Thomas Bognanno, Chairman
Thomas Bognanno is a prostate cancer survivor with advanced disease. He has been the President and CEO of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities since January 2006. He is a career nonprofit executive and the catalyst for bringing CHC: Creating Healthier Communities to the next level with innovative programs that focus on health disparities, community health development, employee engagement, workplace giving campaigns, and health resources. In his role he utilizes his decades of experience and expertise to define strategic direction and increase income for CHC: Creating Healthier Communities member organizations. Prior to his current position, Tom spent two decades with the American Diabetes Association, and before that with the American Cancer Society.
Alicia Morgans, M.D., M.P.H., Vice Chair
Dr. Morgans is a Genitourinary Medical Oncologist and Medical Director of Survivorship Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. She specializes in the treatment of genitourinary malignancies, including cancers of the prostate, bladder, testis (germ cell) and penis. She received a bachelor’s degree with honors in biology before going to medical school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She then went on to complete a residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Morgans completed a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Harvard’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston, before becoming an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She also has achieved a Masters in Public Health.
Dr. Morgans’ research focus is on improving care and patient outcomes in advanced prostate cancer. Her research investigates the side effects of cancer treatment (including the prevention, diagnosis of, and treatment of these effects) and treatment decision-making among men with advanced prostate cancer. She also has an interest in supporting clinical research of novel treatments for genitourinary malignancies. Dr. Morgans is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. She also chairs ZERO’s Medical Advisory Board.
Ed Lomasney, Secretary and Treasurer
Ed Lomasney is the Executive Director for Client Service at Cullen Funds in Chicago. When his father was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, Ed decided to take an active role in the fight for a cure. With two young sons and a daughter on the way, Ed is dedicated to fighting for Generation ZERO and to ending prostate cancer as a ZERO Champion.
Previously, he served as a Managing Director with John Hancock’s Private Client Group and a Vice President at Nuveen Investments. Ed has eighteen years of experience in financial services and he has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Iowa.
Jonathan D. Schwartz
Jonathan D. Schwartz is a Lean Champion at American Capital, where he works with portfolio companies to improve their performance. Prior to this position, he held several operations management, strategic planning, process improvement, project management, and customer engagement management positions at Bank of America, Vericom Corporation (health care communications company), Inner Circle Logistics (a start-up providing web-based data management tools), McKinsey & Company, Motorola, and Hewlett-Packard. Jonathan holds an MBA and MS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a BS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University.
Jonathan served as Chairman of the Board from 2010-2016 and he is the son of ZERO’s first CEO, William A. Schwartz, who died of prostate cancer in 2002. You can read more about the Schwartz family here.
Cheryl Nikituk
Cheryl is a veteran ZERO champion and advocate who is on a mission to educate men and families about prostate cancer. After her husband lost his battle to the disease almost eleven years ago, Cheryl – along with her daughters Tara and Meghan – connected with ZERO, and the rest is history.
For the past ten years, she has participated in ZERO’s Run/Walk – Capital Area as a top supporter raising more than $89,000. She serves as a ZERO Social Media Ambassador and each year speaks to her elected officials at the ZERO Prostate Cancer Advocacy Summit to help protect prostate cancer research funding. She is also an active community advocate who regularly volunteers and attends local events to raise awareness and funds for the cause.
Cheryl taught at Prince William County Public Schools and is a seasoned educator and resource for wives and caregivers in the prostate cancer community. During her tenure in the school system, she served on Advisory Councils for over 10 years as both a member and chairperson for grades K – 12. As a parent, she was a willing PTO volunteer holding many positions over the years, including President. Service to the community has always been of utmost importance to Cheryl.
You can read more about Cheryl here.
Kelvin Moses, M.D., Ph.D., FACS
Dr. Moses is a member of ZERO’s Medical Advisory Board and serves as an Assistant Professor of Urology in the Department of Urologic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He received both his M.D. and a Ph.D from the Baylor College of Medicine and is a foremost expert on prostate cancer in the African American community as well as the topic of cancer disparities in the United States. Dr. Moses is a frequent speaker at the ZERO Annual Advocacy Summit, discussing topics ranging from what high-risk men should know about the disease to sexual health after treatment.
Brad D. Lerner, M.D.
Brad D. Lerner, M.D., practices general urology and his specific clinical interests include vasectomy, male infertility, erectile dysfunction including prosthesis for the treatment of ED, kidney stones, sperm retrieval procedures, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH or enlarged prostate). He also performs the UroLift procedure for the treatment of BPH/enlarged prostate.
Dr. Lerner became President of Chesapeake Urology Associates, LLC in August 2016. He also serves as the organization’s Medical Director of its Summit Ambulatory Surgical Centers. Previously, he was the Co-Director of Reproductive Medicine, Microsurgery and Sexuality and Director of the Peer Review and Quality Assurance/Quality Performance Committees.
Dr. Lerner maintains a clinical urology practice at Union Memorial Hospital, where he is Chief, Division of Urology. He is also the Urology Consultant for the NFL Baltimore Ravens.
Don Slaght
Don Slaght is the Managing Principal of The Hollston Group, Hollston Hills LLC and Hollston Realty Group. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016, Don almost instantly jumped into action and initiated a relationship with ZERO. In just a few years, he’s become an integral part of building ZERO’s presence in New Jersey. Don is a charter member of the New Jersey Champions for ZERO.
Don is also a two-time former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics New Jersey and an active supporter of numerous Jersey Shore based charities, as well as the Cape Cod based Grant W. Koch Scholarship Fund.
Dan Perkins
Dan Perkins serves as the Executive Pastor at WestGate Church in San Jose, California, and has served on the Board of Directors for Silicon Valley Triathlon Club and FCA-Endurance. Perkins became involved in the prostate cancer cause in 2012 after losing one of his best friends to the disease. Since then, he has raised more than $90,000 for men and families by competing in numerous triathlons and endurance events as a member and fundraiser for Team ZERO. Perkins is also a regular attendee at the annual ZERO Summit, where he joins other advocates on Capitol Hill to meet with their elected officials to advance critical research funding for prostate cancer.
Karen Jauregui
Karen Jauregui became involved in the prostate cancer cause after her beloved husband Peter passed away from the disease in 2017. She captains the team “Soaring Eagle” for the annual Boston Run/Walk and was a top fundraiser in 2019 and 2020. Based in the greater Boston area, Jauregui is the Head of Regulatory Affairs & Quality at Imbria Pharmaceuticals (which doesn’t have any pending investments in prostate cancer), where she is involved in new drug development for cardiovascular diseases and oversees regulatory affairs and quality assurance.
Marty Chakoian
Marty Chakoian retired as Chief Technology Officer of the City of Seattle in 2002. After a brief period of travel and relaxation, Marty started a small Seattle-based consulting company, providing business management expertise to state and local governments and utilities in the Pacific Northwest, retiring for real in 2018. Marty has served on the Board of Directors of EarthCorps, international environmental education & service organizations, and PNA. Marty was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004. He leads the Us TOO Seattle support group and works on two patient advocacy committees at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He served as Secretary and then Chair of the Board of Directors of Us TOO International before its merger with ZERO.
Alan Goldman
Alan is currently the Chief Financial Officer for Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP, a mid-size law firm in Chicago. In addition, he has held several other financial leadership positions over the past 30 years for other law firms and real estate development firms in the Chicago area. He received his Bachelors in Accounting degree from Northern Illinois University. Diagnosed in 2008 with prostate cancer, Alan had a radical prostatectomy and has been cancer-free since his surgery. Alan is married, lives in Highland Park, and has two children and one granddaughter (so far). He has been a participant and strong fundraiser for the Sea Blue Chicago Prostate Cancer Walk/Run for the past five years.
Jim Schraidt
Jim is recently retired after practicing real estate and commercial finance law for more than 40 years. He holds a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana, and a JD from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
After an ill-advised prostatectomy in 2010 at the age of 58, Jim developed treatment regret and a resulting clinical depression. He found help at an Us TOO support group in Chicago, and has been attending that group for over 11 years and leading it for nearly six years. He also leads a support group affiliated with Northwestern University in Chicago and is a moderator for the AnCan virtual support group focused on active surveillance. Prior to joining the ZERO Board of Directors upon the merger of Us TOO and ZERO, Jim was a member of the Us TOO Board for the past six years and served as the Chairman for two years.
Jim is passionate about helping newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients get full and accurate information necessary to make the best possible treatment decision. He provides patients with support throughout the diagnosis and treatment and recovery process, and advocates for better and less harmful prostate cancer treatment.
Sandra Maxey
Sandra Maxey is an experienced accountant and business administrator with over 25 years of experience in the legal industry. As the Controller for Harrity & Harrity, LLP, Sandra effectively manages all firm budgets, finances, compliance, and the general accounting infrastructure while overseeing the day-to-day operations of the firm, ensuring the employees and business are outfitted with the appropriate resources to succeed.
Sandra is also an award-winning philanthropist, leading the way to service in the legal community. As the Vice Chair of Harrity’s Charity Committee, Sandra implements charitable initiatives, participates in philanthropic events, garners firm-wide support for various significant causes, and regularly exceeds fundraising goals. After losing her father to prostate cancer almost 30 years ago, she has been an avid supporter of ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer. She first became involved with ZERO at the 2010 Dash for Dad race in Alexandria, VA. As a ZERO Champion, she has received the top fundraising awards at the Dallas and Capital Area Run/Walks. As a result of her hard work, Harrity has been the recipient of ZERO’s 2021, 2020 and 2019 Bold for Blue Top Fundraiser Award.
Teedra Bernard
Teedra Bernard is the Chief Talent and Diversity Officer of TransUnion (NYSE: TRU), a leading global information solutions provider using the power of information to help people around the world access financial opportunities. She is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and as a diversity practitioner, she understands how critical it is to provide opportunities for career advancement and to create platforms that influence long-lasting change. Teedra holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Management & Development from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Michigan State University. She resides in the Chicago area with her husband and their son.
After learning of her father’s prostate cancer diagnosis, Teedra aligned herself with a mission of bringing awareness of prevention, education and treatment to Black men of her community. You can read more about Teedra here.
Jon Poindexter
Bio coming soon…