American Cancer Society Welcomes Four Members to Board of Directors

ATLANTA, May 6, 2026 - The American Cancer Society has appointed four new members to its Board of Directors, adding leadership depth as the organization accelerates efforts to advance its vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. Together, they will help guide how the American Cancer Society sets priorities, stewards resources, and measures progress, ensuring the organization remains focused on delivering meaningful impact for cancer patients and their families.

American Cancer Society board chair Terri McClements will welcome the new board members to their first meeting in May being held in Atlanta.

"We are honored to welcome four new board members. Courtney, Justin, Ruben, and Bryan each bring not only deep commitment to our mission, but valuable perspectives that will strengthen our work," said McClements. "This is a pivotal time for our organization as we continue supporting people facing cancer and their families while shaping a strategic plan to expand our impact through 2031."

With decades of collective leadership experience, the four new board members are:

Justin Butler
Justin Butler is based in Palo Alto, CA, and is an entrepreneur and investor focused on innovation across healthcare and life sciences. He works to accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into clinical practice, with a particular emphasis on addressing complex challenges in care delivery, biomanufacturing, precision medicine, and other critical areas of life-science infrastructure.

Butler is also committed to advancing cancer research and patient support. Through long-distance endurance events, including the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race and Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI, he has helped catalyze millions of dollars in funding for research focused on financial toxicity and the economic burden experienced by patients and families facing cancer.

Butler received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is the co-founder and Board Chair of Nucleus RadioPharma, a board member of Capstan Medical, and the co-founder and President of an AI precision medicine company.

He also leads the Kathryn Butler Foundation, established in honor of his late wife, to support individuals and families affected by cancer, with a particular focus on the financial burdens of those battling the disease.

Courtney della Cava
Courtney della Cava is based in San Francisco, CA, and is an executive advisor at Blackstone. She most recently served as a senior managing director and the global head of portfolio talent & organizational performance at Blackstone. In this global operating role, she led a team that drove meaningful value creation by ensuring leadership and organizational effectiveness across the Blackstone portfolio of 270 companies. She advised founders, CEOs and boards on translating investment theses into leadership, talent and culture strategies; board governance as an alpha creator; and succession and workforce planning with an eye toward the impact of AI on operating models and the future of work.

Before joining Blackstone in 2021, della Cava served as a partner at Bain & Company. With more than 20 years of global management consulting experience at Bain & Company in their Los Angeles, London and San Francisco offices, she served clients across multiple industry sectors. In her last role as a leader within their talent and leadership practice, della Cava advised corporate and private equity clients on CEO and board effectiveness and organizational and talent solutions, and she also built and led several of the firm's global human capital teams and client capabilities. She also served as a partner and managing director for Russell Reynolds Associates, a global executive search and talent assessment firm, and the European marketing director for Mars, Inc. She spent the first chapter of her career at WPP plc.

She has extensive public and private company governance experience, having served on the boards of Mphasis, Renaissance and Rover. She currently is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Culinary Institute of America. Della Cava earned an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated from The University of California, Los Angeles, with a BA in economics.

Bryan McLaughlin
Bryan McLaughlin is based in Los Gatos, CA, and is a senior global business leader and partner at PwC. He has more than 30 years of experience advising Fortune 100 technology companies on growth strategy, finance, and large-scale transformation. A longtime supporter of the American Cancer Society's Western States region, he has served in volunteer roles providing leadership in development, fiduciary oversight, and alignment with the organization's national priorities.

McLaughlin also serves on the Silicon Valley Leadership Group board and has held leadership and advisory roles at Hillbrook School, the Golden Gate University School of Accountancy Advisory Board, and the Boston College Alumni Board of Directors.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in management from Boston College and an MBA with merit from Alliance Manchester Business School. Mr. McLaughlin is a certified public accountant and holds active licenses in California, New York, and Massachusetts.

Dr. Ruben A. Mesa
Dr. Ruben A. Mesa is based in Charlotte, NC, and is president of the Advocate Health Cancer National Service Line and executive director of the National Cancer Institute-designated Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center. A practicing hematologist and internationally recognized researcher, Dr. Mesa has focused his career on leukemia biology and therapeutic innovation and has led or co-led the development of six US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs for myeloproliferative neoplasms.

A longtime partner to the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), Dr. Mesa has held volunteer and leadership roles with ACS CAN, and the American Cancer Society across Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina. His national leadership includes service on the boards of Blood Cancer United (2018-2025) and the American Association of Cancer Institutes (2021-2024).

Dr. Mesa is the 2025 recipient of the American Society of Hematology's Ernest Beutler Prize and was named a 2024 Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He earned his medical degree from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science where he also completed his residency and fellowship in hematology and medical oncology.

The Board of Directors is the governing body of the American Cancer Society, providing strategic direction to the chief executive officer by establishing priorities, reviewing and approving the American Cancer Society's integrated strategic and financial plans, monitoring the organization's financial health and risk mitigation strategies, and ensuring the responsible use of funds.

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About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more than 110 years, we have been improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support. We are committed to ensuring everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Connect with us on Facebook,X, and Instagram.