Susan G. Komen Southern New England has announced a new CEO as part of the group’s reorganization following the merger of the nonprofit’s Connecticut and Massachusetts affiliates.
Lori Van Dam, who has served as interim CEO for the organization, has been selected as its permanent head. She said in a statement, “Komen Southern New England is at an important and exciting stage in its development.” The organization funds research in the fight against breast cancer.
Prior to her role with Komen, van Dam served as executive director for the One Fund Boston, a nonprofit established following the Boston Marathon bombings. Formed in 2013 by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and then-Mayor of Boston Thomas M. Menino, the One Fund officially dissolved its 501(c)(3) in December after distributing nearly $80 million to more than 200 individuals affected by the bombings.
A graduate of Swarthmore College, van Dam has held leadership roles in both for-profit and nonprofit companies. Her earlier roles include president of CC Newco, an international au pair program designed to provide companionship and household support to American seniors, as well as serving as president of PlanetTran, a company that provides chauffeured transportation in hybrid vehicles.
Susan G. Komen Southern New England, formerly Susan G. Komen Massachusetts and Susan G. Komen Connecticut, began with a Race for the Cure in Boston in 1993 and in Hartford in 1994. The affiliate has invested $11 million in Connecticut-based organizations and $9 million in Massachusetts-based organizations providing breast health services to uninsured and underinsured residents, and has also contributed more than $16 million to support breast cancer research.
Susan G. Komen Southern New England is one of more than 100 affiliates of Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists. Seventy-five percent of Komen Southern New England’s net proceeds support local breast cancer programs in Connecticut and Massachusetts and the remaining 25 percent is invested in research to find the causes and cures for the disease.
