Staff & Board

Leadership

• 

  Christine Verini, RPh

  Chief Executive Officer

  Christine Verini is Chief Executive Officer at CancerCare. Ms. Verini brings over twenty years of oncology expertise, as well as a strategic vision for the organization. Having first joined CancerCare’s New Jersey Board of Trustees in 2011, she transitioned to the organization’s leadership team in 2015, where she has worked for over eight years. In her role as CancerCare’s Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, she has overseen the expansion and support of CancerCare’s programs and services and strengthened the organization’s collaborations and partnerships.

  Prior to joining CancerCare, Ms. Verini has held several leadership roles in the health care sector. She previously served as the Vice President of Corporate Communications and Advocacy at Eisai. In this position, she oversaw the company’s internal and external communications functions, the strategic direction for corporate and brand media relations, as well as outreach to and relationships with patient advocacy and professional organizations.

  Ms. Verini holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from St. John’s University and is a registered pharmacist by training. She has served on the Board of Directors of CancerCare New Jersey and previously as the Chair of HealthyWomen. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance’s Awareness Task Force.

  In 2022, Ms. Verini was featured in The Cancer Health Magazine’s 25: Quality of Life and in 2019, she was named as PharmaVOICE Magazine’s 100 Most Inspiring People. Additionally, she was recognized with an individual achievement award at CancerCare’s 26th Annual Festival of Hope Gala for her “compassion, concern and devotion in helping those living with cancer.” Ms. Verini’s outstanding achievements over the years, including her receipt of the Woman in Industry Award in 2009, underscore her continued dedication to breaking barriers for women in leadership roles and her commitment to advocating for the cancer community.

• 

  Angelique Caba, MSW, LCSW-R

  Vice President of Programs and Health Equity

  Angelique is the Vice President of Programs and Health Equity and is responsible for the oversight of the organization’s extensive portfolio of programs within the Social Service Department across national and regional offices. As a bilingual oncology social worker with over a decade of experience at CancerCare, Angelique is passionate about health equity and leading patient advocacy programs designed to empower the oncology community. She leads efforts of diversity, equity and inclusion within the department and organizationally guiding strategic priorities.

  She is a member of the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Angelique has additional training in Leadership in the Non-For-Profit Sector, Advanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Clinical Supervision and Seminar in Field Instruction (SIFI). She was awarded the Mid-Career Social Work Leadership Award from the National Association of Social Workers, New York City Chapter.

  Angelique earned her Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) Degree from Lehman College and a Master of Science in Social Work (MSW) Degree from Columbia University. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with psychotherapy privilege (LCSW-R) in New York State.

• 

  Kim Czubaruk, JD

  Associate Vice President of Policy

  Kim Czubaruk oversees the direction of our advocacy efforts through strategic initiatives, cultivating alliances within the oncology community and advancing the organization’s national policy agenda to ensure equal access to quality, safe, affordable and comprehensive cancer treatment.

  Kim brings valuable advocacy experience to CancerCare from her previous role as the Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy with the Cancer Support Community’s Cancer Policy Institute. As an attorney with a background in civil litigation and disability law, Kim’s focus on health policy and advocacy to improve the lives of patients and their families closely aligns with CancerCare’s continuing mission to advocate for individuals impacted by cancer.

  Prior to joining the Cancer Support Community, Kim served as Policy Manager with the American Academy of Nursing and legal consultant with the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. While with the Academy, Kim developed and led multiple national initiatives, built cross-sector collaborative partnerships, and worked with Academy fellows to advance health policy. Through her advocacy on behalf of children and adults with food-induced anaphylaxis, Kim improved the education, prevention, emergency response and legal protections for severely food allergic individuals. Her achievements earned her the Muriel C. Furlong Award for Making a Difference.

  Ms. Czubaruk earned a BA in political science from Union College and a JD from George Washington University Law School.

• 

  Erica Lebensberg

  Senior Director of Special Events

  Erica Lebensberg has a long history of special events fundraising and development, most recently from the Foundation Fighting Blindness where she managed staff and events across the US. Prior to that, Ms. Lebensberg was the Director of Special Events for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Lenox Hill Hospital, 92nd Street Y and other NYC institutions. She brings with her a track record for creating efficiencies and cost savings while increasing engagement and revenue. With a strong team spirit, she focuses on creating collaborations between special events and major giving programs. Ms. Lebensberg holds a bachelor’s degree in Advertising from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.

• 

  Michele McCourt

  Executive Director of the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation

  Michele McCourt is Executive Director of the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation. In this role, Ms. McCourt has overall operational responsibility for the development of the foundation. With more than 26 years of experience in patient services, she has overseen the implementation of dozens of national patient assistance and premium/co-payment assistance programs, and participated in the development of numerous patient access programs, notably in the Medicare Replacement Drug Program prior to the launch of Medicare’s Prescription Drug Program in 2006. Before joining CancerCare, Ms. McCourt served as Director of Patient Services for the National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD).

• 

  Carolyn Messner, DSW, BCD, FAPOS, FAOSW

  Senior Director of Education and Training

  Dr. Carolyn Messner, DSW, BCD, FNAP, FAPOS, FAOSW, LCSW-R, is Senior Director of Education and Training at CancerCare, where she pioneered the use of teleconference/webinar technology to bring information to cancer patients and their caregivers. She is responsible for the oversight, development, speaker engagement and leadership of these Programs.

  A national and international speaker and author, Dr. Messner’s expertise includes the psychosocial impact of cancer on cancer patients, families, partners and their caregivers and methods to design patient education interventions.

  She is co-editor of the following Oxford University Press Publications: Handbook of Oncology Social Work: Psychosocial Care for People with Cancer (2015) and Oncology and Palliative Social Work: Psychosocial Care for People Coping with Cancer (2024). She is a former President of the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW).

  Carolyn has received numerous prestigious awards including the American Cancer Society Quality of Life in Cancer Care Award in Oncology Social Work, American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) Outstanding Award in Training and Education, AOSW Oncology Social Worker of the Year Award & AOSW Leadership Award in Oncology Social Work, to name a few. She is a Senior Distinguished Practitioner in Social Work, National Academies of Practice and Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.

  She received her Doctor of Social Welfare Degree (DSW) from the City University of New York with a Doctoral Fellowship Award in Social Welfare and the recipient of the Ohio State University School of Social Work National Doctoral Award. She earned her Master of Social Work Degree from New York University School of Social Work, with a National Institute of Mental Health Fellowship, and her bachelor’s degree (BA) in Psychology from Clark University, graduating cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.

• 

  Fernando Moraleda

  Senior Vice President/Chief Information Officer

  Fernando Moraleda is Senior Vice President/Chief Information Officer at CancerCare, responsible for oversight of the organization’s technology operations as well as driving technology-related business strategy. Mr. Moraleda is charged with executing a full assessment of the organization’s databases and systems in order to unify business processes, transactions, patient services and data collection. Prior to joining CancerCare, Mr. Moraleda served as Lead .Net Application Developer with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), overseeing the organization’s information technology systems, web applications, and databases. Previous to this role, Mr. Moraleda served as Senior Software Developer for Publicis Touchpoint Solutions, JPMorgan Chase and Nationwide Insurance.

  Mr. Moraleda holds a law degree from The University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain and a Bachelor in Science in Information Technology from DeVry University.

• 

  Jennifer Otero-Munoz

  Executive Administrator

  Jennifer is Executive Administrator at CancerCare. She is responsible for assisting the CEO in all administrative matters and serves as liaison between the Board of Trustees and Executive Management. She oversees and maintains all board governance materials and coordination of all board and subcommittee meetings as well as new trustee onboarding. Jennifer also coordinates the CancerCare and New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) Legal Clinic for clients of CancerCare.

  Jennifer holds a B.A. in History from Pace University.

• 

  Janet Rodriguez, SHRM-CP

  Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Privacy Officer

  Janet Rodriguez joined CancerCare in 1988. Ms. Rodriguez’ responsibilities include employee labor relations, HRIS, recruitment, staffing, benefits administration, compensation reviews, on-boarding, training and development, policy implementation and employment law compliance. As Privacy Officer, she is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing CancerCare’s HIPAA Policies and Procedures.

  Janet participates in a variety of professional organizations. She is an active member of many prominent HR organizations including the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) both on the national and local level and the Human Resources Professional Association of Nonprofit Organizations (HRPANO).

• 

  Vilmarie Rodriguez, MSW, LCSW

  Vice President of Patient Assistance and Community Engagement

  Vilmarie is the Vice President of Patient Assistance and Community Engagement and a member of both the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). She presented at poster at the AOSW conference in 2004 entitled, “Helping Hispanic Patients Find Their Voice” and was a Hispanic/Latino Advisory Board Member for the LIVESTRONG Foundation from 2007-2012. She received the Emerald Leader Award of the National Association of Social Workers – New York City Chapter (NASW-NYC) in 2019. Vilmarie is bilingual (Spanish).

• 

  John Rutigliano

  Senior Vice President/Chief Financial and Compliance Officer

  John Rutigliano directs all aspects of CancerCare’s financial functions including operational policies and procedures, budgeting and reporting, grants management, tax compliance and auditing, investments and co-payment assistance financial management. He is also responsible for the oversight of the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation’s compliance program. John works closely with the organization’s Human Resources, Information Technology and Facilities functions providing financial oversight and data integration support. Prior to joining CancerCare in 1999, he was Director of Finance and Administration for GMHC, a not-for-profit organization devoted to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and advocacy. A Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Rutigliano started his career at Deloitte.

  Mr. Rutigliano holds a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in accounting and international business from New York University.

• 

  Amanda Shlosberg

  Senior Director of Communications

  Amanda is Senior Director of Communications and is responsible for developing and implementing CancerCare’s communication strategies which include marketing, branding and media relations. She oversees both internal and external communications and ensures that all CancerCare messaging aligns with the organization’s goals and values. She oversees the creation and distribution of various forms of content, including newsletters, publications and social media, to ensure consistency and quality across all platforms.

  Amanda holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Scranton and received Professional Studies Certification in Public Relations/Image Management from New York University.

• 

  Renee Taylor-Foles, MPA

  Director of Grants Administration

  Renee Taylor-Foles is the Director of Grants Administration at CancerCare. In this role, she leads the Grants Administration team to increase and diversify institutional revenue to support CancerCare’s varied programs and services for people affected by cancer.

  Renee has over 20 years of fundraising experience, with a strong focus on corporate and foundation relations. Most recently, she served as the Organizational Advancement Partner at Urban Bush Women, where she developed institutional fundraising and individual donor strategies, as well as organizational branding strategies to advance the vision and mission of the performing arts organization. Earlier in her career, Renee spent nine years in progressive fundraising roles at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, which included raising funds for the Comprehensive Cancer Center. Renee has also held leadership roles at High Point University, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, Salem Academy and College, and Averett University.

  She earned her B.S. in Biology from the College of William and Mary and her M.P.A. in Nonprofit Organizations from High Point University. A committed volunteer, she was a Big Sister with Big Brothers/Big Sisters for ten years, a co-founder of the Fondue Fund women’s giving circle, and a board of directors member of the Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem.

• 

  Alexandra Zaleta, PhD

  Associate Vice President of Research and Insights

  Alexandra Zaleta is an accomplished strategic leader and scientist with extensive experience driving patient-centered research and advocacy. She is a nationally-recognized leader in patient and caregiver experience research, patient and caregiver registry development, patient-reported outcome measurement development and validation, distress screening and navigation, and cancer survivorship.

  Dr. Zaleta functions as an in-house expert on understanding challenges faced by people affected by cancer and disseminating learnings to a broad audience of stakeholders. Her research has received the “Best of the Best” distinction at several professional conferences, including the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) annual meetings. She also works in alignment with CancerCare’s Insights program, led by the CancerCare social work team, and actively collaborates with academic-based researchers across the U.S.

  Dr. Zaleta completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and internship/postdoctoral training at the VA Boston Healthcare System and The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, respectively. She also holds a Masters of Education from Harvard University and BA from Vassar College.

CancerCare Social Service Staff

• Kristy Case, MSW, LCSW, OSW-COnline Group Moderator
• Melisa Celikoyar, MSW, LCSWLong Island Program Coordinator
• Stacy Chilton, MSW, LCSWOnline Group Moderator
• James DudenCommunity Outreach Coordinator
• Laurie Feingold, MSW, LSWOncology Social Worker
• Hayley Feuchs, MSW, LMSWYoung Adult Program Coordinator
• Marissa Fors, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, C-ASWCM, CCMDirector of Specialized Programs
• Mildre GonzalezLatino Outreach Worker
• Mary Hanley, MSW, LCSWOnline Group Moderator
• Stephen Homsey, MSW, LCSWOnline Group Moderator
• Sara Grisales Jaramillo, MSW, LMSWInsights and Call Center Program Manager
• Cecilia Kuepper, MSW, LCSWHealing Hearts Program Coordinator
• Jennifer LaPietra, MSW, LMSWBilingual Oncology Social Worker
• Daniel LaPook, MSW, LMSWOncology Social Worker
• Keri McBride, LCSW, SSWClinical Supervisor
• Daymi Mendez, MSW, LMSWBilingual Oncology Social Worker
• Nikki Molfetas, MSW, LSWNew Jersey Program Coordinator
• Christina Monaco, MSW, LMSWOncology Social Worker
• Jonathan Morrison, MSW, LMSWOnline Group Moderator
• Allison Moskowitz Duggan, MSW, LCSWInternship Program Manager/Clinical Supervisor
• Cheryl Mullery, MSW, LMSWOncology Social Worker
• Sarah Naibzada, MSW, LSWOncology Social Worker
• Kathleen Nugent, MSW, LCSWSenior Director of Regional Programs
• Rachel Odo, MSW, LCSW-ROnline Group Moderator
• Sarah Paul, MSW, LCSW, OSW-CSenior Director of Social Work
• Tonya PottsSenior Program Operations Manager
• Victoria Puzo, MSW, LCSWOnline Support Group Program Director
• Joy Rumack, MSW, LMSWOnline Group Moderator
• Danielle Saff, MSW, LCSWOlder Adult Program Manager/Clinical Supervisor
• Sandra SanchezDirector of Clinical Operations
• Cassie Spector, MSW, OSW-C, LCSWBreast and Gynecological Cancers Program Coordinator
• Sarah Tennenhaus, MSW, LCSWOnline Support Group Program Coordinator
• Sara Whelan, MSW, LSW, LMSWInternship Program Coordinator

Principal Communications Staff

• Catherine FavoriteSenior Communications Manager
• Eric WojcikEditorial Manager
• Jacqueline Zahora, LCSW-RDirector of Web and Online Resources

Principal Development Staff

• Brooke GriffinAssistant Director of Individual Giving
• Brian MorvantPet Assistance & Wellness (PAW) Program Manager
• Katherine SchwartzAssociate Grants Manager
• Jazmin TiradoSenior Manager of Individual Giving

Principal Education Staff

• Lorena Tan WangSenior Education Program Manager
• Dawn ZadorSenior Education Program Manager

Principal Finance and Administration Staff

• Ricardo HernandezController
• Anthony MurphyDirector of Facilities and Mail Operations
• Ariana Ogin, MBAHuman Resources Generalist, Compliance Manager
• Hector PerezDirector of Information Technology
• Essie Roman, MSW, LMSWHuman Resources Information Systems (HRIS) Manager

Principal Financial Assistance Staff

• Bennie Speaks-Tanner, Jr.Associate Director of the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation
• Laura TalaveraQuality Assurance Manager of the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation