Kevin Honeycutt was named CEO and president of Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy in December 2018. His principal role is to help realize and enhance the vision of the organization’s 2001 co-founders, Barbara Netter and her late husband Edward, and to spearhead the organization’s focus on funding the next generation of challenges brought by metastatic cancers and solid tumors while continuing to build organizational alliances and joint ventures. 

Prior to joining the organization, Mr. Honeycutt served as the president and CEO of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, executive director of the Avon Foundation for Women and in a variety of consulting roles through his firm, Honeycutt Partners, including projects for the American Diabetes Association, the New Venture Fund, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and other leading nonprofit organizations. 

Mr. Honeycutt serves on the Board of Directors of the Global Cancer Institute and Friends of Mozart. He is a past Board member of the Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation, University of California, Los Angeles. 

Named for the 1965 hit song by the Beach Boys, Barbara Ann Lavery has a passion for creativity. Whether she’s transforming the landscapes of Ireland, Iceland and California into large-scale abstract paintings or finding and funding life-changing opportunities to cure cancer, Ms. Lavery is guided by an inspired sense of appreciation for innovation. 

“Cell and gene therapies embrace an entirely new paradigm,” says Ms. Lavery whose years of experiences with non-profit and for-profit organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions helped build her framework of knowledge in life sciences. “Since its inception, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy has led the way in recognizing and advancing revolutionary new ideas that really matter.” 

As chief program officer, Ms. Lavery is responsible for programmatic initiatives, including leadership of the Academic Research Program and the Biotechnology Investment Program. “This is my dream job,” says Ms. Lavery. “It combines science and research with business development and venture philanthropy in a forward-thinking, non-profit environment that’s dedicated to brilliant people who are finding creative new solutions to some of cancer’s toughest challenges. I love it!” 

As chief philanthropic advisor, Terry McGowan is responsible for the strategic and targeted development of fundraising initiatives, including building and fostering productive strategic alliances with individual donors, corporations, foundations and other stakeholders to ensure the foundation’s long-term sustainability.

McGowan is energized by the bold vision and commitment to collaboration embraced by the foundation’s strategic plan.

“The plan is laser-focused on curing the most challenging cancers, including glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer, and recognizes that the ultimate success will be achieved through synergistic partnerships that include impact investors and philanthropists. It won’t be any one single institution or company or lab or scientist that cures cancer – it will be an alliance.”

Before joining the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, McGowan served in senior development positions with Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Biomedical Research Institute. McGowan earned a degree in health care administration at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

As foundation manager, Ashley Arnold Slane ensures operational excellence and efficiency. Her impeccable standards and functional perspective are shaped by years of financial management and systems management experience with private, community, bank and family foundations; corporations; government agencies; and individual donors. 

Ms. Slane lost her father to melanoma when she was just nine years old, her brother was 11 years old, and her sister was five years old. “It happened so quickly,” she says. “One day he was there and the next day he was just gone.” Today, as the mother of a nine-year-old and a five-year-old, this profound sense of loss is one of the things that draws her to Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and its mission of hope.