CCA Boards

• Board of Directors
• Medical Scientific Advisory Committee

Board of Directors

The CCA's Board of Directors is comprised of highly capable, dedicated individuals with backgrounds in business, education, non-profit management, health care, cancer research, law and finance. In addition to their professional expertise, each board member has in some way been touched by colorectal cancer. Having a personal understanding of colorectal cancer and its impacts deepens their commitment to helping others affected by the disease — and to one day finding a cure.

Kevin Lewis, Co-Founder and Board Chairperson
A carrier of the HNPCC (hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer) gene, Mr. Lewis has had several family members who have died or suffered from colon cancer. He follows an extensive prevention regime designed to reduce his probability of developing a malignant tumor. He supports the National Cancer Institute by serving as a Patient Advocate on several programs. Mr. Lewis is a Principal and Partner at PwC, providing strategic operations expertise to technology-based clients. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania. His extensive corporate experience includes Raytheon, Teradyne, AMD, Boston Scientific Corporation, Schering Plough, IBM, and Alcatel Lucent, as well as Infolibria, an Internet startup company.

Michael Zahaby, Treasurer
Mr. Zahaby is the Chief Credit Officer and Managing Director of CapitalSpring Finance Company, a specialty finance company. Michael was a caregiver to his wife of 27 years in her two-year fight against colon cancer. He received a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Ohio State University’s Fisher School of Business, and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. He previously served on the board of the Southeast Pennsylvania United Way and chaired many of the board’s committees and sub-committees on funds allocation and children’s issues. Prior to CapitalSpring, Michael was a senior officer of Amalgamated Bank of New York; Morgan Stanley CFS, Inc., Merrill Lynch BFS, and Wachovia Bank, a successor to CoreStates Bank. He intends to dedicate his efforts to raising awareness of colon cancer in memory of his late wife, Sharon.

John Daly, MD, FACS, FRCS (G), FRCS (I), Board Member
Dr. Daly is the Dean Emeritus and the Donahoo Professor of Surgery at the Temple University School of Medicine and is internationally known as a surgeon, researcher, author and academician. During his career, Dr. Daly has been in leadership positions in a variety of organizations including the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, the American Cancer Society and the American Surgical Society. Dr. Daly has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards for teaching, research and practice including the Sam E. Roberts Nutrition Foundation Medal of the University of Kansas (1981) and the Elliot Hochstein Medical Student Teaching Award of Cornell University (1995). He has also been included on many "best" lists such as Best Doctors in Philadelphia, Best Doctors in America and Top Cancer Doctors in New York. He is an active research investigator with over 15 years and $20 million of NIH funding. Dr. Daly was recently elected Vice President of the American College of Surgeons.

James W. Fleshman, MD, Board Member
Dr. Fleshman is the Chief of Surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX. Additionally, he is the Co-Director of GI Center, Clinical Operations. Dr. Fleshman's specialties include Crohn's Disease, Colon & Rectal Surgery, Colon and Rectal Cancer and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from Washington University. Dr. Fleshman serves as the President of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and has been listed in Best Doctors in America, 2002 - 2008 (Best Doctors, Inc) and America's Top Doctors, Castle Connolly Medical Ltd, 2002 - 2008.

Joseph A. Frick, Board Member
Joseph A. Frick is Vice Chairman and Managing Partner based in the Philadelphia office.  Prior to joining Diversified, Mr. Frick served as President & CEO of Independence Blue Cross and is currently a Vice Chair of the Independence Blue Cross Board of Directors. Prior to becoming CEO in 2005, Mr. Frick served as Independence Blue Cross’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Administration since 1997. In this capacity, he was responsible for corporate planning and business development, human resources, and administrative services. As CEO, Mr. Frick spearheaded the creation of IBC 2010, a long-term strategic plan for the company. He formed a new senior leadership team and launched key initiatives to achieve the company’s goals. Under Mr. Frick’s leadership, IBC enhanced its standing as a trusted and respected corporate leader in the Philadelphia community

Before joining Independence Blue Cross, Mr. Frick was Vice President of Human Resources at Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. (PNI), which published The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News. He joined PNI in 1987 as Personnel Development Director, responsible for employee relations, training, and development.

Leonard Jacob, MD, PhD, DSc (Hon.), Board Member
Dr. Jacob received his M.D. from the Medical College of Pa. in 1978 and served on its Board from 1986 to 1998. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Antares Pharma. Inc., a publicly traded drug delivery and device company. He also serves on the Board of Directors of QuiqMeds, a private drug dispensing company, the University of the Sciences and the Temple University School of Medicine. Previously, Dr. Jacob served as worldwide vice president of SmithKline Pharmaceutical Co. and was a member of their Corporate Management Committee. For the past two decades he has been an entrepreneur, co-founding, the Genaera Corp., a publicly traded biotechnology company and InKine Pharmaceuticals a publicly traded gastrointestinal  specialty pharmaceutical company. Recently, Dr. Jacob served as Chairman of Bradley Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Jacob has overseen the development of seven prescribed drugs impacting human health and is the named inventor on six patents. In 2004, Dr. Jacob was given the outstanding alumnus award from the Temple University School of Medicine. In 2008 he was bestowed an honorary doctor of science degree by the University of the Sciences and in 2010 he was given the “outstanding entrepreneur award” from the Drexel University School of Medicine.

Michael Retsky, PhD., Board Member
Known for innovative research in the field of breast cancer, Dr. Retsky was Lecturer in Surgery at Harvard Medical School on Judah Folkman's staff for 12 years, until Dr. Folkman’s untimely death in 2008. Dr. Retsky is currently a Visiting Scientist at Harvard School of Public Health. His research field is computer simulation of cancer and angiogenesis. Dr. Retsky is an 18-year survivor of stage III colon cancer, and he designed his own long-term, low-dose chemotherapy regimen, now known as metronomic chemotherapy. He received a PhD in physics from the University of Chicago.

Jerry L. Tolk, Board Member
Mr. Tolk is a Senior Vice President and Regional Practice Leader for Edelman, the world’s largest health communications agency. In this role, Jerry works with a diverse cadre of healthcare, non-profit and NGO organizations across a broad range of marketing initiatives to motivate behavioral change and build engaged communities among patient, partner and clinical stakeholder groups. During his extensive career in health, first in the US Army, and later in a series of increasingly senior positions at the world’s leading PR and marketing agencies, Mr. Tolk has focused on creating novel health solutions through partnerships between organizations with mutual social and business interests. Mr. Tolk received his medical training at the US Army Medical College and studied graduate-level public relations strategy at NYU. When not traveling to speak of the AMA, PRSA and the request of healthcare organizations on topics of health engagement and strategic philanthropy, Mr. Tolk competes in triathlons to raise awareness and funding for disease research and patient programs.

Carmen Marc Valvo, Board Member
Fashion Designer Carmen Marc Valvo has used his designs as a platform to raise awareness about colon cancer all over the United States.  Carmen is an Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) Ambassador and has appeared in a PSA with Vanessa Williams for the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA).  As a colon cancer survivor, Carmen Marc Valvo has been working with Katie Couric since 2004 when she partnered with the organizers of New York Fashion Week.  His efforts, on behalf of the organization, were honored at a gala in 2006 where Carmen received the first ever Advocate Award from the foundation.  Since then Carmen has been honored by numerous organizations including Gilda’s Club World Wide, The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, The American Cancer Society, and The Colon Cancer Alliance.  He has appeared on the covers of AARP and Coping with Cancer magazines, NBC Today Show, CBS Early Show, USA Today and countless other national and local media outlets to make colorectal cancer fashionable to talk about.  His recent book: “Dressed to Perfection, The Art of Dressing for your Red Carpet Moments” (Rizzoli 2011) benefits colon cancer research. 

For more information about the CCA Board, please contact:

(202) 628-0123
info@ccalliance.org 

Medical Scientific Advisory Committee

The CCA's Medical Scientific Advisory Board advises the organization on new treatments, medications, research and other key issues related to this disease. The committee members volunteer their time and expertise to the CCA, ensuring that the information provided by the association is accurate and ethical.

Medical Scientific Advisory Committee Members:

Gordon Cole
Colon Cancer Survivor

Michael Choti, MD
Surgeon
Johns Hopkins University

Kathleen Gamblin, RN, BSN, OCN
Nurse
National Coalition of Oncology Nurse Navigators

Julio Garcia-Aguilar, MD, PhD
Surgeon
City of Hope National Medical Center

Axel Grothey, MD
Medical Oncologist
Mayo Clinic

Amy Halverson, MD
Surgeon
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

Michael D. Kreines, MD, FACP, FACG
Gastroenterologist
University of Cincinnati

John L. Marshall, MD
Medical Oncologist
Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center

Beth McFarland
Radiologist
American College of Radiology

Jose Mendoza Silveiras, MD, PhD
Colon Cancer Survivor

Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt, MD, MPH
Public Health
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Edith Mitchell, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University

Mark Pochapin, MD
Director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Shultz-Leeds Professor of Gastroenterology
NYU Medical Center

Laura Porter, MD
Colon Cancer Survivor

Vetta L. Sanders Thompson, PhD
Psychologist
Washington University

David Woo, PhD
Research Consultant

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