Leadership
At Fred Hutch, we have a daring vision: a world that’s free of cancer. To make it happen, we are relying on the talents of more than 5,700 dedicated faculty, clinicians and staff who work at the top of their game every day. From our president and division leaders to our Board of Directors, meet the leaders who are guiding us to bigger, bolder breakthroughs.
Executive Vice Presidents | Clinical Chiefs & Clinical Vice Presidents | Division Directors & Senior Vice Presidents | Vice Presidents | Board of Directors | Board of Advisors
President and Director
Thomas J. Lynch Jr., MD
A world-renowned scientist, highly respected oncologist and successful cancer center leader, Dr. Lynch is motivated by the patients he’s treated to break down silos and free the scientific creativity that will spark new cures. Dr. Lynch holds the Raisbeck Endowed Chair for the Fred Hutch president and director.
Fred Appelbaum, MD
Executive Vice President
Dr. Appelbaum is a leading expert in the research and treatment of blood cancers. Chief among his duties is leadership of Fred Hutch’s strategic research partnerships with the National Institutes of Health and other agencies. Dr. Appelbaum holds the Metcalfe Family/Frederick Appelbaum Endowed Chair in Cancer Research.
Bruce Clurman, MD, PhD
Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer & Deputy Director
Dr. Clurman is a leading cancer biologist and transplant physician. As chief scientific officer and deputy director, he works across Fred Hutch to lead basic, translational and clinical research, and seeks to bring science to benefit patients with cancer and infectious diseases. Dr. Clurman holds the Rosput Reynolds Endowed Chair.
Nancy Davidson, MD
Executive Vice President, Clinical Affairs
Dr. Davidson has several leadership roles within the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children's Cancer Consortium, building bridges across cancer research and treatment programs at Fred Hutch, UW and Seattle Children’s. She is a top opinion leader in the field of breast cancer biology and treatment. Dr. Davidson holds the Raisbeck Endowed Chair for Collaborative Research.
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Niki Robinson, PhD
Dr. Robinson is responsible for organizational strategy, operational excellence, and the safety and wellbeing of our employees and community at Fred Hutch. She leads several teams that support and accelerate its science. These teams include Human Resources, Marketing & Communications, Strategic Planning, Government & Community Relations, Business Development, Internal Audit & Risk Management, Information Technology, Clinical Research, and Campus Facilities & Operations. As part of the Fred Hutch Director’s Office, Robinson leads the Hutch’s strategic planning efforts, working with departments and scientific divisions throughout the organization to ensure that the Hutch is positioned to achieve its mission and goals.
Chief of Staff
Elizabeth Prescott, PhD
Dr. Prescott, chief of staff for the Fred Hutch Director’s Office, facilitates information flow and decision-making through collaboration with both administrative and scientific partners throughout the Hutch. She also participates in the development of strategies and processes to advance key initiatives.
Ryan Leib, MBA
Vice President and Chief Clinical Operations Officer
Ryan’s collaborative approach brings together providers, nurses, administrators and other health care professionals to drive lasting change in complex health care environments. He plays an essential leadership role in achieving operational excellence and partners with our clinical leadership team and department managers to maximize communication and coordination between teams to resolve any barriers to effective, team-focused service and patient care. Ryan also shares our deep commitment to providing exceptional patient care, conducting innovative research and educating the health care providers of the future.
Tom Purcell, MD
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Purcell joined Fred Hutch from University of Colorado Health where he served as CMO of the Highlands Ranch Hospital and South Metro Denver, System Director of the Oncology Service Line at University of Colorado Heath, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at University of Colorado Hospital and Associate Director for Clinical Services at University of Colorado Cancer Center. He received his MD from Emory University School of Medicine and earned an MBA from University of Chicago. He completed a fellowship in Medical Oncology at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Suni Elgar, MPH, BSN, RN, OCN
Interim Chief Nursing Officer
Suni provides nursing leadership and clinical operational oversight at our South Lake Union clinic, creating a unified clinical environment that supports patient-centered oncology care. She received her BSN from the University of Washington School of Nursing and her MPH and Global Health Certificate from the University of Washington School of Public Health.
Cindy Gist, MHA
Vice President, Patient Care Services & Clinical Labs
Cindy works in leadership positions in clinical and laboratory areas. She began her career as manager of the Cellular Therapy Lab and then moved to Clinical Operations managing the solid tumor clinics. Her current area of oversight is Clinical Laboratories, Patient Access, Clinical Analytics, and Education and Development. She received her MHA from the University of Washington School of Public Health.
Garnet Anderson, PhD
Public Health Sciences Division
Dr. Anderson is division director and senior vice president of the Public Health Sciences Division. Dr. Anderson is also the principal investigator of the Fred Hutch-based Women’s Health Initiative, a long-term nationwide research program that investigates the most frequent causes of death, disability and poor quality of life among postmenopausal women. Dr. Anderson holds the Fred Hutch 40th Anniversary Endowed Chair.
Sue Biggins, PhD
Basic Sciences Division
Dr. Biggins is division director of the Basic Sciences Division. Dr. Biggins studies one of biology’s most fundamental processes: how cells sort chromosomes, the long molecules in which DNA is packaged. Errors in chromosome sorting can contribute to cancer and other diseases. Dr. Biggins has served on numerous national scientific committees, including the Next Generation of Science committee of the National Academy of Science, which aims to improve science for early stage investigators in the country. She is currently a member of the Coalition of Life Sciences, a national alliance that fosters policies to promote research in the U.S.
Geoffrey Hill, MD, FRACP, FRCPA
Translational Science and Therapeutics Division
Dr. Hill is division director and senior vice president of the Translational Science and Therapeutics Division. Dr. Hill is a physician-scientist who specializes in blood stem cell transplantation. He is one of the top authorities on the transplant complication known as graft-vs.-host disease, or GVHD. In particular, Dr. Hill focuses on the immunological mechanisms initiating both acute and chronic forms of GVHD.
Eric Holland, MD, PhD
Human Biology Division
Dr. Holland is division director and senior vice president of the Human Biology Division. Dr. Holland is an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and brain cancer researcher. He has spent his career working across disciplines to address the molecular basis of brain tumors and develop new treatment approaches. He also directs the Fred Hutch–based Seattle Translational Tumor Research, a multidisciplinary, multiorganizational effort to translate laboratory findings into precise, personalized treatment options for patients with solid tumors. Dr. Holland holds the Endowed Chair in Cancer Biology.
Sara Hurvitz, MD
Clinical Research Division
Dr. Hurvitz is division director and senior vice president of the Clinical Research Division and also heads the UW Department of Medicine’s Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Hurvitz is an international expert in breast oncology and a leader in clinical and laboratory-based oncology research, with extensive experience in leading clinical trials spanning all phases.
Julie McElrath, MD, PhD
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division
Dr. McElrath is division director and senior vice president of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division. Dr. McElrath investigates the complex relationships between HIV and the immune system. Her research has been fundamental to our understanding of the virus that causes AIDS. She also serves as principal investigator and director of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network's Laboratory Program, which is based at Fred Hutch. Dr. McElrath holds the Joel D. Meyers Endowed Chair.
Ramesh Rengan, MD, PhD
Radiation Oncology Division
Dr. Rengan is division director and senior vice president of the Radiation Oncology Division. Dr. Rengan studies photon- and proton-based radiation treatment for cancer. His main objective is to improve the therapeutic benefit and minimize the harms of these forms of radiation. He is interested in how radiation therapy can synergize with immune-harnessing cancer treatments called immunotherapies. To this end, he is learning how to use radiation to trigger an anti-cancer immune response to treat patients with advanced lung cancer, melanoma, lymphoma, kidney cancer and other malignancies. He is chair of Radiation Oncology at UW Medicine.
Nina Salama, PhD
Education
Dr. Salama is senior vice president of Education. In addition to leading the Office of Education & Training, she studies Helicobacter pylori, a stomach bacterium that infects half the world’s population and is associated with ulcers and gastric cancer — the third leading cancer killer worldwide. Dr. Salama is also the director of the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium Cancer Research and Training Education Coordination program. Dr. Salama holds the Dr. Penny E. Petersen Memorial Chair for Lymphoma Research.
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Office of Education & Training (OET)
David Browdy, MBA
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Paul Buckley, PhD
Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer
Jodi Burke
Vice President, Human Resources
Marion Dorer, PhD, MBA
Vice President, Research Administration
Marcia N. Gonzales, JD
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer
Jennifer Griffith
Vice President, Government and Community Relations
Steven Haydon, JD, LLM
Vice President and General Counsel
Hilary Hehman, MS, JD
Vice President, Business Development
Jeff Leek, PhD
Vice President and Chief Data Officer
Christopher Li, MD, PhD
Vice President, Faculty Affairs and Diversity
Brittany McCreery, MD, MBA
Vice President, Quality, Safety and Value
Peter Nelson, MD
Vice President, Precision Oncology
Kelly O’Brien
Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer
Kimberly Ovitt
Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Kelly Patrick, MBA
Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Joseph Riggs, MHSA
Vice President, Radiation Oncology
Nida Shekhani, MPH
Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer
Kristi Stiffler, MPH
Vice President, Clinical Research
Jeff West, MHA
Vice President, Facilities & Campus Operations
Board of Directors
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Board of Directors is composed of 13 members, including nine community directors and four ex officio positions. The community directors bring a diverse range of expertise and perspectives from across health care, technology and professional services sectors. The ex officio positions are held by leaders at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medicine.
Leigh Morgan, Chair
Leigh Morgan is CEO of Imaginal Leadership Strategies and former chief strategy and operating officer for Nia Tero, a leading global social enterprise based in Seattle. Her previous leadership roles include serving as chief operating officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; associate chancellor at the University of California, San Francisco; vice president and global head of human resources (product development) at Genentech; and principal organization development consultant at GlaxoSmithKline. She is a member of the UW Medicine advisory board, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a director at Kymera Therapeutics (KYMR). Morgan received a master's degree in organization development from American University, a bachelor’s degree in religion from Duke University and an honorary doctorate from the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh.
Kristianne "Kristi" Blake, Treasurer
Kristianne Blake was president of the accounting firm of Kristianne Gates Blake, P.S. for 34 years, and she continues to provide tax and financial planning services for select clients. Blake was a certified public accountant for 30 years and worked for 12 years for an international accounting firm. She has served for more than 20 years on various boards of public companies and registered investment companies, including service as a board chair, audit committee chair and governance committee member. She is currently the lead director of the board of Avista Corp. Blake was a regent at the University of Washington for 12 years. She has also served on many nonprofit and economic development boards in the Spokane community.
Sean Boyle, Vice Chair
Sean Boyle is chief operating officer of Omniva, an AI startup. Previously, Boyle served as chief operating officer of Wildlife Studios, a global mobile gaming company, vice president of finance at Amazon, chief financial officer of Amazon Web Services, and chief financial officer of Apptio, a software company based in Bellevue, Washington, that develops technology business-management applications. He also has held various financial leadership positions at Ford Motor Company. Boyle earned a bachelor’s in commerce and finance and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Windsor. He serves as treasurer on the board of Rainier Prep, a charter school dedicated to transforming educational outcomes for low-income students of color and immigrant students. He is also a member of the board of directors for Splunk, serving as the audit chair.
Nancy Davidson, MD
Dr. Nancy Davidson is executive vice president of Clinical Affairs at Fred Hutch. She holds the Raisbeck Endowed Chair for Collaborative Research. Davidson, a breast cancer oncologist, has built a worldwide reputation for her expertise and leadership in this field, for her research teasing out the role of hormones in breast cancer growth, and for her impact on the development of new standards of care. She is past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Association of Cancer Research. She has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Timothy H. Dellit, MD
Dr. Timothy Dellit is the CEO of UW Medicine. He also holds the positions of executive vice president for Medical Affairs and Paul G. Ramsey Endowed Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Washington (UWSOM). Dellit previously served as chief medical officer of UW Medicine; as executive vice dean for clinical affairs at UWSOM; as vice president for medical affairs at UW; and as president of UW Physicians (UWP). His leadership positions at Harborview Medical Center (HMC) have included medical director of the General Infectious Diseases Clinic, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and Infection Control as well as Associate Medical Director for HMC. Dellit was the lead author on the Infectious Disease Society and Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America’s guidelines for developing an institutional program to enhance antimicrobial stewardship and served on the University HealthSystem Consortium Advisory Panels for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. He was named the Seattle Business Magazine’s 2018 Medical Group Executive of the Year for his efforts as president of UWP.
Stephen Graham
Stephen Graham practiced corporate and securities law for several decades as a partner at the major law firms of Perkins Coie LLP, Orrick LLP and Fenwick & West LLP until his retirement from the practice in 2022. Currently, he is chair of the board of directors of Washington Federal Bank, the largest bank headquartered in Washington. He also serves on the national board of Friends of the Children, where he is chair. In 2019, Graham was appointed to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Advisory Committee on Small Business Capital Formation and co-chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies from 2011 to 2017. He received his JD from Yale Law School.
Joanne Harrell
Joanne Harrell is the retired senior director of USA artificial intelligence, sustainability and market development strategy at Microsoft Corp., where she had worked since 2001. Harrell’s extensive work history encompasses executive roles within the high-tech, telecommunications and nonprofit sectors. She is a former Conference Board/Brookings Institution Congressional Fellow and has completed marketing management programs at Columbia University and Stanford University. She has also completed the Stanford Advanced Management Program and a nonprofit management program at Harvard Business School. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Washington. A regent for the UW from 2009-2022, Harrell served as board chair in 2012-2013, and as founding chair of the Board of Regents Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. She also chairs the board of Equal Opportunity Schools and is a director for both HomeStreet and HomeStreet Bank.
Thomas "Tom" Lynch, MD
Dr. Thomas J. Lynch Jr. is a world-renowned scientist, highly respected oncologist and successful leader of National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. As president and director of Fred Hutch and holder of the Raisbeck Endowed Chair, Lynch sets the strategic direction of the center, oversees centerwide initiatives and represents the Hutch’s interests to major partners and governmental bodies. He directs the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children's Cancer Consortium and is principal investigator of its Cancer Center Support Grant. Before becoming Fred Hutch’s sixth president in February 2020, Lynch was most recently chief scientific officer of Bristol Myers Squibb. Previously, he held leadership roles as CEO of Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, director of Yale Cancer Center, physician-in-chief at Yale’s Smilow Cancer Hospital, chief of hematology-oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Julie Nordstrom, Secretary
Julie Nordstrom is a community volunteer, a member of the UW Medicine advisory board, and a member of the board of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. She is former chair of the UW Medicine board and former chair of the University of Washington Medical Center board, and she was the founding co-chair of the UW Department of Global Health leadership council. Nordstrom is also a trustee for Save the Children US. Nordstrom has a bachelor’s degree from UW and a law degree from Seattle University.
Eduardo Peñalver
Eduardo Peñalver is Seattle University’s 22nd president. Previously, Peñalver served as the dean of Cornell Law School from 2014 to 2021. He is a Rhodes scholar and a professor of law who clerked for former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Peñalver received his bachelor’s from Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences in 1994 and his law degree from Yale Law School in 1999. As a Rhodes scholar, he received his Master of Arts in philosophy and theology at Oriel College, Oxford. Peñalver has also held faculty appointments at Fordham Law School and the University of Chicago, where he was the John P. Wilson Professor of Law. He has also been a visiting professor at Harvard and Yale law schools.
Pete Shimer
Pete Shimer is the chief operating officer at Deloitte, leading Finance & Administration, Information Technology, and Corporate Development, bridging strategy and operations to drive world-class operating results. Deloitte is a leading global provider of audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and related services. As the COO for Deloitte, and through various other roles at the company for the past 39 years, including a recent time as interim chief executive officer, Shimer has helped expand the company’s U.S. and global operations. He has also played a critical role in global client relationships for several Fortune 500 companies. Shimer received a BA in Accounting from the University of Washington. He is a board member for the University of Washington Foster School of Business and a past chair of the board of directors for the University of Washington Foundation.
Brad Simmons
Brad Simmons serves as the president of UW Medicine Hospitals & Clinics and the vice president for Medical Affairs at the University of Washington. Prior to joining UW Medicine, he worked at UC Davis, initially as the chief operating officer, and then more recently as the chief administrator of UC Davis Medical Center (equivalent to CEO) and chief operating officer for the Hospital Division. Previous leadership roles Simmons has held include chief operating officer at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City and the senior vice president of Medicine, Surgical & Emergency/Trauma Services at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas. Simmons received his Master of Healthcare Administration from Washington University School of Medicine and his Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University.
Kathy Surace-Smith
Kathy Surace-Smith is currently senior vice president and general counsel of NanoString Technologies in Seattle, a provider of spatial biology solutions to the scientific research community, where she manages the company’s legal, human resources and regulatory functions. Surace-Smith served as Board Chair of Fred Hutch from July 2020 to June 2023. She is also a member of the UW Medicine advisory board, a trustee of Columbia University in New York City and a co-chair of the Behavioral Health Catalyst, which seeks to facilitate effective philanthropic and public investment and policies in Washington State’s behavioral health system. Surace-Smith was honored by the Puget Sound Business Journal as a 2023 Director of the Year and a 2018 Woman of Influence. She received her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and her law degree from Columbia Law School.
Board of Advisors
The Board of Advisors is a non-fiduciary board whose purpose is to support Fred Hutch and its fiduciary board and management team. In this role it serves in an advisory capacity, provides strategic insight, and supports the philanthropic and institutional advancement efforts of Fred Hutch.