Our Board

Executive Committee

John Orrico, Chair
Photo of John Orrico

John formed Water Island Capital, the advisor to the Arbitrage Funds, in 2000 and serves as Chief Investment Officer of the firm and President of the funds, leading the investment team. John has worked in the securities industry since joining Morgan Stanley in 1982, beginning in corporate finance, with additional experience in institutional equity trading, equity research analysis and portfolio management. John received a BA in Finance and International Management from Georgetown University in 1982 and achieved the CFA designation in 1988.  John joined the OCRA Board in December 2014, and now heads the organization’s Investment Committee.

Matthew Neal Miller, Vice President
Photo of Matthew Neal Miller

Matthew Neal Miller is a management consultant with over twenty years experience in the public and private sectors helping organizations to solve their problems.  Matthew currently works for the technology company Red Hat.  He has led major projects and has been a career manager to multiple staff.  Matthew has also worked for PwC and Booz Allen Hamilton as a management consultant.  He has an MBA from Johns Hopkins University, a BA with Honors from Wesleyan University, and was a visiting undergraduate student at the University of Oxford.

In addition, Matthew is certified as a Change Management Advanced Practitioner from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and he has served as an adjunct instructor at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies.

Matthew resides in Washington, DC.  Matthew’s mother died of ovarian cancer in 1994.

Robin S. Cohen, Secretary
Photo of Robin S. Cohen

Robin Cohen has been the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation for 16 years. She is an oncology nurse at Lankenau Hospital in the Philadelphia area. She is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society, the Society of Gynecologic Nurse Oncologists, Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society and the Cambridge WHO’s WHO. In 2007, she was recognized as one of the 75 Greatest Living Philadelphians.

Mark Tessar, CPA, CIA, Treasurer
Photo of Mark Tessar, CPA, CIA

Mr. Tessar is an audit manager with more than 12 years of experience auditing tax-exempt organizations including charities, foundations, associations and other nonprofit entities. His background includes audits and reviews of employee benefit plans with specialized experience in internal control testing of financial, operational and IT controls. In addition to his role as an external auditor, Mr. Tessar has also performed internal audits at various organizations.

Tom Liebman, At-Large

Thomas C. Liebman is a resident of the Chicago area, and President of Coilcraft, a manufacturing company in the electronics industry. Liebman was introduced to the organization when his wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1997. Liz Tilberis’s memoir, No Time To Die, was inspirational to Liebman’s wife Beth, and brought Beth & Tom to OCRA. Liebman has been a strong supporter of the OCRA role as a national hub for ovarian cancer research funding.

Board Members

Jeannette Chang
Photo of Jeannette Chang

Jeannette Chang in 2007 joined the brand management team of CR Fashion Book in partnership with PubWorX, a joint venture between Hearst Magazines Digital Media and Condé Nast, to manage production and distribution services for CR Fashion Book in print and to host CRFashionBook.com on Hearst’s proprietary MediaOS platform. CR Fashion Book is a biannual publication from Harper’s BAZAAR global fashion director Carine Roitfeld, which she launched in 2012.

Most recently, Chang was senior vice president and international publishing director of Hearst Magazines International (HMI), responsible for overseeing international advertising and marketing for 300+ editions of HMI’s magazine brands including Cosmopolitan, Harper’s BAZAAR, Esquire and Popular Mechanics. She was named to this position in March 2000, previously having served as vice president and publisher of Harper’s BAZAAR since August 1994, where she was the first female publisher since the publication launched in 1867, and associate publisher of that title since June 1984.

Chang joined Hearst Magazines in 1973 as an advertising sales representative for Cosmopolitan. In 1977, she was promoted to fashion advertising manager, and two years later moved to Harper’s BAZAAR as director of fashion marketing, until she was promoted to associate publisher.

Under Chang’s leadership, Harper’s BAZAAR US opened international advertising offices in Milan and Paris, with sales representatives in Munich and Tokyo. This foray into the international advertising arena paved the way to her positions with Hearst Magazines International, where she worked primarily toward marketing, promoting and supervising launches and re-launches of Harper’s BAZAAR, Esquire and Town & Country.

Chang is a frequent speaker before international trade and business groups involved in the fashion and publishing industries. In 1992, she was inducted into the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers. Chang is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Fashion Group International, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Pratt Institute and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF).

A graduate of Hunter College in New York City, Chang earned her Bachelor of Science while launching her publishing career at Scholastic.

Carmel J. Cohen, MD, Emeritus Executive Committee Member
Photo of Carmel J. Cohen, MD

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Founder, Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Mount Sinai Medical Center

Dr. Carmel Cohen is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Cohen previously served as the Vice Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai, where he founded the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and was its chairman for more than 25 years. Dr. Cohen has served as President of the New York Obstetrical Society, President of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, President of the Society of Pelvic Surgeons, Founding Member and Council Member for the International Gynecologic Cancer Society. He has just completed a term as President of the Eastern Division of the American Cancer Society, is a current member of the American Cancer Society’s National Board of Directors, and was invited to chair its Gynecologic Cancer Advisory Group during its current term. He had chaired this group when it rewrote the American Cancer Society national guidelines on cervical cancer screening. He past Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and serves on its Scientific Advisory Committee. His past research demonstrated the utility of platinum drugs in treating ovarian cancer and cytotoxic drugs in the treatment of endometrial cancer. Dr. Cohen has published extensively and trained numerous (40) fellows, many of whom have become leaders or important contributors to the discipline of gynecologic oncology.

Mei-Li da Silva Vint, Esq.
Photo of Mei-Li da Silva Vint, Esq.

Mei-Li da Silva Vint is the Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel, and Chief Administrative Officer at Brevet Capital, a New York based hedge fund.  She spent almost five years on the Bank Resource Management team at the investment bank of Morgan Stanley where she covered key institutional clients in the fixed income and equity space, beginning on the Institutional Securities Documentation team and then joining the Sales & Marketing Team.  During her time on the Sales & Marketing team, she sold securities financing products (via securities lending, repo, and derivatives products), managed a multibillion dollar exclusive securities lending portfolio, and sourced durable and sustained funding to manage the liquidity of the firm.

Her previous role on the Institutional Securities Documentation team at Morgan Stanley focused on cross-border (specifically Brazil) and local derivatives markets for fixed income, equities, and commodities.  Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, she was a corporate associate at McDermott Will & Emery, an international law firm, where she executed cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings, and venture capital and private equity related transactions.  She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and her B.A. in English from Virginia Tech, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and was Phi Beta Kappa.  She is fluent in Portuguese, with a background in French.  She enjoys traveling around the globe and spending time with her husband and family.

Andrew Feuerstein, Esq.
Photo of Andrew Feuerstein, Esq.

Andy Feuerstein has been a Board member since 2002, succeeding his wife, Ina K. Feuerstein, who died in that year of complications of ovarian cancer. Ina had served on the Board of OCRA since shortly after its formation in 1994 and was active in the growth of the organization. Andy is a semi-retired attorney, having served as an executive officer and general counsel of several public and private corporations over a 50+ year legal and business career, and currently serves as Chair of OCRA’s Audit Committee. He is a graduate of New York City’s High School of Music & Art, Columbia College and Harvard Law School.

Carol J. Hamilton
Photo of Carol J. Hamilton

Carol Hamilton is the “grande dame” and one of the most respected executives of the American Beauty industry. During her 30-year career with L’Oréal USA, she has been integral to its direction in the U.S. and its international development. Carol joined L’Oréal USA in 1984 as Director of Marketing for L’Oréal Cosmetics. In 2002, she was named President. Under her leadership, the L’Oréal Paris brand became the largest beauty brand in the USA, growing from a – $150M to $1.5B Business. In 2008, Carol Hamilton was named President of the L’Oréal Luxe Division, overseeing all Luxe brands including Giorgio Armani, Lancôme, Kiehl’s Since 1851, Yves Saint Laurent, Viktor & Rolf, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Clarisonic, Urban Decay, and most recently, the fragrance license of Proenza Schouler. During her 8 years running L’Oréal Luxe, she has moved from a $1B business to a $1.8B business, gaining market share and increasing its profitability in a strong and regular way. In January 2016, Carol Hamilton was promoted to Group President L’Oréal Luxe USA. She has now begun to delegate the operational animation of the USA business and focus more on the animation of the existing US beauty brands DMIs, the search and evaluation of new acquisitions as well as their integration into L’Oréal, and contribute to the global division’s strategy with an American perspective. Carol Hamilton was recently named a 2016 Matrix Award Honoree. She is also the recipient of Cosmetic Executive Women’s (CEW) Achiever Award and the Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research by the Cancer Research Institute. Carol Hamilton sits on the Board of Governors of Cosmetic Executive Women, the Board of Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, The Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Leadership Board, FIT CFMM (Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management) Industry Advisory Board and the U.S. New York Regional Board for UNICEF.

John W. Hansbury, Esq., Emeritus Executive Committee Member
Photo of John W. Hansbury, Esq.

John W. Hansbury, Esq., served as OCRA’s Board Chair for 10 years and remains active on OCRA’s Executive Committee as an Emeritus member. His late wife, the actress, Madeline Kahn, died in 1999 from ovarian cancer. She felt strongly that if her personal struggle with ovarian cancer was shared that it might raise awareness of this awful disease. John vowed to campaign for improved ovarian cancer treatment and awareness and joined the OCRA Board in 1999.

John is an attorney in private practice in New York City. He graduated from the Mount Hermon School, Oberlin College and received a JD from the Antioch School of Law in Washington, DC.

Caroline Hirsch
Photo of Caroline Hirsch

Caroline Hirsch is the founder and owner of the New York comedy club Carolines on Broadway and the New York Comedy Festival. Located in the heart of New York City’s vibrant Times Square district, Carolines on Broadway is widely regarded as “America’s Premier Comedy Nightclub,” presenting the best live comedy entertainment. Carolines first opened as a cabaret in 1981. A lifelong comedy fan, she soon began booking comedians, which included now legendary performers like Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen, Rosie O’Donnell and Jay Leno. “Carolines Comedy Hour” on A&E ultimately won a CableACE award for “Best Stand-Up Comedy Series.” Hosting countless large-scale fundraising benefits every year, Carolines has been the home of OCRA’s Stand Up for Madeline, which honors the late Madeline Kahn, since 2002, raising over $2 million to date for ovarian cancer research. Caroline is also a founding partner of the New York Comedy Festival, a highly successful five-day comedy festival that has showcased comic luminaries such as Dane Cook, Denis Leary, Howie Mandel, Bill Maher, Damon Wayans, Roseanne Barr, Drew Carey, Artie Lange, Rosie O’Donnell, Mario Cantone, and Steven Wright, just to name a few.

Carolines on Broadway stands as the crowning achievement of Caroline’s extraordinary 35-year career. As the reigning diva of the New York Comedy scene, she has proven that she is both an innovator and visionary in the fast-paced, constantly evolving entertainment industry. Caroline joined the OCRA board in December, 2014.

Veronica Jordan, PhD
Photo of Veronica Jordan, PhD

Dr. Jordan is an experienced entrepreneur, corporate executive and board director. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning, general management, sales and marketing, business development, alliance management, corporate governance, global operations and mergers and acquisitions. She is the founder and CEO of BioInnovation Advisors, a consulting practice that advises companies developing novel healthcare products and services. Previously she has served as President and CEO of a venture capital-funded medical device company in the women’s health area, and in various senior executive positions at a major international firm providing worldwide clinical research services. Her considerable board experience includes Albany Molecular Research Inc.; Vermillion Inc.; the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance; the Boston Club; and the Board of Overseers for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Jordan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biochemistry at Cambridge University, England, and her Ph.D. in biochemistry/cell biology at Oxford University, England.

Dana L. Mark, Esq., Emeritus Executive Committee Member
Photo of Dana L. Mark, Esq.

Dana L. Mark is a Partner in the Private Client Services Practice in Smith, Gambrell & Russell’s New York office. Ms. Mark focuses her practice on tax, estate and trust planning, charitable giving, and tax-exempt organizations. She has extensive experience involving sophisticated tax planning, the probate and administration of estates and trusts, qualified retirement plan assets and IRAs, and the preparation of pre- and post-nuptial agreements.

Ms. Mark advises executors and trustees in the administration of estates and trusts from the initial probate to the preparation of estate tax returns, fiduciary income tax returns, the preparation of accountings, and the settlement of the estate or trust. She also represents beneficiaries.

Ms. Mark has assisted families with the tax-efficient transfer of wealth, including planning matters involving the family businesses. She works closely with family advisors in designing and implementing succession plans. Dana also provides advice to charitable organizations and in connection with the establishment and operation of tax-exempt organizations.

Ms. Mark is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel where she is an active member of the Fiduciary Income Tax Committee. She is a member of the American Law Institute where she is on the Members Consultative Group of the Principles of the Law of Nonprofit Organizations, Restatement Third, Property (Wills and Other Donative Transfers) and Restatement Third, Trusts. She is also a member of the American Bar Association and its Section of Taxation and Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, the New York State Bar Association and its Section of Taxation and the Trusts and Estates Law Section, the City Bar, and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Dana is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, serves on its Executive Committee, and heads the Governance Committee, she is a Member of the Board, Vice-President and Treasurer of Animal Zone International, and a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Jean Baptiste High School in Manhattan.

Ms. Mark has been recognized in US News & World Report and Best Lawyers in New York Trust and Estates and has been named by Super Lawyers as one of the top 50 women lawyers in New York. She is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

Chris Newcomb
Photo of Chris Newcomb

Chris Newcomb is the co-founder and CEO of Newk’s Eatery. Based in Jackson, Miss., Newk’s Eatery is a high volume, culinary-driven, fast casual restaurant brand with 120+ locations in 16 States.

Chris’ 28-year career began in one of the most unassuming ways. While he was attending the University of Mississippi in Oxford, a “Hollywood” production came to town to film the movie The Heart of Dixie, which featured an old gas station that was converted into a 1950’s diner and hangout. After production wrapped on the movie, Chris’ father bought the property. The family opened it as a restaurant named “Checquers” in 1989.

Within the first year it had become a successful business, which was a great accomplishment since neither of the gentlemen had prior experience in the restaurant industry. Shortly thereafter, in order to avoid confusion with the existing Checkers restaurant chain, they changed the name to McAlister’s Gourmet Deli, which was the last name of Chris’ grandparents.

It was at that time that Chris began to view the restaurant business as a career and not as a hobby. He began to invest more time researching and studying the foodservice industry. In 1991, Chris opened a second McAlister’s Gourmet Deli in Hattiesburg, Miss. From there, Chris opened a McAlister’s Deli in Tupelo and Jackson, Miss., and across the southeast. During his career with McAlister’s Deli, Chris was instrumental in numerous aspects of the development, from operations and design to purchasing and equipment.

In 2001, after selling his portion of McAlister’s Deli, Chris left to become a Moe’s Southwest Grill franchisee. He eventually opened four Moe’s Southwest Grill restaurants and served on the Moe’s Southwest Grill Advisory Board. During this time, Chris learned what it meant to be a franchisee, and focused on his passion of creating the food he loves in the kitchen.

He applied his decade of deep entrepreneurial knowledge to create his next concept, which would be something of a namesake. Newk’s Eatery was launched in 2004 in Oxford, Miss. with Chris as president and CEO. Since that time, Newk’s Eatery has grown to 120+ restaurants in 16 states.

In 2014, Newk’s Cares, the philanthropic arm of Newk’s Eatery, was established. Chris and his wife, Lori, co-founded Newk’s Cares after she was diagnosed in 2013 with Stage IIIc ovarian cancer. The Newk’s Cares mission is to create awareness of the signs and symptoms of this devastating disease. In addition to generating great awareness of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, in six years Newk’s Cares has raised more than $1.4 million for Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) in an effort to fund research that will one day lead to a cure for ovarian cancer. During the month of September, Newk’s Eatery’s iconic black cups turn teal in support of ovarian cancer awareness. The restaurant has also permanently replaced their traditional red straws with teal straws and donates 10 cents from every Newk’s Cares-themed bottled water sold to OCRA. Newk’s Cares and Newk’s Eatery host the annual Ovarian Cycle® Jackson spin event, held in their home base of Jackson, Miss. every September. An annual “Lunch & Learn” event in partnership with St. Dominic Hospital is also held in Jackson to raise awareness and support of ovarian cancer prevention and treatment. In 2018, Lori helped establish a partnership between OCRA and St. Dominic Hospital to introduce the “Woman to Woman” program to cancer patients in the surrounding Jackson area. While Lori lost her physical battle to ovarian cancer on February 28, 2019, her mission to help all women and all future women affected by the disease will continue to live on.

Chris currently sits on the Board of Newk’s Eatery, Restaurant Finance Leadership Conference, The Meridian at Lakeland (a real estate investment company), and Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. Chris has served on the Board of McAlister’s Deli and YPO Southern 7. He is an active member in YPO Southern 7 and the Fast Casual Industry Council. During Chris’ career he has received numerous industry awards and recognitions such as the “Top 40 Under 40,” Nation’s Restaurant News “Power List,” the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association’s Silver Plate award, and Mississippi Business Journal “CEO Awards of Mississippi, 2018 Class.”

Chris currently resides in Jackson, Miss. He has three children, Madison (25), Blair (23) and Hayes (20).

Lisa Schreiber

Bio coming soon.

Elle Simone Scott
Photo of Elle Simone Scott

Chef Elle Simone is a culinary maverick. Always drawn to creative food culture, Elle has been dazzling the culinary world since 2003, quickly becoming a highly sought after freelance Food Stylist and Culinary Producer. Elle has collaborated and contributed her unique styling abilities to Food Network, Food Network Magazine, The Cooking Channel, The Katie Couric Show, CBS Corporation, ABC’s The Chew and Bravo’s Chef Roble and Co.

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016, Elle is a chef, a trailblazer, and a survivor. As the creator of SheChef Inc., a professional networking organization for women chefs of color and allies, Elle shares her passion by mentoring, teaching resource building, business consultation/development and most importantly, Food Social Justice.

Elle continues to inspire others and break glass ceilings, as she is currently the resident Food Stylist & On-Air Talent on America’s Test Kitchen on PBS and the first African-American woman to do so.
 

Photo Credit: Jonsar Studios

Chris Tilberis

Bio coming soon.