Chaney is an experienced Communications Manager with a passion for storytelling marketing and innovative content. She has experience working with nonprofits to increase mission awareness, promote connectedness, and cultivate community through a variety of digital channels.

She graduated from the University of Georgia with a masters degree in public health with an emphasis in health promotion. Early in her career, she combined her interest in health and wellness program planning with her creative skills in graphic design and photography.

Chaney is originally from Virginia, but currently lives on the coast of Georgia with her husband and two daughters. When she is not working, Chaney can be found spending quality time with her family on the beach or planning adventures with family and friends.

Shannon is an experienced Operations Manager with a robust background in operations management. Shannon encompasses her areas of strength with a passion for organization. She has worked in various industries from startups to growing nonprofits. 

Shannon is originally from North Carolina, but currently lives in South Florida with her husband and two children. When Shannon is not working, she enjoys traveling with her family or watching her children play sports.

Amanda Lucas is a dedicated patient advocate and research associate with the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation (DTRF), as well as a clinical research project manager based in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Her passion lies in serving the Desmoid Tumor community and addressing the needs of patients with serious, unmet medical challenges. 

Amanda is a graduate of Clemson University with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and was chosen in 2008 to participate in the Alta Bates Oncology Preceptorship in Berkeley CA. Now, she has more than 12 years of clinical research experience primarily in the early phase development of assets, including large and small molecules, across various therapeutic areas.

Most notably, Amanda was part of a small clinical team responsible for data collection and on-time database closure of a pivotal Phase 2/3 trial to enable fast-tracked FDA approval. She was part of the initial team, working with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, in the start-up of an international Phase 1/2 program, and a year later, she was recruited into Amgen’s Early Development Department as a Clinical Research Study Manager in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Dr. Mrinal Gounder is the Scientific Director of DTRF and a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Boards. He is a medical oncologist at MSKCC specializing in sarcomas and developing new drugs in cancer and specializes in desmoid tumors. He is an internationally recognized leader in desmoid tumors and has lead numerous clinical trials in desmoid tumors. He led the phase 3, international studies of sorafenib and nirogacestat in desmoid tumors. In collaboration with DTRF,MSKCC and IQVIA, he developed the GODDESS patient reported outcomes tool – the first of its kind to evaluate the experience of patients with desmoid tumors.

Kelly Mercier, PhD is a DTRF grant recipient, the DTRF Natural History Study and Patient Registry Principal Investigator, Diagnostic Regional Medical Lead (Lung Oncology) at Daiichi Sankyo, Inc, and an adjunct associate professor at Duke University.

Dr. Mercier specializes in designing, implementing, and prompting the adoption of novel therapies and diagnostic assays in oncology. She has received grants to understand the metabolic differences between desmoid tumors and normal adjacent tissue in the same patient with Dr. Ben Alman. Dr. Mercier is passionate about desmoid tumor research and is thrilled to be able to contribute her scientific knowledge to better understand and treat desmoid tumors.

Originally from Michigan and a graduate of Michigan State University, Debbie has been a Texan for the past twenty years but still considers Michigan her home. She has worked in many facets of the nonprofit sector throughout her career, but found that development is where her passion lies.

Debbie comes to us with a wealth of disease-specific, non-profit experience from her time with the Lupus Foundation and later, as the Development Director of the South Central Chapter of the Parkinson’s Foundation. In that role, she was responsible for all facets of strategic fundraising and planning including cultivating and stewarding donors, securing major gifts, corporate sponsorships, grant writing and event planning.

The role of Development Director gives her what she enjoys most professionally–the opportunity to build one-on-one relationships. She looks forward to forging new relationships that will help the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation reach its goals. Debbie is excited for the opportunity to work with an organization with a mission and values that align with her own.

In her free time, Debbie’s favorite things to do are to attend festivals, concerts, and live theater with friends and family. She’s passionate about many things but especially her children, Nick and Isabella and her fur babies, Bear, Huck and Finn. Taking the pups for daily walks and finding them happily laying behind her work chair brings her tremendous joy.