Leadership - Prostate Cancer Foundation

The leadership of the Prostate Cancer Foundation includes accomplished business leaders, successful entrepreneurs, acclaimed scientists and dedicated philanthropists. Our Leadership Team includes people who have founded and led successful healthcare companies, developed major marketing programs, managed clinical research organizations and raised millions of dollars for philanthropies. Our Board of Directors includes some of the most accomplished CEOs in the country, leaders in entertainment and marketing, outstanding financiers and distinguished academic medical researchers.

Mike Milken established the Prostate Cancer Foundation in 1993 as a continuation of his medical-research initiatives that started in the 1970s. In 1982, he formalized his philanthropic activities by co-founding the Milken Family Foundation, which has been one of America's leading supporters of cancer research, prevention and treatment. He also serves as Chairman of the Milken Institute, a nonprofit economic think tank, and its Washington, D.C.-based FasterCures - The Center for Accelerating Medical Solutions. As a financier, Milken is often said to have revolutionized modern capital markets. The thousands of companies that he financed created millions of jobs. A summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he earned his M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Lori, have three children and will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this year. More details are at www.mikemilken.com.

JONATHAN W. SIMONS, MD
President and Chief Executive Officer
David H. Koch Chair

Jonathan W. Simons, MD, is an internationally recognized physician-scientist, oncologist and acclaimed investigator in translational prostate cancer research. Prior to joining the Prostate Cancer Foundation in 2007, he was Distinguished Service Professor of Hematology and Oncology at the Emory University School of Medicine and Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Materials Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Simons is the Founding Director of the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta and Co-Director of the National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Emory and Georgia Tech.

Dr. Simons received a BA from Princeton University and an MD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Before entering medical school he was a Rotary International Postgraduate Fellow in the Humanities at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, and a Nuffield Foundation Fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Simons completed his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School and his fellowship in medical oncology at Johns Hopkins. He is also board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. He is married to Plum Simons, a breast cancer survivor, and has two sons.

Ralph Finerman is a certified public accountant and attorney and serves as president of RFG Financial Group, Inc., a financial consulting firm that specializes in helping clients structure, execute, manage and account for investments in a wide variety of industries. Mr. Finerman received a B.S. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an L.L.B. from Columbia Law School and an L.L.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law.

STUART HOLDEN, MD
Medical Director

A urological oncologist practicing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Dr. Holden has been actively engaged in the field of cancer research and treatment for more than 25 years. Dr. Holden directs the medical and scientific strategy of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, overseeing its grant award programs, consortia activities and scientific meetings. Dr. Holden has held staff positions at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and Georgetown's Lombardi Cancer Center in Washington, D.C.

Howard R. Soule, PhD, coordinates global academic, government and biopharmaceutical sector research activity and is responsible for the implementation of Prostate Cancer Foundation global research strategies. From 1997 to 2004, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer of the PCF. Most recently, he was Managing Director of Knowledge Universe Health and Wellness Group, a private investment firm focused on companies in the general areas of disease prevention and treatment.

Prior to joining the PCF in 1997, Dr. Soule was a senior R&D executive for nine years at Corvas International, Inc., a public biotechnology company. He was responsible for the discovery and development of innovative products for the treatment of life-threatening cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Soule has considerable experience in medical diagnostic and device industries as well.

Dr. Soule received a PhD from Baylor College of Medicine in Virology and Epidemiology and was a Post Doctoral Fellow in Immunology and Vascular Biology at the Scripps Research Institute.

STEPHEN M. WILSON
Executive Vice President, Web 2.0, Strategic Communications, New York

Steve Wilson leads PCF’s Web 2.0 initiative and strategic communications efforts, working with the leadership, board and interactive community to shape PCF’s message, brand, and internet offerings. He also heads up the New York office, working with donors, board members, and partner institutions.

Prior to joining the PCF, Mr. Wilson led a financial sponsor team for JP Morgan covering venture capital firms and internet entrepreneurs. He also launched new business initiatives for media clients including CNBC, Organic Online, ABC/ESPN, and Electronic Arts; guiding National Geographic Television's entry into IMAX films. Mr. Wilson produced Super Bowl commercials for Merrill Lynch, Emmy Award winning Olympics vignettes for CBS, and a television documentary, The Living Cathedral, broadcast on A&E and WNET Channel 13. As an NBC Management Associate, he worked on the first production team at CNBC.

Before graduate school, Mr. Wilson was an investment banker and venture capitalist at Dillon Read & Company, Inc. where he led a biotechnology stock offering for XOMA Corporation. He was also finance director for a United States Senate campaign and taught politics and history at The Harvard School in Los Angeles.

Mr. Wilson received an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an AB in Politics from Princeton University.

Dave has spent in excess of 20 years of his career with professional sports teams and charitable organizations. Dave has been the Managing Director of Baseball Operations for the past eleven years at the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Dave spearheads fundraising efforts for the Major League Baseball “Home Run Challenge” which has drawn more than $30 million in funding to date. Dave is also an advisor to Reggie Jackson’s Mr. October Foundation. He started his career as Community Relations Director with the Oakland Athletics during the Haas family era.

Karen Stone brings extensive experience and a successful track record in fundraising to her position as Senior Vice President of Development. She has served for over 30 years in both higher education and health care fundraising overseeing all aspects of development.

Prior to the PCF, Ms. Stone was the Executive Vice President for the Mercy Hospital Foundation at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. Before that, she spent six years as Director of the University of Chicago’s Western Regional Alumni and Development office in Los Angeles and 14 years at UCLA as Associate Director of Development in several leadership positions. While at UCLA, she co-founded the innovative and pioneering Women and Philanthropy program, which recognizes and promotes women’s leadership and philanthropy at UCLA. In addition, she also served as President of the University of New Mexico Foundation.

Ms. Stone received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and her MBA from Pepperdine University. Ms. Stone has one grown son and resides in Pacific Palisades.

Prior to joining the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Ms. Hsieh was the Director of Financial Planning for Vivendi Universal Net USA (an entity created to oversee the U.S. Internet-related companies owned by Vivendi Universal), where she managed the operating plan and monthly forecasts for multiple business units. Prior to the formation of VUNet USA, Ms. Hsieh was the Director of Finance for MP3.com, which was one of the early digital music providers on the Internet. Before that, Ms. Hsieh was the Manager of International Finance for The Walt Disney Company. She holds an M.B.A. from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego.

JAN HABER
Vice President, Events & Donor Relations

Ms. Haber has been with the Prostate Cancer Foundation since 1999 and brings over 20 years of event and financial management experience to the organization. Prior to joining the PCF, Ms. Haber was the administrator for a private equity investment fund, handling daily security and institutional trading as well as all investor relations. Before that, Ms. Haber spent several years at Pacific Holding Company and Dole Food Company, handling security trading for both privately held and publicly held entities, research and analyses of acquisition candidates, real estate development projects and planning and execution of special events, including political fundraising dinners, golf events and annual shareholder meetings. Ms. Haber received her B.A. in both Anthropology and Business from the University of California, Los Angeles.

DAN ZENKA, APR
Vice President, Communications

Dan Zenka brings more than 25 years of international public relations, brand development and communications strategy experience to his role at the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Prior to joining PCF, he was director of public relations and brand management at FEI, an Oregon-based technology company that develops high-end equipment for enabling nanoscale exploration, discovery and development in the areas of life science, electronics and general industry. While at FEI he also headed the communications and brand task force for the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), a unique, publicly-funded consortium of leading academic research institutions, corporations and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, chartered to accelerate nanotechnology development in the Northwest.

Dan has also held management positions at Bioject Medical Systems, Lattice Semiconductor Corporation and consulted to Philips Medical Systems in the Netherlands. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California with degrees in journalism/public relations and speech communications. He is also an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America. His articles on technology and communications have been published by PR Tactics, Nanotech Briefs and Nanotechnology Now.