us well for the future,” said Frederick M. Azar, M.D., Chairman of the ALSAC Board of Directors. “ALSAC’s work ensures that we continue to seek advancements in medicine to find new ways to support children and families through some of the most challenging times of their lives.”

Anand, along with the executive leadership team, will guide ALSAC until a permanent successor is named. A global executive search firm is working with the Board to identify and evaluate candidates to be the seventh CEO in ALSAC’s 67-year history.

Anand joined ALSAC in 2020 as chief operating officer, and successfully led its digital transformation, including overseeing technology and digital platforms, donor services, and the overall operational foundation that enables ALSAC to achieve its short- and long-term strategic goals. He joined ALSAC after 15 years at Expedia Group where he served in a variety of global leadership roles.

“An important part of leadership is knowing when to pass the torch, and I believe this is the moment for ALSAC,” Shadyac said. “We have a dedicated Board and an exceptionally strong leadership team that will sustain the momentum of everything we have accomplished over the last 15 years. It has been the joy of my professional life to serve our patients and families, St. Jude, and my colleagues at ALSAC. I am deeply proud of all that ALSAC has achieved – and what it will achieve in the years to come. I have confidence in ALSAC’s ability to continue delivering on the St. Jude mission, thanks to the employees, volunteers, donors, and partners who are the lifeblood of this organization.”

Under Shadyac’s leadership, ALSAC has been recognized for innovation and strong financial stewardship. In 2023 and 2024, ALSAC’s work helped result in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital becoming the most trusted brand among both for-profit and non-profit organizations, according to consumer surveys conducted by Morning Consult. ALSAC’s fundraising helped make possible St. Jude breakthroughs in pediatric critical research and care, treating children from all 50 states and more than 80 countries.

Shadyac’s accomplishments earned him the King Legacy Award for Philanthropy and Global Health in 2022. Additional achievements include:

• Nearly quadrupling philanthropic giving and sponsorships in his 15-year tenure.
• Fifty-nine consecutive quarters of year-over-year growth in fundraising.
• Introducing innovative fundraising strategies and technology innovations to support a historic expansion of the St. Jude campus, part of a $12.9 billion St. Jude strategic plan to advance cures and treatments, the largest such plan in its history.
• Growing the ALSAC workforce to nearly 1,700 employees and building a culture that was named the #1 Best Workplace for Innovators by Fast Company in 2020 and has been among the honorees for five consecutive years.

“‘Those who work for the good are as those who do the good.’ That quote from our beloved founder Danny Thomas exemplifies the importance of the ALSAC organization to our mission of finding cures and saving children,” said Judy Habib, Chair of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Board of Governors. “Rick’s leadership over the last 15 years has fueled unprecedented progress at St. Jude and we will be eternally grateful.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.^® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.