MD Anderson Board of Visitors celebrates growth and achievement

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center started its fiscal year on a celebratory note by welcoming seven new members to the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors (BOV), the institution’s nonfiduciary advisory board. MD Anderson also honors two long-term board members, Donald “Don” L. Evans from Midland and Peggy Sewell from Dallas, with the BOV’s most prestigious title of Life Member.

“These passionate ambassadors have long supported MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer,” said James “Jim” L. Gallogly of Austin, chair of the BOV. “Inspired by the remarkable achievements of our esteemed Life Members, our newest members will strengthen the work of this board as we seek to eliminate cancer in Texas, across the nation and around the world.”

The following business and community leaders have joined the ranks of nearly 300 BOV members committed to Making Cancer History® alongside MD Anderson:

• Jamie Broach Byrd of Houston, TX

• Stan Delaney of Austin, TX

• Fred Farias, III, O.D. of McAllen, TX

• Jenna Klein of Houston, TX

• Mark Lashier of Houston, TX

• Rewant Ruia of London, United Kingdom 

• Judy Woodruff of Arlington, VA

“As we embark on a new year, I welcome our newest members and reiterate my gratitude to the entire board for their unwavering commitment to MD Anderson, our patients and their families,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “Our board members’ passion, expertise and insight propel us forward in our mission to end cancer.”

Gallogly took the helm Sept. 1 as the new chairman of the board, beginning the first year of his two-year term. He is joined by returning BOV Officers Committee members Clarence P. Cazalot, Jr., of Houston; Don Evans of Midland (Life Member); Maureen Hackett of Houston; Winell Herron of Houston; Melvyn N. Klein of Corpus Christi (Life Member); Marsha M. Shields of San Antonio (Life Member); and Sam L. Susser of Dallas, as well as newly appointed officers Don R. Sinclair of Houston and Delia W. Stroud of Houston. Additionally, Tom Johnson of Atlanta (Life Member) continues his service as special advisor to the president.

“Jim is poised to carry on the BOV’s legacy of excellence through his astute leadership, and I look forward to working with him and the rest of our BOV members to advance MD Anderson’s Strategy,” Pisters said. “We thank Clarence for his thoughtful, strategic leadership over the past two years as our board chair. His vision has left an enduring mark on our institution.”

New Life Members Evans and Sewell will be honored during the upcoming BOV Annual Meeting and Dinner on Nov. 7 and 8. They join 12 other distinguished inductees whose long-term, exemplary service on the BOV embodies MD Anderson’s spirit of philanthropy, leadership and community. 

Life Member: Don Evans
Don Evans is a longtime member and former chair of the BOV, lending his invaluable insight, fundraising expertise and business acumen to the institution. He joined the BOV in 2008 and served as chair from 2020 to 2022. Most recently, he served on the BOV’s Membership and Board Development and Governance Committee, Executive Committee and Officers Committee. He also participates on the Host Committee for MD Anderson’s signature fundraising event series, A Conversation With a Living Legend®, in Houston and Washington, D.C.

After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, Evans moved to Midland and worked on oil rigs for Tom Brown, Inc., a company he went on to lead as CEO. He later served on the UT System Board of Regents from 1995 until 2001, helping appoint John Mendelsohn, M.D., as president of MD Anderson in 1996 (Mendelsohn served until 2011). Evans credits that experience with cultivating his deep appreciation for and commitment to MD Anderson.

In 2001, Evans was appointed by President George W. Bush as the 34th Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce, serving in that role until 2005. From 2007 to 2018, Evans led Energy Future Holdings as the chairman. He is currently chairman of Permian Strategic Partners, acts as a senior advisor for Energy Capital Partners, and remains philanthropically active in his hometown of Midland, Texas. In addition to his BOV service, Evans volunteers on the Midland Memorial Hospital Board of Governors and as chairman of the George W. Bush Foundation.

Life Member: Peggy Sewell 
Peggy Sewell’s unwavering dedication to MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer is evidenced by her 40+ years of volunteer service to the institution. She joined the BOV in 1983 and has served as a senior member since 2006. Most recently, she served on the BOV’s Philanthropy Committee and the Clinical Operations and Patient Affairs Committee. She has been instrumental in the success of MD Anderson’s A Conversation With a Living Legend® fundraising events, which have raised more than $55 million since the signature series began in 1990. Over the past decade, Sewell has been crucial in building excitement around the annual Making Cancer History® seminar series and summer events in Aspen, CO. Her generosity to MD Anderson has supported biomedical imaging, cancer research initiatives and capital improvements.

Sewell is an active member of the philanthropic community in Dallas, TX, where she volunteers with the Junior League of Dallas, the Dallas Museum of Art and her alma mater, Southern Methodist University. Her husband, Carl J. Sewell, Jr., is the chairman of Sewell Automotive Companies, a third-generation, family-owned automobile enterprise.

In 2011, the Sewells established the Sewell Family Chair for Genomic Medicine at MD Anderson, which appointed Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer, as its inaugural holder in 2017. Through the Sewells’ generosity, the endowed chair was elevated in 2022 to the Sewell Family Distinguished University Chair in honor of the Chief Scientific Officer.