Today is My Five-Year Anniversary as the CEO of YSC!!

The past five years have gone so fast, and it is hard to believe how much has happened since I joined YSC as CEO.

When Lisa Frank and Anna Cluxton called and offered me the job in spring 2011, I was nine months out from my breast cancer diagnosis, two months into medically induced menopause and eager to get started! I was 100% sure I could meet their expectations and hoped I would exceed them. The board of directors and staff welcomed me with open arms – and we jumped into action immediately.

My goal coming into this incredibly important job was to ensure that YCS was positioned to reach EVERY SINGLE young woman affected by breast cancer in the U.S. I am proud to say that we are well on our way to accomplishing that.

A lot has happened to YSC since 2011. We reorganized ourselves both externally and internally, and we invested in new technology. As a result, we’ve grown beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Take a look:

 - When I arrived in 2011, we had 24 organized groups of YSC women across the country. Today, we have 146 Face 2 Face (F2F) local networking groups with more than 4,000 actively involved young breast cancer survivors, and we’re still growing.

 - In 2011, YSC distributed 3,500 navigators to help young breast cancer survivors through their journey. This year, we are on target to almost double that at 6,500!

 - In 2011, YSC actively engaged more than 7,000 people in our programs. By 2015, that number had jumped to more than 50,000 people!

In additional to the company’s growth, I have personally changed a lot in the past five years. I learned how to ride a bike and have ridden in eight Tour de Pink events! I survived five years of breast cancer treatment and seven surgeries, and while I am a few sizes bigger (in a lot of areas), I am happy to have kicked cancer’s ass! I have also learned first-hand how deadly breast cancer can be to young women, having attended the funerals of too many friends.

While I am proud of many things that have happened during the past five years, the smartest thing I EVER did was to promote Stacy Lewis to Deputy Chief Executive. We have become strong business partners, fiercely determined leaders and close friends.

None of YSC’s growth and success would be possible without a committed board of directors and awesome staff, and I am beyond grateful for their hard work and dedication.

As I head into my next five years as CEO, I can’t wait for you to see what I have planned. It will be #YSCAwesome! Thank you, as always, for your support and involvement.

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Have you read this year's annual report? Check out what YSC has been able to accomplish thanks to dedicated staff, incredible volunteers, partners and donors.