OCRF: What is your hope for the future in terms of research, and the hope it can bring to those affected by ovarian cancer? Mindy Gray is a member of the executive committee of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Inc., the largest private philanthropy in the United States dedicated exclusively to funding ovarian cancer research. Mr. The pandemic hasn't changed their philanthropic strategy, but rather has them doubling down, Jon Gray, Blackstone's. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, receiving a degree in economics from the Wharton School as well as an English degree at Penn. our complete methodology , Design & development: This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 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Penn graduates Jon Gray, C'92, W'92, and Mindy Basser Gray, C'92, are stepping in to help. Gray recently donated $10million to purchase a building in northern Manhattan which will serve as the organization's second elementary school. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Unfortunately, we did not know this before she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. OCRF: Tell us about your sister, Faith, your relationship, and her lasting impact on your life that sparked you to create such a tremendous legacy in her name. Jon currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide. Thinking bigger, we want to develop a preventive vaccine for those not yet affected and a cure for women who are! He conducted his postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in the laboratory of Dr. Bert Vogelstein, where he studied the molecular genetics of colorectal cancer. It wasnt until after Faiths death that the family found out she inherited mutated BRCA genes. OCRF: As a longtime OCRF Board member, what are your feelings about the organization? She is the Chair of the Basser Leadership Council and serves on the boards of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and NYC Kids RISE. Read On, The ovarian cancer community needs you your support, your voice, your passion and commitment. . Jonathan Gray was born in 1970 to Chicago entrepreneurs. We are here to support you and your family, offering layers of support and many ways to connect. Mindy Gray, Chair Mindy Gray is the Co-founder of the Gray Foundation, a private foundation committed to maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income children in New York. The Basser Center Leadership Council tirelessly advocates, informs, and engages on behalf of the . But she turned loss into legacy and hurt into hope this year when she and her husband Jon founded the Basser Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania in honor of . Mindy Gray is the Co-Founder of the Gray Foundation, a private foundation committed to maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income children in New York. Share Your Design Ideas, New JerseysMurphy Defends $10 Billion Rainy Day Fund as States Economy Slows, What Led to Europes Deadliest Train Crash in a Decade, This Week in Crypto: Ukraine War, Marathon Digital, FTX. Dana Zucker is the Chief Executive Officer of the Gray Foundation. The Big Take is the very best of Bloomberg's in-depth, original reporting from around the globe every day. My sister Faith was a serious discount shopper. OCRAs support and education programs are available to help you navigate your diagnosis, treatment, and life after cancer. Because of this, the only way to truly reduce risk is removing a womans ovaries (and fallopian tubes). OCRF: If you could send one message to ovarian cancer survivors, their caregivers and loved ones, what would it be? [17] On 22 October 2022, The Wall Street Journal released an article by its editorial board in its printed edition, titled "Wall Street and Hong Kong's Strongman," mentioning Gray's name, and saying that "These executives may feel they have assets to protect in the city, but by kowtowing to Mr. Lee they are doing their reputations, and that of their companies, no good. Read On, OCRA is the voice for the ovarian cancer community, engaging with policymakers to keep this fight a priority. Blackstone raises $335 million for first real estate fund. OCRF: What is the ultimate goal of the Basser Center? The veteran oncology researcher quickly came up with an idea: To host a symposium where leading BRCA experts could gather and discuss issues in the field. [29], In October 2022, the Grays announced a gift of $55 million[36] to establish the Basser Cancer Interception Institute as part of the Basser Center for BRCA. Mindy Gray: The ultimate goal of the The Basser Center is eradicating risks from BRCA-related cancers once and for all. She also previously directed the NYC Department of Educations Office of Strategic Partnerships, ran after-school and summer programs in the Bronx and Washington Heights, and taught English at Riverdale Country School. [33] Town & Country (magazine) noted this work in its "Top Philanthropists of 2016" feature, in which the Grays were included. The Center is focused on funding scientific research and giving brilliant research scientists the state-of-the-art facilities and the freedom to discover innovative paths to treatment, prevention and cure. Previously, Dana was a Vice President at Teach For America and a Vice President at Lazard Freres & Co. She also worked as a consultant at Bain & Company, as well as in the Venture Capital and Investment Banking Groups at Morgan Stanley. Shari and her husband, Len Potter, created the Basser Global Prize initiative at the Center to fund BRCA research. In 2016, he ranked #1 on Commercial Observer's "Power 100" ranking of the most powerful people in New York City real estate. In creating the Basser Research Center in my sisters name, my husband Jon and I are fervently hoping that we can one day prevent other families from experiencing the unthinkable loss of a loved one. [5] In 1992, Gray graduated from the University of Pennsylvania magna cum laude with a B.A. Some of the world's best and brightest students aim their sights at an undergraduate education at Penn, but many lack the resources to embark on this journey. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. We know the pain of losing a loved one and dont want any other family to suffer the way we have. This is more proactive investing than reactive, says Mindy Gray. Were going out and asking them to think outside the box. The granteessome of whom are analyzing precancerous tissue while others are working on early detection methodswill meet again this winter to discuss and collaborate on their findings. Meet Mindy Gray: Wife, Mother, Sister, Philanthropist, and OCRF Board Member. I felt the more I was involved, the more I could help this mission. The Basser Center was established in 2012 with support from Penn alumni Mindy and Jon Gray in honor of Mindy's sister Faith Basser, who died of BRCA-related ovarian cancer at age 44. To broaden and organize their philanthropic efforts, the Grays brought in Chi Van Dang, the former director of the University of Pennsylvanias Abramson Cancer Center, to be the chief science advisor for their Gray Foundation in 2018. She served as the Executive Director of Teach For America - New York, and the Chief Operating Officer of ExpandED Schools. Mindy's sister, Faith with son, Logan. The very first event where I volunteered was OCRFs high-end garage sale Super Saturday. Jonathan D. Gray (born February 4, 1970) is an American billionaire businessman and the president and chief operating officer of Blackstone Group, a New York-based asset management firm. Mindy Gray: We are ALL IN on this mission and wont stop until progress is made! From our very first visit to the Abramson Cancer Center within which The Basser Research Center is housed, we were impressed with its beaker to bedside capabilities. On Tuesday, private equity tycoon Jonathan Gray and his wife Mindy announced $25 million in funding for research on pernicious genetic mutations that can lead to breast and ovarian cancer. 12/14/2012 | Mindy Gray was devastated by the passing of her beloved older sister, Faith Basser. Gray was born in Highland Park, Illinois to a Jewish family. After organizing the meeting last September, the foundation sought grant proposals from researchers around the world. Most are units that are convertible into common stock on a one-for-one basis, according to the document. We know the pain of losing a loved one and dont want any other family to suffer the way we have. The aspirational goal would be to understand the process of cancer development early enough and then look at ways to intervene, hopefully eradicate, prevent the cancer from even developing., What we aspire to do is build a precancer atlas for BRCA, lay a road map for everyone in the world to use, continues Dang. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Mr. Gray currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide. In our case, it was not that it was overlooked by doctors; it was simply a question of not knowing our family history. The Grays are out to change the landscape with their latest research grants, believing BRCA-related cancers can be dramatically reduced through advanced testings that catch the disease before the cancer forms. Thanks to Faith, I was certainly among the only seven-year-olds seeing the movie Annie Hall the day it was released. . He also serves on the board of Harlem Village Academies and Trinity School. [39] Gray serves on the board of The Trinity School, as well as on the board of Harlem Village Academies,[40] a group of charter schools in New York City. But she turned loss into legacy and hurt into hope this year when she and her husband Jon founded the Basser Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania in honor of her sister who succumbed to ovarian cancer at the age of 44. September 15, 2022 $55 million gift to Penn is aimed at stopping breast cancer before it starts Mindy Gray and her husband, Blackstone president Jon Gray, gave the money in honor of Mindy's sister Faith Basser. Pat Morin is the Scientific Advisor for the Gray Foundation. The Basser Center for BRCA, founded in 2012 by Penn alumni Mindy Basser Gray, C'92, and Jon Gray, C'92, W'92, works to free the world of the devastating effects of BRCA-related cancers and, in doing so . Blackstone has $915 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2022, according to the company's website. articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! The bridegroom, 25, is an associate in the real estate department of the Blackstone Group, an investment banking concern in New York. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Masters in Education Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. The publicly traded company manages $915 billion in assets as of March 31, 2022. and each individual billionaire profile contains a detailed analysis of how that person's fortune is tallied. The Basser enter was named in honor of Faith asser, Mindy's sister who died of BRCA-related ovarian cancer at the age of 44. Faith was artistic, creative, musical, and mathematical. OCRF: Tell us about the path that led you and Jon to together create the Basser Research Center with a $25 million gift to the University of Pennsylvania. [43] He lives in Manhattan with his wife and their four daughters. This was when I knew that my relationship with OCRF was meant to be. The couple both graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Posted on His father worked in his family business, a maker of auto parts, while his mother ran a catering business, according to a 2011 profile of Gray in the New York Observer. Though breast cancer can be screened through mammograms and MRIs, tests and prevention for ovarian cancer remain elusive, and the disease often flies under the radar until its later stages. He previously served as Director of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. She holds an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Mindy Gray: Faith was my mentor, my guide, my role model. She taught me to talk to animals, especially our crazy cats, she taught me to enjoy Kraft macaroni and cheese at midnight (even when I wasnt the slightest bit hungry), and she taught me that no walks too long if you have a friend by your side. The couple has supported the University throughout their 25 years since graduation. articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! See the article in its original context from. These are serious risks that must be managed and because they will affect family members across generations, they are risks that also must be communicated. No surprise that she was also an incredible, and incredibly doting, mom. They have four daughters. in English from the School of Arts & Sciences and a B.S. He has given many lectures as an invited speaker, and has chaired several scientific symposia. Mindy and Jon Gray graduated from Penn in 1992. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The Big Take is the very best of Bloomberg's in-depth, original reporting from around the globe every day. She was the best kind of mix of big sister, mother and friend. Gray and Mindy Basser have two children. There are so many ways to lend a hand, to improve the lives of thousands of patients and their families, and get us one step closer to a cure. Pat has served on numerous grant study sections for both national and international organizations. We had an engineer from MIT in the meeting, and theyre on standby to work with the other groups and say, if you guys find some signals for early cancers, we can build new drugs that will go right after those cells specifically and eradicate them.. At the very least, we want to develop a tool that can discover disease well before it presents itself. Bloomberg reporting. In May 2012, Gray and his wife, Mindy Gray, founded the Basser Research Center, named in honor of Mindy's sister, Faith Basser, who died of ovarian cancer at age 44. In calculating net worth, Bloomberg News strives to provide the most transparent calculations available, Jon Gray is the Co-Founder of the Gray Foundation. [28], The Grays have donated over $150 million to BRCA cancer research. Gray and Mindy Basser were married in 1995 at Temple Beth Zion Israel in Philadelphia, where Rabbi Ira F. Stone performed the service.