E. Anders Kolb, M.D.
E. Anders Kolb, M.D., a world-renowned pediatric hematologist oncologist and researcher, is president and chief executive officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a global leader in the fight against cancer. Dr. Kolb leads the mission and operations of this $500 million cancer patient advocacy agency with offices serving patients and families across North America.
Dr. Kolb has devoted his life's work to caring for children with pediatric blood cancer and conducting research to find cures. Before joining LLS, he spent 15 years at Nemours Children's Health, where he built the Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program and most recently served as chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, Director of the Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders, and Vice Chairman for Research in the Department of Pediatrics at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Kolb will remain as part-time faculty at Nemours with some limited patient care responsibilities.
Prior to his roles at Nemours, Dr. Kolb was a member of the Pediatric Leukemia and Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation Services at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; Director of the Pediatric Preclinical Chemotherapy Testing Laboratory at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx; and Director of the Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Service and Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, also in the Bronx.
Dr. Kolb has been the principal or co-principal investigator of numerous studies and grants, including clinical trials with the Children's Oncology Group, the Nemours NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) and the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), which awarded Nemours Children's Health a $10.5 million grant to establish the Delaware Comprehensive Sickle Cell Research Center. From 2013 to 2023, he served as the Chair of the Children's Oncology Group Myeloid Disease Committee. From 2018 to 2023 he was co-chair and member of the executive committee of LLS PedAL.
Dr. Kolb has authored or co-authored more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals and received numerous awards.
Dr. Kolb completed his pediatric residency at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children and completed fellowship training in hematology/oncology in the Department of Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He earned his M.D. from Thomas Jefferson University and his bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Orlando L. Ashworth, MHRM, MA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
Orlando Ashworth is a thought leader in people strategy, people management, organizational design, and growth. As chief people officer for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) Orlando is focused on cultivating an inclusive culture of belonging and enhancing organizational sustainability.
He brings extensive leadership experience in human resources and workforce strategies, most recently serving as the inaugural Chief People Officer for the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). In this role, he was instrumental in developing and overseeing talent acquisition, talent management, compensation, benefits, training, professional development, workforce planning, and JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) initiatives, advocating for the medically underserved across the United States.
Before NACHC, Ashworth was Vice President of Human Resources Consulting at AARP, where he oversaw HR strategy for over 2,500 employees nationwide. His leadership contributed to AARP's mission of empowering individuals aged 50 and older through advocacy and community engagement.
A distinguished veteran, Ashworth served for 20 years in the United States Marine Corps, retiring as a commissioned officer. His military career included his role as Vice President of HR at various installations, including The Pentagon, and deployments in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
Ashworth holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Park University and two Master of Arts degrees in Human Resources Management and Management and Leadership from Webster University. He has also completed numerous certifications, including the SHRM-SCP and SPHR. His professional development includes programs at Marine Corps Command and Staff College and Georgetown University’s Executive Leadership Program.
Shonette Harrison Carew
Shonette Harrison Carew is a distinguished executive with a rich background in hospitality management, operations, data analytics, marketing, and strategic leadership spanning more than two decades. As the Chief Administrative Officer at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Shonette oversees the business operations & technology, constituent experience, and innovation teams and stewards the cross-functional efforts to align our administrative operations, policies, and ways of work to advance a culture of collaboration and innovation.
Shonette's professional journey began in the hospitality sector, where she served in various marketing and operations leadership roles. Her career includes senior roles across the US where Shonette developed expertise in marketing, data analytics, branding, CRM integration and operational leadership. Shonette opened or led operations at many renowned organizations, including Hollywood Casino Perryville, Harrah's Casino Philadelphia and Harrahs & Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs. Notably, Shonette's tenure at Caesars Entertainment included strategic positions that allowed her to develop a robust understanding of the industry, significantly contributing to her reputation as a trailblazer in the field.
Transitioning from hospitality to the financial sector, Shonette served as Vice President of Corporate Marketing at Wilmington Trust Company. There, she played a pivotal role in supporting the company's merger with M&T Bank, helping to develop its analytical approach to wealth integration with consumer banking.
In early 2020, Shonette took on the role of Strategic Director of Marketing & Communications at Nemours Children’s Health, where she and her teams developed and executed comprehensive marketing and communication strategies across multiple states. Her work involved overseeing teams that developed the national contracts, media, CRM, and many other initiatives for the hospitals and satellite locations nationwide. This work demonstrated her adaptability and leadership in a critical healthcare setting during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shonette holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Pace University and a Master of Management in Hospitality from The Cornell Hotel School, complemented by an MBA from ESSEC Business School in Paris. Shonette has been featured on panels at industry conferences such as G2E and Becker's Healthcare and enjoys giving back by lecturing in the classroom at both Pace and Cornell. A Lifetime Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Shonette remains deeply involved in various nonprofit and civic organizations.
JR Miller
As chief financial officer, JR ensures that LLS achieves the ambitious financial goals of its long-range strategic plan. Miller leads the finance organization and risk management and is responsible for enhancing LLS's financial efficiency and effectiveness in partnership with the organization's executive team.
Throughout his 20-year tenure at LLS, Miller served as a regional vice president, overseeing ten chapters across the U.S., and as vice president of field operations, in which he was responsible for management of LLS Canada. From 2015 to 2018, Miller served as CEO of PearlPoint, an online service that provides nutritional support for cancer patients, which he has since integrated into LLS’s family of patient support services.
Prior to joining LLS, Miller was in corporate accounting with David C. Cook, a nonprofit publishing company, and an internal auditor for Farm Family Insurance Companies.
Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Gordon College and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Gwen Nichols, M.D.
As The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Gwen Nichols, M.D., plays a critical role in advancing cures through a unique combination of clinical, academic and pharmaceutical experience. She oversees LLS's scientific research portfolio, patient services and policy and advocacy initiatives. Dr. Nichols leads an international team of preeminent leaders in pediatric acute leukemia to conceive, develop and implement LLS PedAL, a first of its kind global master clinical trial and a key component of the Dare to Dream Project, transforming treatment and care for kids with blood cancer.
A physician and scientific researcher, Dr. Nichols has dedicated her career to advancing cures for cancers. Before joining LLS, she was oncology site head of the Roche Translational Clinical Research Center, where she worked to develop new cancer therapies, translating them from the laboratory to clinical trials. Prior to joining Roche in 2007, Dr. Nichols was at Columbia University for more than ten years, where she served as the director of the Hematologic Malignancies Program.
While at Columbia University, Dr. Nichols maintained an active clinical practice and received the prestigious honors of "Physician of the Year" from Columbia University and the "Humanism in Medicine Award" from the American Association of Medical Colleges.
Coker Powell
Coker Powell is a forward-thinking development leader with a highly successful track record in creating and executing strategic plans to drive organizational growth and innovation. As executive vice president, chief revenue officer, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) she is responsible for leading all development work at both the local and enterprise levels, fulfilling a critical role for funding LLS's mission. Powell oversees all aspects of revenue generation, including corporate partnerships, advancement, peer-to-peer fundraising, philanthropy, planned giving, direct mail, digital revenue, and community-based fundraising.
Powell joined LLS in 2015 as senior vice president of LLS's largest fundraising campaign, Light The Night, where she was responsible for international strategic direction and revenue. Under her leadership, Light The Night achieved record growth of 26% and was honored by the P2P Forum as "2016 Program of the Year" with the most revenue growth of any walk program in North America. LLS also led the industry from 2015-2019 with 22% revenue growth and was recognized as the Raise 2022 Innovator of the Year by One Cause. In 2024, LLS clinched three of the top ten spots on Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum's (P2P Forum) list of top fundraising programs in North America, receiving recognition for Light The Night, Student Visionaries of The Year, and Visionaries of The Year. Powell has overseen the expansion of Student Visionaries of the Year from a single market event to a national campaign in 70+ markets that now raises more than $45 million annually. Within the last few years, she also oversaw the launch of LLS's Business Development department, which raised more than $50 million in fiscal year 2024, and she spearheaded the launch of the Dare to Dream Team to support LLS's pediatric cancer initiative.
Powell has been a featured speaker at P2P Forum and the Customer Relationship Management Conference (CRMC) and has been recognized as a thought leader on the One Cause, Her Success Story and Engage for Good podcasts. She is a member of the CDO Council through Salesforce and has served as a past president of the alumni board of directors at Wofford College.
Prior to joining LLS, Powell was national director of Heart Walk field revenue at the American Heart Association, where she oversaw national strategic direction and revenue for more than 320 walk events. Powell holds a bachelor's degree from Wofford College and a master's degree in communication from Wake Forest University.