About MRC: Who We Are

Lawrence Cummings, CAE, Chief Executive Officer

Larry Cummings was named CEO of Medical Research Charities in April of 2011. He began his career in Washington, DC, as an assistant to former Congressman Lee Hamilton of Indiana. He later served as Director of Government Relations for the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, subsequently being named the first Director of the Chamber’s Small Business Council. That led to an appointed position in the US Small Business Administration, where as one of ten Regional Advocates he worked closely with the Governors’ offices and state legislatures in both New York and New Jersey. He then became a Special Assistant to the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, a position he held for six years. Immediately prior to joining MRC, Cummings served as Executive Director of the Central New York School Boards Association. While there he also founded the Statewide School Finance Consortium, which is now comprised of more than 300 school districts in New York State. Larry received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the State University of New York and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Policy at Syracuse University. He is also a Certified Association Executive (CAE), a designation awarded by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).
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Leah Hamilton, Director of Admission and Member Services

As Director of Admission and Member Services, Leah works directly with member charities and applicants to ensure that they understand and meet the Combined Federal Campaign’s eligibility criteria. In her role, she communicates regularly with applicants and member charities regarding their applications for admission to the CFC and to Medical Research Charities. A graduate of Cincinnati Christian University with a B.S. in Psychology, Leah joined Workplace Giving Alliance in 2005. Born in Costa Rica, Leah spent most of her early years in South America. She has traveled widely including many countries in South America, Japan, Morocco, and Spain.
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Nancy Rexford, Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Nancy Rexford oversees the fiscal operations at Workplace Giving Alliance including pledge processing and distributions. She has worked with the organization since 2004 in finance, admissions and corporate compliance. A graduate of Vassar College (B.A.) and the University of Iowa (M.A.), Nancy has been involved in the non - profit world for decades. In the 1970s and 80s, she was assistant director of Historic Northampton. In the 90s, she was curator of the Danvers Historical Society. She has advised over 60 museums across the country including the Smithsonian and Yale University. Nancy is a composer, pianist, and church organist, and is a board member of the New Opera and Musical Theater Initiative.
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Marshall Strauss, CEO, Workplace Giving Alliance

Marshall has been involved in the Combined Federal Campaign for many years. CEO of the Workplace Giving Alliance, he is also a board member of several CFC federations. He is a director of the Combined Federal Campaign Foundation and was for two years the chair of the National CFC Committee. Marshall has been active in the philanthropic field since the mid 1980s. He was the founder and executive director of the Democracy for China Fund, organizing in 1991 the Fund’s Human Rights Delegation to China, led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi. In the mid 1990s, he helped to lead Freedom Channel which supported democratic reforms in the former Soviet Union. A former research associate at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Marshall was also a member of the adjunct faculty at Emerson College. He has been interviewed extensively by national and international media including the BBC, Russian National Television, the Washington Post, United Press International, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
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Brian Crawford, Director

Vestagen

Orlando, FL

Dr. Steven A. Fike, Director

Wine Customs LLC

San Francisco, CA

Mike Howland, Audit Chair

Jacksonville University

Atlanta, GA

Janni Lehrer-Stein, Director

San Francisco, CA

Yolanda Miller, Treasurer

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Landover, MD

Dr. Al Moloff, Secretary

Reno, NV

Kim Novena, Vice-Chair

Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies

San Diego, CA

Kathy Skipper, Chair

Centers of Disease Control and Prevention

Atlanta, GA