Michele Przypyszny, YSC Chief Executive Officer
michelep@youngsurvival.org

Michele Przypyszny joined the Young Survival Coalition as its executive director and first full-time staff person in August 2000, at the age of 32. With more than 17 years of nonprofit experience, Michele has worked extensively in the breast cancer community. As the current CEO of the YSC, Michele has raised close to $2.5 million for programs and services for young women affected by breast cancer, increasing the organization's revenue by more than 500 percent; has raised tremendous awareness of breast cancer in young women among the medical, scientific and breast cancer communities; and has seen the organization grow to 14,000 constituents, 11 staff and eight affiliates.

Under Michele's leadership, the YSC has received Charity Navigator's prestigious four-star rating two years in a row and was named one of the top seven best breast cancer organizations in the United States.

Before joining the YSC in 2000, Michele worked with the Greater New York Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, raising more than $2 million and increasing the number of participants in its annual Race for the Cure from 23,000 to more than 30,000.

Michele has been the recipient of the New York State Community Service Award for Excellence and Innovation in Breast Cancer Research.

A graduate of the College of William and Mary, Michele grew up in Chicago and has lived in New York City's Greenwich Village for 10 years.

Marilyn C. Platzer, YSC Chief Financial/Operations Officer
marilynp@youngsurvival.org

Marilyn joined the Young Survival Coalition in February 2006 in her first staff position in the non-profit sector. After spending more than 25 years in various finance management roles in corporate publishing – the first 20+ at Fortune magazine and, most recently, as Business Manager for Family Circle and Fitness magazines – Marilyn is delighted with this opportunity to apply her skills in revenue and cost management to a completely new (and decidedly more worthwhile) arena.

Marilyn has undergraduate and graduate degrees in French from Boston University and New York University. She lives in New York City (NoHo) with her husband, Ken, an attorney. By far, their proudest achievements are their son and daughter: Brian, a writer who is currently working on his first novel; and Jamie, a Human Development Major at Northwestern University.

Stacy Lewis, CHES, YSC Vice President of Programming
stacyl@youngsurvival.org

Stacy brings over 12 years experience creating, developing and administering services and programs for those with special healthcare needs. She is recognized as an effective leader and an individual dedicated to quality program delivery.

For five years, Stacy served as the Deputy Director and Director of Programs for SHARE: Self-help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer; before that she served as the Community Executive and Director of Breast Health for the American Cancer Society – Eastern Division. She is a graduate of William Paterson University and credentialed as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) by the National Commission For Health Education Credentialing, Inc.

Stacy will be responsible for enhancing the YSC's program capabilities and spearheading new initiatives including those that address the specific needs of young women from diverse backgrounds and those who are living with metastatic disease.

Alex Exley, Director of Information Resources
alexe@youngsurvival.org

Alex came to the YSC in November 2004 with nine years of non-profit experience in women's health and science information and education. She holds an MA in Visual and Material Cultural Anthropology from University College London and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Alex was with the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO) for five years, coordinating the NABCO website for most of that time. Directly prior to coming to the YSC Alex consulted for the Internet organizing team for the Kerry/Edwards campaign in Washington, D.C.

Lori Atkinson, YSC Affiliate Manager
loria@youngsurvival.org

Lori is a seven-year breast cancer survivor who has been involved as a volunteer with the YSC for the past six years. Her involvement has focused primarily on the organizational structure of the YSC's local groups and volunteers, as she started the first YSC affiliate in Indiana. Since then she has been a member of the Affiliate Task Force, Volunteer Steering Committee and has been involved with YSC's strategic planning. She is also a graduate of the National Breast Cancer Coalition's Project LEAD® and Clinical Trials LEAD® educational courses for advocates. Lori is responsible for managing the YSC's eight affiliates as well as developing a growth strategy for new affiliates of the YSC. Lori lives in a small town outside of Indianapolis, IN.

Khadijah Carter, YSC Diversity Coordinator
khadijahc@youngsurvival.org

Khadijah is a three-year breast cancer survivor. Khadijah was a volunteer for YSC for two years, appearing on several talk shows including CBS News before becoming the YSC's Diversity Coordinator. In this capacity, she will be using her skills and passion for advocacy to assist the YSC in reaching women in underserved communities. Khadijah obtained a B.S. in Organizational Management with a certificate in Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations from St. Joseph's College, NY. She worked for eight years as an Executive Assistant/Project Coordinator at Morgan Stanley and as a public relations consultant. Her inspiration to fight this battle is her daughter, Deja.

Virginia Falces, YSC Website Manager
virginiaf@youngsurvival.org

With over 13 years experience as a writer, editor, technical editor and, most recently, website editor and producer, Virginia is responsible for management of the YSC website and its content. Virginia has both for-profit experience with Office.com, JPMorgan and Qualcomm Inc. and non-profit experience as a volunteer at Gilda's Club and as a press officer and editor for various United Nations NGOs while living in Geneva, Switzerland. Re-entering the workplace after three years at home with her children, Virginia is glad to be back at work in the non-profit sector, supporting a cause that has affected both family members and close friends. Virginia is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

Alison Dichter, Development Associate
alisond@youngsurvival.org

Alison joins the Young Survival Coalition after almost four years working primarily on Individual Giving in the Development department of the New York City Opera. Alison is a native New Yorker and has a Bachelor's degree in Art History from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Janine Kurmen, Executive Assistant
janinek@youngsurvival.org

Janine Kurmen joined the Young Survival Coalition in June 2006 as the Executive Assistant, in her first position at a non-profit organization. Previously, Janine worked for Roche Pharmaceuticals in the Oncology department, where she first encountered the YSC.

Fluent in Spanish, Janine is a native Colombian who came to the United States to live eight years ago. She is the proud parent of three children and is glad to be a part of the YSC team.

Melissa Snyder, Operations Manager
melissas@youngsurvival.org

Born and raised in the Buckeye state, Melissa moved to New York City to pursue a career in non-profit management. She joined the YSC staff in October 2006 after spending four years working in non-profit arts administration at the Roundabout Theatre Company and New York City Opera. Melissa is a graduate of Ohio University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Human and Consumer Sciences. She lives in Harlem with her cat, Jellybean.