ALSAC Installs New Leadership to Drive Next Era of Growth for St. Jude

MEMPHIS, TN – January 07, 2026 – In a significant strategic move, ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, has appointed two new executives to its leadership team. The organization named 12-year veteran Martin Hand as its new chief development officer and welcomed former Doctors Without Borders US executive Deborah “Deb” Garcia as senior vice president of strategy.

The appointments are a cornerstone of President and CEO Ike Anand’s vision to reshape the organization for its next chapter of growth. This strategic realignment is designed to supercharge the fundraising engine that powers St. Jude's mission, which is currently in the midst of its largest-ever strategic investment: a $12.9 billion, six-year plan to accelerate research and treatment for childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases worldwide.

“Martin is a collaborative, people-focused leader who understands every aspect of our business. He has worked in deep partnership with our Development team for years, and his expertise has been instrumental in driving growth and deepening donor connections,” Anand said. “And Deb brings bold, strategic vision and global fundraising expertise. Together, they offer a powerful combination of strategic vision, operational excellence and innovative thinking to help guide ALSAC into the future, enabling St. Jude to impact more of the 400,000 children around the world who develop cancer each year.”

A Strategic Pairing of Innovation and Experience

The dual appointments represent a calculated fusion of deep institutional knowledge with external, tech-forward innovation. As the new chief development officer, Martin Hand will leverage his extensive history within ALSAC, where he most recently served as chief donor and operations officer. In that role, he was recognized as the first chief donor officer in the nonprofit sector, pioneering strategies that refined donor engagement and built high-touch cultivation programs. His leadership has been a key factor in ALSAC achieving record-breaking fundraising milestones.

Hand’s expertise in nurturing donor relationships is now paired with Deb Garcia’s proven track record of driving transformative growth. As senior vice president of strategy, Garcia is tasked with overseeing the enterprise-wide strategic vision. She joins ALSAC from Doctors Without Borders US, where, as chief development officer, she led the organization to achieve nearly 20% revenue growth, scaling its fundraising to approximately $800 million and setting a new standard for private philanthropy in the humanitarian sector.

This leadership structure—combining an internal master of donor relations with an external architect of data-driven growth—is designed to create a powerful synergy. Hand's intimate understanding of the St. Jude donor base and organizational culture provides a stable foundation, while Garcia is expected to build upon it with cutting-edge strategies, including the AI-driven modernization of fundraising and marketing efforts she successfully deployed in her previous role.

Modernizing Philanthropy in a Challenging Landscape

ALSAC’s leadership overhaul comes at a critical time for the nonprofit sector. Charitable organizations globally are grappling with significant headwinds, including declining donor retention rates and economic uncertainty. Recent industry data shows a persistent drop in the total number of donors since 2020, with first-time donor retention being a particular challenge. In North America, the average donor retention rate fell to 46% in 2023, meaning more than half of all donors did not make a repeat gift.

In this environment, relying on traditional fundraising methods is no longer sufficient. The most successful organizations are turning to technology and data analytics to create more personalized, efficient, and impactful donor journeys. Garcia’s appointment, in particular, signals ALSAC’s commitment to leading this charge. Her success at Doctors Without Borders US was partially attributed to her deployment of AI-driven tools to enhance fundraising effectiveness, a strategy that is becoming essential for identifying high-potential donors, optimizing engagement, and ultimately increasing revenue.

By embracing these modern approaches, ALSAC—which consistently earns top marks from charity evaluators like Charity Navigator for its financial efficiency and accountability—aims to not only navigate the current challenges but also set new benchmarks for the industry. The goal is to build a more resilient and dynamic fundraising model capable of sustaining the immense financial needs of St. Jude's expanding global mission.

Fueling the Future of Pediatric Cancer Care

The impact of these executive appointments extends far beyond corporate boardrooms and revenue charts. The ultimate objective is to provide the resources necessary for St. Jude to execute its ambitious 2022-2027 strategic plan, the largest in its 60-year history. This $12.9 billion commitment is focused on dramatically expanding patient care, clinical research, and global outreach.

The funds raised by Hand and Garcia's teams will directly support groundbreaking initiatives. This includes a $3.7 billion investment to advance cancer-focused research, with the goal of raising survival rates for high-risk cancers and improving the quality of life for survivors. It also involves a more than tripling of investment in global efforts, with over $470 million dedicated to expanding St. Jude’s reach. A key component of this global initiative is a collaboration with the World Health Organization to create a Pediatric Cancer Global Drug Access Program, which will distribute life-saving anti-cancer drugs to low- and middle-income countries.

Furthermore, the plan allocates $2.3 billion for new construction and capital needs, including new towers for patient care and research, and an investment of over $250 million to expand state-of-the-art technology and resources for scientists. This massive undertaking is only possible because of ALSAC's fundraising success, as an estimated 89% of the funds needed to sustain and grow St. Jude must be raised from generous donors.

This leadership evolution at ALSAC ensures that the organization is strategically positioned to generate the support needed for St. Jude to continue its pioneering work. It reinforces the hospital's foundational promise, established by founder Danny Thomas, that no family ever receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, allowing them to focus solely on helping their child live. With this new leadership structure, ALSAC is poised to not only meet but exceed its fundraising goals, ensuring St. Jude's promise to children everywhere continues to be fulfilled.