Unfortunately, we did not know this before she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Dana Zucker is the Chief Executive Officer of the Gray Foundation. Previously, Dana was a Vice President at Teach For America and a Vice President at Lazard Freres & Co. She also worked as a consultant at Bain & Company, as well as in the Venture Capital and Investment Banking Groups at Morgan Stanley. Men and women who carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation are at increased risk for developing certain cancers including breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers. Chan School of Public Health in Health Policy and Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Education from Colorado College. Were all in on this We plan on doing more, until we find a way where people can say, I can live with a BRCA mutation., This is a BETA experience. You believe in a theme, I believe in global logistics, or I believe in midstream assets or whatever it is, and I find a great management team and go all in on that.. 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Get email updates about research news, action alerts and ways to join the fight. He began his careerat Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he becameDirector of the Division of Hematology, the Johns Hopkins Family Professor in Oncology Research, the Vice Dean for Research and Director of the Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering. Two years after my sister Faith died, I was emotionally ready and anxious to volunteer in any way I could to help in the ovarian cancer community. OCRAs support and education programs are available to help you navigate your diagnosis, treatment, and life after cancer. In his senior year at University of Pennsylvania, not long before accepting an offer to work at Blackstone Group Inc., Jon Gray put down a book at the library to ask out Mindy Basser. Mindy Gray is the Co-Founder of the Gray Foundation, a private foundation committed to maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income children in New York. in English from the School of Arts & Sciences and a B.S. The Basser enter was named in honor of Faith asser, Mindy's sister who died of BRCA-related ovarian cancer at the age of 44. But she turned loss into legacy and hurt into hope this year when she and her husband Jon founded the Basser Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania in honor of . Edme Firth Fund for Research in Ovarian Cancer. [2] Early life [ edit] Gray was born in Highland Park, Illinois to a Jewish family. Those who know me know I took this one to heart. All rights reserved. Gray is president and chief operating officer of Blackstone Group, a New York-based alternative asset manager. Previously, Mindy worked as an editor at Ziff Davis Publishing and then as a marketing executive at Edwin Schlossberg, Inc., an exhibit design firm. She and her husband Jon reside in NYC where they are raising their four daughters. While the average woman has a 12% and 1.3% chance, respectively, of developing breast and ovarian cancer, harmful BRCA mutations increase the chance to as high as 72% and 44%, according to the National Cancer Institute. For a young woman to have to prophylactically remove your ovaries is very emotional and also has implications because you immediately go into menopause.. 2023 Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Inc. The Basser Center is the global leader in funding research, education and care for individuals and their families living withBRCA1/2 mutations. No surprise that she was also an incredible, and incredibly doting, mom. Family members died young and medical records never made it over, so there was simply no history of disease that could be tracked. Mindy Basser, a daughter of Pearl and Philip B. Basser of Philadelphia, is to be married this evening to Jonathan David Gray, a son of Susan Florsheim of Highland Park, Ill., and Allen Gray of Barrington, Ill. Gray raised the world's largest private real estate fund with $13.3 billion in 2012. OCRF: What is the ultimate goal of the Basser Center? She died from the illness two years later at age 44. This month, the University of Pennsylvania announced a $10 million gift from the couple, . Since joining Blackstone in 1992, Jon has helped build the largest real estate platform in the world with $115 billion in investor capital under management. Mindy Gray, Chair Mindy Gray is the Co-founder of the Gray Foundation, a private foundation committed to maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income children in New York. Previously he was Senior Director of Scientific Review and Grants Administration at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), where he oversaw the selection, administration, and oversight of a large grant portfolio. They have since dedicated their lives to the research and awareness of BRCA- related . There are so many ways to lend a hand, to improve the lives of thousands of patients and their families, and get us one step closer to a cure. [6][16], Gray was scheduled to speak at the November 2022 Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit, with the Hong Kong Democracy Council claiming that his presence, along with other financial executives, legitimizes the Hong Kong government's whitewashing of the erosion of freedoms in the city. We know a lot when patients present cancer, we know what they have, what are the genetic changes that lead to the cancer. At the very least, we want to develop a tool that can discover disease well before it presents itself. Read On, OCRA is the worlds largest non-government funder of ovarian cancer research and has invested more than $110 million into desperately-needed breakthroughs. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. He also serves on the board of Harlem Village Academies and Trinity School. The Gray Foundation is also focused on funding initiatives to advance the care of individuals living with BRCA mutations. Jon and I are both University of Pennsylvania graduates and feel a deep connection to the University. converted to U.S. dollars at current exchange rates Read Mr. Gray currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide. From campus recruiting to executive search, Margarets previous experience includes working at Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs and Heidrick & Struggles, among others. from the Wharton School. 2023 Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Inc. A Personal Connection Becomes a Professional Mission. 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In May 2012, Gray and his wife, Mindy Gray, founded the Basser Research Center, named in honor of Mindy's sister, Faith Basser, who died of ovarian cancer at age 44. Jonathan D. Gray is born to Chicago entrepreneurs. Our cross-institutional collaboration is transforming treatment and prevention methods for individuals and families affected by BRCA mutations. We are here to support you and your family, offering layers of support and many ways to connect. From our very first visit to the Abramson Cancer Center within which The Basser Research Center is housed, we were impressed with its beaker to bedside capabilities. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. The Basser Center was named in honor of Faith Basser, Mindy's sister, who passed away at age 44 from BRCA-related ovarian cancer. In partnership with the Basser Center for BRCA and leading cancer institutions across the country, the Basser Initiative @ Gray Foundation is advancing research and awareness efforts. Penn graduates Jon Gray, C'92, W'92, and Mindy Basser Gray, C'92, are stepping in to help. Mindy Gray: We are ALL IN on this mission and wont stop until progress is made! Get email updates about research news, action alerts and ways to join the fight. Blackstone Inc.s Jon Gray and his wife,Mindy, are funding an institute at their alma mater focused on early detection and prevention of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers. The Basser Center for BRCA, founded in 2012 by Penn alumni Mindy Basser Gray, C'92, and Jon Gray, C'92, W'92, works to free the world of the devastating effects of BRCA-related cancers and, in doing so . She was the best kind of mix of big sister, mother and friend. 12/14/2012 | Mindy Gray was devastated by the passing of her beloved older sister, Faith Basser. With the leadership of Dr. Chi Dang, Director of the Abramson Cancer Center, and Dr. Susan Domchek, Executive Director of the Basser Research Center, we are confident that we can make huge progress towards this goal. In 2012, Mindy and Jon Gray made a transformative gift to establish the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine's Abramson ancer Center and to date have given over $55 million towards its mission. She was the best kind of mix of big sister, mother and friend. The grants will be split among seven research teams across the globe and brings the couples lifetime philanthropic giving to over $175 millionincluding over $100 million in BRCA research. Edme Firth Fund for Research in Ovarian Cancer. OCRF: What is the ultimate goal of the Basser Center? Mindy Gray is the Co-Founder of theGray Foundation, a private foundation committed to maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income children in New York. On Tuesday, private equity tycoon Jonathan Gray and his wife Mindy announced $25 million in funding for research on pernicious genetic mutations that can lead to breast and ovarian cancer. See the article in its original context from. I am also a Philadelphia native and my parents still live there. In 2012, Mindy and Jon Gray made a transformative gift to establish the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center and to date have given over $55 million towards its mission. The Center is focused on funding scientific research and giving brilliant research scientists the state-of-the-art facilities and the freedom to discover innovative paths to treatment, prevention and cure. [29], In October 2022, the Grays announced a gift of $55 million[36] to establish the Basser Cancer Interception Institute as part of the Basser Center for BRCA. She also previously directed the NYC Department of Educations Office of Strategic Partnerships, ran after-school and summer programs in the Bronx and Washington Heights, and taught English at Riverdale Country School. The Big Take is the very best of Bloomberg's in-depth, original reporting from around the globe every day. Mindy Gray: My sister Faith had a BRCA 1 gene mutation. Mindy Gray is the Co-Founder of the Gray Foundation, a private foundation committed to maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income children in New York. Mindy and John Gray have now committed more than $125 million to the University of Pennsylvania over the last decade, including a $25 million gift that created the Basser Center in 2012 in. I felt the more I was involved, the more I could help this mission. The very first event where I volunteered was OCRFs high-end garage sale Super Saturday. Methodology: The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world's richest View Mindy Gray results in New York (NY) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. [7], Gray led Blackstone's LBO of Hilton Hotels, which became the most profitable private equity real estate deal ever, earning $14 billion for the firm's investors. OCRF: What is your hope for the future in terms of research, and the hope it can bring to those affected by ovarian cancer? Some of the world's best and brightest students aim their sights at an undergraduate education at Penn, but many lack the resources to embark on this journey. Because of this, the only way to truly reduce risk is removing a womans ovaries (and fallopian tubes). Each net worth figure is updated every business day after the close of trading in New York. 284 subscribers The biennial Basser Jean Bash fundraiser in Manhattan on November 18, 2019, raised $9 million to support BRCA-related cancer research. The Gray Foundation is also focused on He is also the President and Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone, one of the world's leading investment firms. September 15, 2022 $55 million gift to Penn is aimed at stopping breast cancer before it starts Mindy Gray and her husband, Blackstone president Jon Gray, gave the money in honor of Mindy's sister Faith Basser. [17] On 22 October 2022, The Wall Street Journal released an article by its editorial board in its printed edition, titled "Wall Street and Hong Kong's Strongman," mentioning Gray's name, and saying that "These executives may feel they have assets to protect in the city, but by kowtowing to Mr. Lee they are doing their reputations, and that of their companies, no good. We endure this loss each and every day. She holds an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Thanks to Faith, I was certainly among the only seven-year-olds seeing the movie Annie Hall the day it was released. They have four daughters. [5] In August 2013, Bloomberg estimated his net worth at just over $1.0billion due to his owning 40.6million Blackstone shares valued at $913million combined with over $120million in bonuses and salary. Since joining Blackstone in 1992, Jon has helped build the largest real estate platform in the world. Women with a BRCA 1 mutation have a 60-80% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and a 20-45% lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer. Youre passing this on, and thats why you get these families with the grandmother, the mother, the childrenmultigenerations of cancer. This was when I knew that my relationship with OCRF was meant to be. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. He also serves on the board of Harlem Village Academies. Mindy Gray: The ultimate goal of the The Basser Center is eradicating risks from BRCA-related cancers once and for all. These are serious risks that must be managed and because they will affect family members across generations, they are risks that also must be communicated. [43] He lives in Manhattan with his wife and their four daughters. Jon and Mindy Gray, Penn President Amy Gutmann and some of the freshmen the Grays are supporting. . Learn more about our policy positions and discover how you can take action. The publicly traded company manages $915 billion in assets as of March 31, 2022.. In 2012, Mindy and her husband, Jon Gray, established the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center in honor of Faith. Chi Van Dang is the Chief Science Advisor for the Gray Foundation. As first generation immigrants from Eastern Europe, Mindys parents didnt keep historical family medical records. Their $55 million gift to the University of Pennsylvania creates a spinoff of the Basser Center for BRCA they founded 10 years ago, and brings their total giving to the school to more than $125 million, most of it for science. Graduates magna cum laude from University of Pennsylvania. Shari and her husband, Len Potter, created the Basser Global Prize initiative at the Center to fund BRCA research. Meet Mindy Gray: Wife, Mother, Sister, Philanthropist, and OCRF Board Member. Gray and Mindy Basser were married in 1995 at Temple Beth Zion Israel in Philadelphia, where Rabbi Ira F. Stone performed the service. The Grays donated $25million to create the Basser Research Center, which focuses on cancer prevention, treatment, and research of BRCA-related, genetically-inherited cancers. We wanted to create a center that would be focused on this mutation, which would provide research, and support, and care, and thats why we founded the Basser Center.. Penn graduates Jon Gray, C'92, W'92, and Mindy Basser Gray, C'92, are stepping in to help. In creating the Basser Research Center in my sisters name, my husband Jon and I are fervently hoping that we can one day prevent other families from experiencing the unthinkable loss of a loved one. Valuations are In January 2014, the Basser Research Center announced an additional $5million gift from the couple to fund an external research grant program. Dana serves on the Board of Peer Health Exchange and on the Presidents Leadership Council and Womens Leadership Council at Brown University. 1992 College graduate Mindy Gray and 1992 College and Wharton graduate Jonathan Gray made the donation to the Basser Center for BRCA, an institute they founded in 2012 with an earlier $25 million donation in honor of Mindy's sister, Faith Basser, who died of ovarian cancer in 2002. The couple, both 52, also launched the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program. Learn more about our policy positions and discover how you can take action. He previously served as Director of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. 2023 Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Inc. A Personal Connection Becomes a Professional Mission. My sister Faith was like a mother and best friend rolled into one, remembers Mindy. The donation was made to establish and fund the Cancer . I am also a Philadelphia native and my parents still live there. Mindy is also actively involved at the Harlem Village Academies charter schools and sits on the Leadership Council of Peer Health Exchange, an organization dedicated to giving teens a comprehensive health education. Mindy and Jon Gray at UPenn, where they met as undergrads. OCRF: As a longtime OCRF Board member, what are your feelings about the organization? The gift comes after the couple poured $55 million in the past seven years into University of Pennsylvanias Basser Center for BRCA, the worlds first hub devoted to studying cancers related to BRCA mutations. Jon and I are both University of Pennsylvania graduates and feel a deep connection to the University. Women with BRCA 2 mutations have a 50-70% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and a 10-20% lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer. Gray and Mindy Basser have two children. To broaden and organize their philanthropic efforts, the Grays brought in Chi Van Dang, the former director of the University of Pennsylvanias Abramson Cancer Center, to be the chief science advisor for their Gray Foundation in 2018. Pat holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in biophysics from the University of Quebec, Canada and obtained his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Boston University. Bloomberg reporting. Mindy Gray: I have always been impressed with the professionalism and passion that drives both the board and the staff at OCRF. With his wife, Mindy, Gray established the Basser Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, which focuses on the prevention and treatment of certain genetically caused breast and ovarian cancers. Mindy Gray: Faith was my mentor, my guide, my role model. Under the same roof that scientific research is furthered, patients are diagnosed, treated and, we hope someday, CURED. OCRF: If you could send one message to ovarian cancer survivors, their caregivers and loved ones, what would it be? In our case, it was not that it was overlooked by doctors; it was simply a question of not knowing our family history. 12/14/2012 | Mindy Gray was devastated by the passing of her beloved older sister, Faith Basser. Mindy Gray is a member of the executive committee of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Inc., the largest private philanthropy in the United States dedicated exclusively to funding ovarian cancer research. The occasion was a fundraiser for the Basser Center for BRCA, which they founded . The hard part of this is the multigenerational nature. Charissa has dedicated the last 25 years to expanding educational opportunity for NYC youth. The Big Take is the very best of Bloomberg's in-depth, original reporting from around the globe every day. These are serious risks that must be managed and because they will affect family members across generations, they are risks that also must be communicated. OCRF: As a longtime OCRF Board member, what are your feelings about the organization? In 2012, Mindy and Jon Gray made a transformative gift to establish the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicines Abramson Cancer Center and to date have given over $55 million towards itsmission. Gray was global head of the firm's real estate business from 2005 into 2018, building it into a $115 billion asset operation. Gray is president and chief operating officer of Blackstone Group, a New York-based alternative asset manager. [8] Gray continues to act as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide, which went public in December 2013. Mindy Gray: I was immediately impressed with the leadership of OCRF and deeply committed to their mission of funding scientific research to help find a cure. Mindy is the Board Chair of the Basser Center Advisory Boardand a former member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) where she served for over 10 years. Prior to joining the Foundation, Margaret worked at Geller & Company in the Human Capital Department. Both the Chair and the Center are named in honor of Mindy sister, Faith Basser, who died of BRCA-related ovarian cancer at age 44, leaving behind her four-year-old son. In 1992, Gray joined Blackstone's mergers and acquisitions and private equity group,[5] and joined its newly formed real estate private equity group the following year. The index is a dynamic measure of personal wealth based on changes in markets, the economy and Previously, Mindy worked as an editor at Ziff Davis Publishing and as a marketing executive at Edwin Schlossberg, Inc. Mindy received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History from the University of Pennsylvania. With the Basser Research Center, we want to ensure that families affected by BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene mutations can get the support and genetic counseling that they need and understand their lifetime risk of developing cancer. He is also the President and Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone, one of the world's leading investment firms. Mindy Gray: The ultimate goal of the The Basser Center is eradicating risks from BRCA-related cancers once and for all. [15], In February 2018, it was announced that Gray would become president and chief operating officer of Blackstone, replacing Hamilton "Tony" James. . Under the same roof that scientific research is furthered, patients are diagnosed, treated and, we hope someday, CURED. Mindy Gray: Right now there is no viable tool for early detection of ovarian cancer. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, receiving a degree in economics from the Wharton School as well as an English degree at Penn. He became co-head of the real estate group in 2005 and global head of real estate in 2011,[6] overseeing a portfolio of hotel, office, retail, industrial, and residential properties in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. We knew then that we did not want other families to ever suffer in the way that we had. [31], In 2016, Gray was named to Vanity Fair's "New Establishment" list. Thanks to Faith, I was certainly among the only seven-year-olds seeing the movie Annie Hall the day it was released. The aspirational goal would be to understand the process of cancer development early enough and then look at ways to intervene, hopefully eradicate, prevent the cancer from even developing., What we aspire to do is build a precancer atlas for BRCA, lay a road map for everyone in the world to use, continues Dang. and each individual billionaire profile contains a detailed analysis of how that person's fortune is tallied. [35] In July 2019, it was announced that the Grays would donate a further $25million for research on pernicious genetic mutations that can lead to breast and ovarian cancer. Read On, OCRA is the voice for the ovarian cancer community, engaging with policymakers to keep this fight a priority. Rabbi Ira F. Stone is to perform the ceremony at Temple Beth Zion Beth Israel in Philadelphia. Stakes in publicly traded companies are valued using the share's most recent closing price. She is the Chair of the Basser Leadership Council and serves on the boards of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and NYC Kids RISE. Now, Domchek and her colleagues are taking aim at interception. OCRF: Why did you join OCRFs Board of Directors? [27], In February 2023, the Grays were named to The Chronicle of Philanthropys list of the 50 biggest donors in 2022. She taught me to talk to animals, especially our crazy cats, she taught me to enjoy Kraft macaroni and cheese at midnight (even when I wasnt the slightest bit hungry), and she taught me that no walks too long if you have a friend by your side. Read On, OCRA is the worlds largest non-government funder of ovarian cancer research and has invested more than $110 million into desperately-needed breakthroughs. No surprise that she was also an incredible, and incredibly doting, mom. Mindy Basser, a daughter of Pearl and Philip B. Basser of Philadelphia, is to be married this evening to Jonathan David Gray, a son of Susan Florsheim of Highland Park, Ill., and Allen. Some women with faulty BRCA genes have taken a very proactive approach. [9], Gray was named in Fortune's "40 under 40,"[10] in 2009. [12][13] The Wall Street Journal reported that Gray went on the biggest home buying spree in history after the foreclosure crisis, spending $10billion in the company's first four years. Jon Gray is the Co-Founder of the Gray Foundation. "[18] Gray later contracted COVID-19 and sent CFO Michael Chae to the event instead.[19]. Those who know me know I took this one to heart. Jonathan Gray was born in 1970 to Chicago entrepreneurs.