Worth the Wait is expanding its mission of helping young adult cancer survivors pursue parenthood with the addition of an Advisory Committee. Each advisor brings a wealth of professional experience and has a personal or professional connection to cancer, infertility or adoption.
Rachel Antalek, Strategic Growth and Innovation Executive (Committee Member)
Rachel Antalek advises executive teams across the restaurant, retail and hospitality industries. Her current consulting work leverages over 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, including roles at Starbucks, Red Lobster and Olive Garden.
Personally, Rachel has a passion for kids and families. She has previously served as a Board Member and volunteer with a non-profit supporting foster kids on their path to educational success, and she currently volunteers time as an adoptive parent coach. Rachel and her husband Larry are parents to two teen boys adopted from Bulgaria. Having personally struggled with infertility and a challenging path to parenthood, Rachel is committed to Worth the Wait’s mission.
Jill Apgar, Founder of Coco Beans (Committee Member)
Jill is a former retail executive and founder of Coco Beans – a luxury children’s brand. Jill and her husband, Joe – who was diagnosed with infertility after beating cancer in college – adopted their daughter Cora in 2018. The Worth the Wait mission is personal to the Apgar family and Jill looks forward to helping young cancer survivors experience the joy of starting their own families.
Dr. Alexandra Diaz Pardo, Radiation Oncologist (Committee Member)
Dr. Diaz Pardo is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at OSU/The James Cancer Hospital. She specializes in the treatment of GU and GI cancers. She is also the Vice-chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of the Department of Radiation Oncology. She received her Master of Science in Clinical and Translational Investigation at the University of Miami, and completed medical training at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia. She serves as the site principal investigator for several randomized trials. Her research focuses on disparities, particularly in the treatment of prostate and liver cancer.
Unfortunately, over the years, her patients have become younger and younger and they have specific needs that should be addressed. She’s proud to be a member of the advisory committee of Worth the Wait.
Mary Hackett, Founder Databasey and Fundraising Executive (Committee Member)
Mary is the founder of Databasey, which provides fundraising tools to non profits and Ravela Insights, a company that helps nonprofit executives make data-driven decisions when it comes to revenue generation. Mary is passionate about fundraising and has held executive development roles for Swedish Medical, Boys and Girls Club of King County and the Humane Society of the U.S.
Mickie Henshall, Chief Marketing Officer, REALM IDx (Special Advisor)
Mickie is a senior-level marketer, strategic turnaround expert, branding leader, and board member who builds respected brands from the ground up and turns around stagnant operations to become industry powerhouses. Her career spans more than 20 years providing marketing leadership for high-growth diagnostic and life sciences companies, from PE-backed start-ups to Fortune 1000 organizations.
Mickie lives in southern California with her husband, where they cultivate a small cabernet sauvignon vineyard and enjoy amateur winemaking. She is proud of her heritage as a Chinese American and can speak conversational Mandarin.
Lesley Northrop, PhD, Translational Scientist, Geneticist and Executive (Committee Member)
Dr. Lesley Northrop has spent over 20 years in the clinical diagnostic industry specific to women’s health, including her ABMGG training at Columbia University Medical Center, and post-doctoral training at the largest, most prestigious IVF center in the US, RMA-NJ Fertility Center. As an innovator, Dr. Northrop was a lead scientist on developing the first comprehensive preimplantation genetic diagnosis technology (PGD) or known as PGD-A today. Dr. Northrop serves as an advisor to several biotechnology and financial investment firms on her expertise in the clinical diagnostic genomics space. She spends her free time mentoring young minds in science, including her 2 young children.
Pash Patel, Head of Design Innovation, Takeda (Committee Member)
Pash has 20 years of Consumer and Patient Marketing experience at Procter and Gamble and more recently at Takeda. She led the 1st ever disease awareness campaign in the patient community for Eosinophil Esophagitis, a rare GI condition. Her current role is focused on bringing human-centric approach to innovation while keeping patient needs at the core and having a positive impact to society.
She has a wealth of experience in brand building and portfolio innovation strategy rooted in consumer and patient insights. Pash and her husband’s two kids keep them busy and grounded in life. She has a personal connection to cancer patients and celebrating survivorship.