SEATTLE — June 26, 2025 — Fred Hutch Cancer Center announced Ric Anderson, co-founder and chief operating officer of Washington Holdings, will serve as the newly elected chair of the Fred Hutch Board of Directors, and Eduardo Peñalver, president of Seattle University, will assume the role of vice chair, starting July 1.
Anderson’s service to and engagement with Fred Hutch extends decades. In 2006 he joined the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Board of Trustees, and later served on the former Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) Board of Directors’ Facilities Committee and was a member and co-chair of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center Board of Advisors. Anderson joined the Fred Hutch Board of Directors in 2024.
Passionate about research, Anderson and his wife Kaylene established the Anderson Family Endowed Chair for Immunotherapy in 2019. Currently held by Aaron Ring, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, the chair was created to fuel cancer research that harnesses the immune system to fight cancer and infectious diseases.
“Fred Hutch has been a significant part of my life for over 20 years, and I’m incredibly proud to take on this important leadership role in support of our mission,” said Anderson. “This is a unique time of challenges and opportunities across the cancer and infectious disease landscape, and I look forward to helping advance our transformative work in research and care.”
Anderson’s career began in 1992 as a partner with the pension fund advisory firm Lowe Enterprises NW. As the current COO of Washington Holdings, he manages the acquisition and development of real estate assets across the western U.S.
Peñalver joined the Fred Hutch Board of Directors in 2022 following the merger of SCCA and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In this role, Peñalver has made a significant impact on the board’s governance through his work as chair of the board’s Audit and Compliance Committee. Both Peñalver’s mother and wife are cancer survivors, and his mother received a stem cell transplant from the former SCCA.
Appointed as the 22nd president of Seattle University in 2021, he previously served as the dean of Cornell Law School from 2014 to 2021. Peñalver is a Rhodes scholar, a professor of law and has clerked for former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
“It is an extraordinary honor to serve as vice chair of this board,” said Peñalver. “Through this board I’ve witnessed how today’s scientific inquiries, discoveries and advances in care are creating an incredible demand for future clinical and research experts. As an academic leader, this front row seat is especially exciting.”
He added, “As Fred Hutch embarks on its next 50 years, I’m confident that we will continue to lead in innovative research and care and build the next generation of biomedical leaders.”
In addition to new leadership, the Fred Hutch board welcomed Jim Lico, who retired this year from his role as president and CEO of Fortive, as its newest member effective June 18. Lico held his role at Fortive, an industrial technology conglomerate, and membership on Fortive’s board of directors since the company's founding in 2016. He previously served as the executive vice president of life sciences conglomerate Danaher for 20 years.
“I am tremendously honored to join the Fred Hutch Board of Directors,” said Lico. “As someone who has spent my career in technology and innovation, it is inspiring to join an organization on the leading edge of cancer and infectious disease research and treatment that is improving and saving lives.”
“With these new leaders, additions and continuing board members, we could not be more well-equipped to advance our mission of improving lives across the world,” said Thomas J. Lynch Jr., MD, president and director of Fred Hutch and holder of the Raisbeck Endowed Chair. “In addition to their steadfast support of Fred Hutch, each brings a unique body of work and expertise that will prove invaluable during this time of immense change.”
Current board chair Leigh Morgan, chief executive officer of Imaginal Leadership Strategies, will become immediate past chair and continue to serve on several board committees and the Campaign for Fred Hutch committee. Morgan was appointed as the board chair in 2023.
“Thank you to Leigh Morgan for her tremendous leadership and highly adept strategic expertise during this truly momentous time as we both mark our 50-year anniversary and cast a vision for the next 50 years of research and care,” said Lynch.
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Media contact:
Shayla Ring
sring@fredhutch.org
Fred Hutch Cancer Center unites individualized care and advanced research to provide the latest cancer treatment options while accelerating discoveries that prevent, treat and cure cancer and infectious diseases worldwide.
Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is an independent, nonprofit organization and the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington. We have earned a global reputation for our track record of discoveries in cancer, infectious disease and basic research, including important advances in bone marrow transplantation, immunotherapy, HIV/AIDS prevention and COVID-19 vaccines. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services. Fred Hutch also serves as UW Medicine’s cancer program.