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Reedy Picked As New CEO At American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society (ACS) today announced its next chief executive officer, not reaching very far as it plucked a former chairman of its board.

Gary Reedy, who retired as worldwide vice president of government affairs and policy with Johnson & Johnson on Friday, will succeed John Seffrin as of April 27. Reedy served as chairman of the charity’s board as recently as 2013, a year in which ACS reorganized from 13 geographic divisions into one entity. Seffrin has been CEO since 1992, also previously serving on the board. He announced his retirement early last year. The board officially hired Reedy at a special meeting on Tuesday.

“After conducting a thorough and deliberate selection process, our Board of Directors is very pleased that Gary will lead the American Cancer Society to its next chapter as we continue working to eliminate cancer as a major health problem,” Board of Directors Chairman Robert Youle said in a statement accompanying today’s announcement. “He has the breadth and depth of experience we were looking for in our next CEO. We are confident that Gary will continue the organizations’ commitment and diligent work to save even more lives from cancer,” he said.

Reedy has more than three decades of domestic and international experience in the health care industry and 15 years of experience as a volunteer leader with the charity, including serve on the ACS board. During his 37-year career in the health care industry, Reedy held senior leadership positions with SmithKline Beecham, Centocor, and Johnson & Johnson. He also serves on the boards of directors of Emory & Henry College, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund.

Last year, ACS reported $919 million in total revenue and net assets of $1.281 billion, according to its Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990, enough to rank it No. 21 on the 2014 NPT 100, a study of the nation’s largest nonprofits. That figure is likely to decline as its signature Relay For Life events raised some $335 million last year, down 13 percent, or about $45 million less than the previous year, according to the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum. Last year was the first tax form filed as one entity; previously the 12 divisions each filed separately. The transformation has led to significant turnover and reorganization of various departments, including media relations, and last summer, the first-ever chief revenue and marketing officer left after barely a year on the job.

The Atlanta, Ga.-based charity’s announcement made no mention of Reedy’s compensation as CEO or any contract details. A spokesman confirmed that Reedy has signed an employment contract, the terms of which are confidential, and certain information about compensation “will be disclosed publicly at the appropriate time,” as required by applicable law. Seffrin earned total compensation of $856,442 as CEO of the American Cancer Society last year, in addition to $77,859 as president of the ACS Cancer Action Network, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate.