NU Advisory Partners Recruits CEO for Cancer Research Institute

September 24, 2024 – Executive search firm NU Advisory Partners has recruited Alicia Zhou as the new CEO of the Cancer Research Institute (CRI). She succeeds Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, who led CRI with distinction since 1993. CRI’s board of trustees, with the help of NU Advisory Partners, led a sustained and comprehensive search to identify the organization’s new CEO. Nada Usina, Meredith Rosenberg, and Tara Ryan led the assignment. “Congratulations to Alicia Zhou on joining the Cancer Research Institute as chief executive officer,” Ms. Usina said. “We look forward to seeing your leadership and expertise shape the future of cancer research and drive innovations in immunotherapy, personalized medicine, and next-generation cancer therapies. Thank you to Andrew Tsai, Paul Shiverick, E. John Wherry, Jedd Wolchock, Don Gogel, Mitra Lohrasbpour, Jim Weiss, Peter Bloom, Yacov Arnopolin, Sarah Kim, and the entire board for your continued partnership.”
“With a career grounded in public health initiatives, cancer biology research, and organizational leadership, we are confident that under Dr. Zhou’s guidance, CRI will continue to revolutionize cancer treatment by continuing to push new boundaries in cancer immunotherapy,” said Paul C. Shiverick and Andrew K. Tsai, CRI co-chairmen of the board. “Dr. Zhou’s dedication to advancing the frontiers of cancer biology aligns perfectly with CRI’s strategic focus on leveraging bioinformatics, machine learning, and AI to enhance cancer immunology research. We are looking forward to CRI enhancing its reach and impact to propel innovations in cancer care under her leadership.”
“Dr. Zhou’s appointment heralds the beginning of an exciting chapter for CRI—one that honors the institute’s legacy while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in cancer treatment,” the organization said. “Her academic credentials are exceptional: a PhD in biological and biomedical sciences from Harvard Medical School, where she focused on the biological origins of cancer, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, where she advanced cancer therapeutics through data-driven research.”
In her most recent role as chief science officer at Color Health Inc., Dr. Zhou led groundbreaking initiatives that brought together academic institutions and industry leaders to ensure equitable access to cancer prevention and treatment. Her leadership at Color Health was defined by the creation of large-scale research collaborations with prestigious organizations like the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health.
Since its founding in 1953, CRI has been at the forefront of the fight against cancer, driven by a mission to save lives through the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all cancers. The organization’s efforts are guided by our prestigious Scientific Advisory Council, led by 2018 Nobel laureate James P. Allison and composed of 35 members of the National Academy of Sciences.
Last year, NU Advisory Partners was launched by former Russell Reynolds Associates recruiters Mar Hernandez, Libby Naumes, Ms. Rosenberg, and Ms. Usina. The firm is focused on senior executive, operating, and board positions.
Proven Search Consultants
Ms. Hernandez specializes in placing corporate officers (CHRO, CFO, general counsel), and also supporting boards, financial services, fintech, telecommunications, and hospitality organizations in different talent needs. Prior to co-founding NU, she was a senior member of the corporate officers, DE&I, and financial services practice at Russell Reynolds Associates, where she was also the co-head of the Hispanic board initiative. Before her 12 years in the search industry, she held senior sales and marketing roles with firms such as Amicorp, Mphasis-EDS, and TTech.
Related: NU Advisory Partners Assists NASCAR’s Homestead-Miami Speedway with President Search
Ms. Naumes specializes in placing go-to-market and commercial roles across the sports, media, entertainment, technology, consumer, retail, and marketplace industries. Prior to co-founding NU, she spent 11 years building the consumer digital practice of Russell Reynolds Associates while also serving as the co-lead of the global sports practice. Ms. Naumes was previously the director of marketing and communications for NASDAQ’s Global Corporate Solutions Group.
Ms. Rosenberg is a market leading voice in the edTech sector. She brings more than 25 years of entrepreneurial and operating experience in the education sector. Prior to co-founding NU, she led the global edTech practice at Russell Reynolds Associates. She spent 10 years there working across the entire sector, advising larger public companies and VC and private equity portfolio companies, as well as nonprofits and higher education institutions. Previously, Ms. Rosenberg was a senior vice president at Fullbridge Inc., a workforce development and upskilling company, and helped to co-found Global Student Loan Corporation. She was a vice president at The Yankee Group, where she led the consumer communications practice, and a senior consultant in the telecommunications and media strategy practice of Braxton Associates/Deloitte Consulting.
NU Advisory Partners Recruits CFO for Overtime
NU Advisory Partners recently placed Alvin Lobo as the new CFO of Overtime in Brooklyn, NY. “Congratulations Alvin Lobo on joining Overtime as chief financial officer,” NU Advisory Partners said in a LinkedIn post. “We can’t wait to see the incredible impact you’ll make here.” Mr. Lobo most recently served as CFO of mobile games platform Skillz, where he led the company’s finance functions, including accounting, FP&A, and investor relations. Prior to that, he served as CFO at Score Media and Gaming, where he oversaw all financial and accounting operations within the organization, leading major growth and funding initiatives, including the company’s U.S. IPO and eventual sale to Penn Entertainment.
Ms. Usina’s board, CEO and C-suite placement expertise spans technology, sports, media, entertainment, industrial, and numerous other industries. Prior to co-founding NU, she was a member of the executive committee of Russell Reynolds Associates, the global leader of its technology media, entertainment, and sports practices as well as a senior member of the CEO & board practice. Ms. Usina spent 13 years leading high-level executive searches and advising leading private equity and VC firms across their portfolio companies. She had an extensive career as an executive at digital media and software companies, including as a member of the senior team at Broadcast.com, as president of Nokia Canada, as president of Comcast Venture-backed XOS Technologies which she successfully sold to publicly held JumpTV and then merged the company with NeuLion where she remained as president. Earlier roles in sports included the Florida Sports Foundation, Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and Florida State University Athletics.
Ms. Ryan is an associate partner and focuses her time on C-suite searches for high-growth private equity-backed and public companies. She was most recently a principal at True Search in the firm’s go-to-market and edtech practices. Before that, Ms. Ryan worked at Swing Education, a tech-enabled marketplace, where she played a key role in driving strategy and business development. She is based in Boston, MA.
Related: NU Advisory Partners Assists Sigma7 with Chief Technology Officer Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media