Dear Friends,

When people ask me what it’s like to be a CEO, I have a simple answer: I am primus inter pares – I am simply “first among equals.”  Like King Arthur, I follow a “round table” model of leadership where everyone’s opinion matters.  Building a good team is the key to a CEO’s success.  I look for colleagues who fill my gaps and aren’t afraid to share their thoughts and opinions.  I always say I would rather hear about my deficiencies from people who love me rather than from those who don’t.

Having held leadership positions most of my career, I am not a stranger to turmoil and even chaos.  Both of those states of affairs are much more easily navigated with a strong team.  That said, the world in which we currently live and work has forced many of us in the research and nonprofit sectors into a liminal space that is acutely uncomfortable. Being on the edge of something and not knowing what it is can cause angst and frustration.

We found out two weeks ago that our next grant application is due in mid-November.  In the past we have had a full year to write our grant. It is essential that we make a convincing argument for the continued life of our NCORP, just as all other NCORP’s in the country are making.  Our leadership team is having planning discussions now to begin the articulation of the answer to one question: What do we bring to cancer clinical research that is essential and efficacious? Our Board of Trustees is working alongside us to bring their expertise to secure our future and our ability to thrive.

The conversations we are having are frank and productive.  Finding a path forward is much easier when all the right people are around the table and decisions are not made by just the CEO.  As CEO, I cannot be afraid to ask any question because I fear the answer.  I also have to sit and listen because sometimes it’s the wee small voice that has the biggest, brightest idea.

So, as we delve into the grant writing, I want to express my gratitude to our leadership team (Kris Castagnaro, Andrew Morin, Brandon Keith, Michael Nowicki and Will Coffey) and to our Board. We truly are the sum of our magnificent parts. Having those three letters behind my name sometimes opens doors, and sometimes gets us where we need to go faster, and sometimes means doing the difficult thing, but I still have to find a place at the round table.  I am humbled to be primus inter pares on this team.

Per aspera ad astra (through difficulties to the stars),