St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and ALSAC Announce New and Continuing Board Officers

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^® and ALSAC, its fundraising and awareness organization, announced today the election and re-election of Board officers for a one-year term beginning July 1. The announcement comes as St. Jude continues to advance its $12.9 billion strategic plan and James R. Downing, MD prepares to step down as president and CEO in late 2026 as part of a planned leadership transition.

Starting July 1, the ALSAC/St. Jude Boards of Directors and Governors will be led by:

• St. Jude Chair Judy Habib, an experienced business leader and brand strategist, has served on the Boards since 1994. She chaired the ALSAC Board of Directors from 2019 to 2021 and has chaired the St. Jude Board of Governors since 2023, becoming the first woman to chair both Boards. Habib is the former CEO and co-founder of KHJ Inc., a branding agency she led for more than 35 years, and has held leadership roles with the International Women’s Forum of Massachusetts and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
• St. Jude Vice Chair Katherine N. Lapp joined the Boards in 2024 and brings deep operational and governance expertise from her career in higher education. Prior to retiring in 2022, she served as chief administrative officer at Harvard University, where she oversaw complex financial and administrative operations, contributing valuable institutional leadership experience to St. Jude. Lapp stepped into this role in late March.
• ALSAC Chair Frederick M. Azar, M.D., who joined the Boards in 2012, has headed the ALSAC Board since 2023 and brings decades of leadership experience in medicine and nonprofit governance. Azar is the Memphis-based Harold B. Boyd Professor and Chair of the Campbell Clinic and Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship Program in the University of Tennessee Health Science Center - Campbell Clinic Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. He is a past president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the NBA Team Physicians Association, and a current Senior Director of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
• ALSAC Vice Chair Sharon McCollam, who has served on the Boards since 2017, will continue as Vice Chair of the ALSAC Board, a role to which she brings extensive corporate leadership and financial expertise. She is president and chief financial officer of Albertsons Companies Inc., previously held senior executive roles at Best Buy and Williams-Sonoma, and serves on multiple public company boards, contributing experience in governance, capital stewardship and long-term strategy.
• Secretary Frederick R. Harris Jr., M.D., who joined the Boards in 2016, continues his service as secretary of the St. Jude Board and was also elected secretary of the ALSAC Board. Harris brings continuity and institutional knowledge to the Boards’ leadership through his medical background, community engagement and longstanding family association with St. Jude, reinforcing mission-driven stewardship of the organization.

Members of the Boards serve on a volunteer basis without compensation, providing governance and strategic oversight in support of the shared mission of advancing cures and means of prevention for catastrophic pediatric diseases through research and treatment. Collectively, the group has more than 65 years of service in support of the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.

“Judy and Katherine's leadership, along with the guidance of the full ALSAC/St. Jude Boards, will be invaluable as St. Jude continues to pursue its mission," Downing said. "As I prepare to step down as CEO and return to a faculty role later this year, I look forward to seeing this institution continue to advance cures and save children everywhere."

“In a world that is constantly changing, I’ve relied and will continue to rely on these Board officers to bring the experience and perspective needed to guide our institutions forward,” said Ike Anand, president and CEO of ALSAC. “I’m grateful for their leadership, which will help ensure strong stewardship of our lifesaving mission as we approach the 65th anniversary of St. Jude – honoring our legacy while preparing for the future.”

Thanks to the support of more than 10 million donors, St. Jude can 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.

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% in the United States, 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.