President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and Commissions

WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to serve in key roles:

• Callisia N. Clarke, to be a Member of the National Cancer Advisory Board
• Karen Emmons, to be a Member of the National Cancer Advisory Board 
• Tamika Felder, to be a Member of the National Cancer Advisory Board 
• Edjah K. Nduom, to be a Member of the National Cancer Advisory Board 
• Brian K. Bond, to be a Member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships 
• Nicole Isaac, to be a Member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships 

• Amy Robbins Towers, to be a Member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition 
• Bruce Redman Becker, to be a Member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts 
• William J. Lenihan, to be a Member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts 

National Cancer Advisory Board

The National Cancer Advisory Board plays an important role in guiding the Director of the National Cancer Institute in setting the course for the national cancer research program. The National Cancer Advisory Board will complement the Cancer Moonshot, which President Biden reignited to end cancer as we know it – including by making sure his Administration is investing in research and development that will help advance breakthroughs to prevent, detect, and treat diseases like cancer.

Callisia N. Clarke, to be a Member of the National Cancer Advisory Board

Dr. Callisia Clarke completed her medical degree and general surgery residency at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society. She then went on to complete a clinical and research fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Clarke joined the faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2016 and is now an Associate Professor of Surgery and the Division Chief of Surgical Oncology. Her research efforts center on epigenetic regulation of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and surgical workforce diversification as a means to ameliorate cancer disparities. Clarke is nationally recognized and an expert in cancer disparities and management of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. She holds several leadership positions in national organizations. Clarke is the President of the Association for Academic Surgery, the first Black woman to hold this office, and serves in other major leadership roles in the Society of Surgical Oncology and the American Board of Surgery.

Karen Emmons, to be a Member of the National Cancer Advisory Board

Karen Emmons is a Professor of Social and Behavioral Science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She has expertise in cancer equity and in implementation science. Her work focuses on community-engaged approaches to implementation of cancer prevention interventions in settings that serve historically disadvantaged communities. She has more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and has served as PI for multiple National Institutes of Health-funded research projects and centers. She also serves as Faculty Director of the Community Engagement Program for Harvard’s Clinical Translational Science Award, Harvard Catalyst, which focuses on advancing evidence-based strategies to improve community health and creating bi-directional relationships between community partners and researchers. She serves as the MPI of Harvard Chan’s T32 training grant in cancer prevention and control and has received multiple mentoring awards. Her research has also been recognized by honors including the Morse Distinguished Researcher Award, Outstanding Senior Cancer Scientist Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and Outstanding Scientist Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine. She isPast-President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a member of the Community Preventive Services Task Force.

Tamika Felder, to be a Member of the National Cancer Advisory Board

Tamika Felder founded Cervivor, Inc. in 2005 after surviving cervical cancer in her mid-twenties. As the non-profit’s Chief Visionary, she has been pivotal in dismantling the disease’s stigma. Through initiatives like the renowned Cervivor School, she has empowered ambassadors worldwide to speak out about cervical cancer.

Though Felder says her advocacy journey began on the day of her diagnosis, she didn’t start publicly discussing her experience as both a young adult cancer survivor and a person of color until 2003, when she spoke at events like the annual National Black Family Reunion on the National Mall and represented Maryland in a President’s Cancer Panel meeting. Later, she addressed Maryland legislators in support of a law to safeguard fertility options for young adult cancer patients, which was enacted in 2018. Beyond fighting for patients, Felder is a strong supporter of research to eliminate this disease. She has testified before the FDA about cervical cancer prevention and the need for increased access to HPV vaccination, and serves on the steering committee of the National Cervical Cancer Roundtable and the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable.

Felder has testified on Capitol Hill and participated in Presidential panels, including moderating a panel of experts at a Cancer Moonshot forum. Her accolades include the Women in Government’s “Presidential Leadership Award” and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults’ “Young Adult Fight” Award. A published author and award-winning filmmaker, Felder’s story has been featured across media outlets, documentaries, and books. She has also penned various academic articles and is currently producing a documentary about cervical cancer.

Edjah K. Nduom, to be a Member of the National Cancer Advisory Board

Dr. Edjah K. Nduom, MD, is the Daniel Louis Barrow Endowed Chair and Associate Professor in Neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine. Additionally, he leads the Brain Tumors Disease Group at Winship Cancer Institute. Nduom is renowned internationally for his contributions to the neurosurgical and brain tumor community, having founded the Society for Neuro-Oncology Sub-Saharan Africa and held roles such as Scientific Program Chair for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting and Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Brain Tumor Society.

His research spans basic, translational, and clinical realms, with a focus on developing innovative immune therapy treatments for malignant brain tumors. Supported by grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and private foundations, Nduom has presented his work at numerous national and international conferences.

Nduom obtained his B.S. in Biomechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2002 and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. He completed Neurosurgical training at Emory University, including a Research Fellowship in Neurosurgical Oncology at the Surgical Neurology Branch of the NINDS. Following this, he pursued an additional Neurosurgical Oncology Fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he was honored with the Jesse H. Jones Fellowship in Cancer Education. Before returning to Emory, Nduom served on the faculty of the Surgical Neurology Branch of the NINDS Intramural Research Program from 2015 to 2020.

President’s Commission on White House Fellowships

The President’s Commission on White House Fellowships is composed of outstanding citizens who reflect the diversity and strength of America while representing a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and professions. Commissioners are responsible for recommending a group of candidates to the President for selection as White House Fellows, a prestigious program for leadership and public service that provides young Americans experience working at the highest levels of the federal government.

Brian K. Bond, to be a Member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships

Brian K. Bond (he/him), a native of rural Missouri, joined PFLAG National in 2019 as CEO. Under his leadership, the organization has experienced unprecedented growth at a time when LGBTQ+ people and those who love them are under assault in every corner of the country. With an extensive background in constituency outreach and coalition bridge-building, Bond has also strengthened PFLAG National’s deep commitment to ensuring PFLAG is a place where every family belongs.

Prior to joining PFLAG National, Bond served in the Obama-Biden Administration as Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and primary liaison for the LGBTQ community. He also served in the Environmental Protection Agency as Associate Administrator for Public Engagement and Environmental Education.

Nicole Isaac, to be a Member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships

Nicole Isaac presently serves as Vice President of Global Public Policy at Cisco, where she leads a team of experts that drive Cisco’s policy agenda around the world. Prior to joining Cisco, Isaac spent more than 20 years in the government, corporate, legal, and nonprofit sectors, including at Google, Meta, and LinkedIn. She also founded a social impact accelerator called Code the Streets to increase resources to inner city communities through technology. Isaac previously served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs and as Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the Vice President. She spent over five years on Capitol Hill where she worked as Floor Counsel in the U.S. Senate and Legislative Counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives. She also served on the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad.

Isaac is a lawyer and previously clerked at the Constitutional Court of South Africa for the Deputy Chief Justice. She worked at a law firm in Paris and with an NGO in Geneva. She has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from Columbia University. She completed a Master of Studies (LLM equivalent) in International Human Rights Law at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University. Isaac was born and raised in the Bronx, New York and is of Jamaican and Costa Rican descent. She resides in Washington, D.C. with her family.

President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition

The President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition is a federal advisory committee that aims to promote healthy, accessible eating and physical activity for all Americans, regardless of background or ability. President Biden issued Executive Order 14048, renewing the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition, which allows for continued promotion of the National Youth Sports Strategy and provides for the work of the Council to include a focus on expanding national awareness of the importance of mental health as it pertains to physical fitness and nutrition.

Amy Robbins Towers, to be a Member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition

After fourteen years of success in banking and finance, Amy Robbins Towers turned her full-time attention to raising her four sons and leading The Nduna Foundation. She established The Nduna Foundation in 2007 to advance innovative interventions in childhood nutrition, community redevelopment, human rights, women’s roles in peace and security, and conservation, primarily in conflict countries.

Robbins Towers has travelled extensively throughout Africa and the Middle East researching and developing partnerships to reduce acute malnutrition in children, create sustainable community-based solutions to protect fundamental human rights and support civilians caught in conflict, and assist in the redevelopment of conflict-affected areas. She has also focused her energy and efforts on the fitness and well-being of her four sons, who while grown now, made her a very busy hockey Mom for many years. Robbins Towers is a respected leader and advocate for sports and athletics programs from youth levels through NCAA Division 1, knowing firsthand the importance fitness and sports have played in her own sons’ lives.

Robbins Towers has been recognized for her transformative leadership by UNICEF USA with the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award, the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with the Caring for Congo Award, the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation with their Humanitarian of the Year, and The International Center for Research on Women with their Champions of Change Global Citizen award.

U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts was established by Congress in 1910 as a permanent body to advise the federal government on matters pertaining to the arts and national symbols, and to guide the architectural development of Washington, D.C. The Commission is composed of seven members with expertise in the arts. Appointed by the President, Commission members serve four-year terms.

Bruce Redman Becker, to be a Member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

Bruce Redman Becker, FAIA, LEED AP is President of Becker + Becker, an integrated sustainable architecture and development firm in Westport, Connecticut. Becker designs and builds projects that have a social and environmental value. His work includes conversion of the Bank of America tower in Hartford into a 285-unit LEED Platinum mixed-income community; the 500-unit, 360 State and Elm City Market in New Haven; adaptive re-use of the Wauregan Hotel in Norwich, Connecticut to create affordable housing; and redevelopment of the historic Octagon on Roosevelt Island in Manhattan into a mixed-income community. Becker completed the certified historic rehabilitation of the Pirelli building in New Haven, originally designed by Marcel Breuer, into Hotel Marcel, a 165-room boutique hotel that uses no fossil fuels and is the first Passive House certified hotel in the United States. Becker also designed the headquarters for the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York.

Becker is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, a LEED Accredited Professional, and a Certified Passive House Designer. He also wrote the chapter in the AIA Handbook of Professional Practice on Architect as Developer. Becker was a founding director of the CT Renewable Energy and Efficiency Business Association and is the former Chair of the Harlem School of the Arts. He is Chairman of the Electric Vehicle Club of Connecticut and a founding director of Land Use Atlas, Inc. Becker received a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College in American Studies and Fine Arts, and an MBA and Master of Architecture degree from Yale.

William J. Lenihan, to be a Member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

Bill Lenihan, AIA, NCARB is a Principal and Partner of Tevebaugh Architecture based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware. The firm’s areas of practice include civic, cultural, academic, healthcare, corporate, and industrial project types. His extensive experience in architecture, planning, and design includes prominent institutional, cultural, and historic preservation projects including Ammi B. Young-designed 1855 historic Custom House, Schwartz Center for the Arts, State of Delaware Family Courthouses and Family Justice Centers, University of Delaware College of Health Sciences, Brandywine Conversancy Museum of Art, First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, and several regional Transit Centers on the Northeast Corridor.

Lenihan holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees from Norwich University and holds professional registrations in more than ten states. He is a founding member of the Rodney Square Conservancy, member of the Friends of Furness Railroad District and Washington Memorial Bridge Partnership, former Board Member and Sustainability Chair of the Delaware chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and former member of the Del-Mar-Va Council of Boy Scouts of America.

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