Meet the New PMC Board & Advisory Board Members

The Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), the largest single athletic fundraising event in the country, today announced the expansion of its Board of Directors and Advisory Board with four new members. These accomplished leaders each bring deep professional expertise, long-standing commitment to the PMC, and a shared passion for the organization’s mission to advance cancer research and patient care. Through these new appointments, the PMC is further strengthening its ability to raise funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the nation’s leading centers for cancer research and care, with a goal of providing the Institute’s doctors and researchers with the necessary resources to discover cures for every cancer.

Joining the PMC Board of Directors are Grace Lee, President & CEO of St. Mary’s Credit Union, and Mike Roberge, Chairman of MFS Investment Management.

Lee has extensive leadership experience across both the private and public sectors, including her time previously serving as Executive Vice President and Massachusetts Regional President at M&T Bank. In that role, she was instrumental in developing M&T’s PMC co-presenting sponsorship. As a dedicated participant, Lee has taken part in the PMC and PMC Winter Cycle for six years.

Roberge brings more than two decades of extraordinary fidelity to the PMC Board of Directors as both a rider and champion of the cause. Under Roberge’s leadership, MFS has been a PMC sponsor since 1999 and remains the organization’s longest-tenured major sponsor, while Roberge himself has participated in 25 PMC rides during that time, raising more than $2 million.

Chris Nikolis, Executive Vice President of Business Development for the American Hockey League, and Fatima Scipione, Vice President of Global Patient Affairs at Blueprint Medicines, have joined the PMC Advisory Board.

Nikolis is deeply engaged in the PMC community, participating in all PMC spokes in the wheel: PMC weekend, the PMC Winter Cycle, PMC Unpaved, and PMC Kids Rides. As part of his dedicated involvement, Nikolis has served as a leader of the highly successful Suffield PMC Kids Ride for 14 years, ridden the PMC 18 times, participated in the Winter Cycle three times, and volunteered at PMC Unpaved for three years.

Scipione, a 2-year volunteer, is a strong PMC advocate who has played a key role in securing sponsorships from several biotechnology companies, bringing a valuable perspective at the intersection of patient advocacy, innovation, and corporate partnership to the role.

“Grace, Mike, Chris, and Fatima all exemplify the heart of the PMC with their leadership, generosity, and dedication to our mission. We are honored and excited to welcome them into their new roles as Board and Advisory Board members,” said PMC Founder and Chairman Billy Starr. “Their experience and commitment will help continue to propel the PMC forward as we advance our work to fund life-saving cancer research and care.”

About the Pan-Mass Challenge

The Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) is a bike-a-thon that today raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the world. Founded in 1980 by Billy Starr – who remains the event's founder & chairman, an annual cyclist, and a fundraiser – the PMC has raised $1.125 billion for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. As Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor, the organization generates 67 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar goes directly to fueling cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber. In addition to its two-day bike-a-thon across Massachusetts, the PMC is powered by further “spokes in the wheel,” with initiatives including the PMC Winter Cycle, an indoor spin event, PMC Unpaved, a gravel bike ride, and PMC Kids Rides, mini bike-a-thons for children ages 2 to 15. The PMC attracts riders and volunteers from 47 states and 12 countries and over 300,000 individual donors. Across events, the PMC has successfully melded support from committed cyclists, volunteers, corporate sponsors, and individual donors, all of whom are essential to the PMC's goal and model: to attain maximum fundraising efficiency while increasing its annual gift. The PMC's aspiration is to provide Dana-Farber's doctors and researchers with the necessary resources to discover cures for all cancers. For more information, visit www.pmc.org.

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