Phylecia Wilson - International Relay Advisory Team Chair
Biography
Phylecia graduated from Georgia State with a BA in Communications/Public Relations and works through her own business, Communications Ink as a writer and PR consultant. She has been married to Dick Wilson for more than 40 years. They have two grown children, Allison and Ashley and two grandchildren, Taylor (8) and Celia Kate (6). Phylecia and Dick live in the north east Georgia mountains and they enjoy golf, gardening and travel. In addition to her Relay For Life work, Phylecia serves on her South Atlantic Division Board of Directors and on the ACS National Assembly. She is an advocate for cancer issues and as such, serves on the ACS Cancer Action Network (ACSCAN) National Board of Directors. She is a member of the Relay For Life Hall of Fame.

Relay Experience
A long-time volunteer and fundraiser for the ACS, Phylecia started Relaying in 1993 as chair of the Gwinnett County Relay For Life. She was a national trainer for several years and served as chair of the RFL National Advisory Team for three years. Her reason to Relay grew through the years as she lost close friends and relatives to cancer. But it became even more personal in 2001 when she was didagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia and went into a clinical trial for a trageted drug, Gleevec. She learned that the drug was developed by a researcher who received his first grant that helped him start his research from the American Cancer Society. Perhaps some of the money she had helped raised for the past 25 years had gone toward his grant! Due to early detection and this miracle drug, Phylecia has an incredible quality of life and is in remission. She Relays with the dream that suffering from cancer will end in her lifetime and if not a cure that there will be treatments like Gleevec for all cancer and that it would be available to all afflicted by cancer.

 

 

 

Iris Pendergast - RFL Training Manager/International Department
Biography
Iris has worked for the American Cancer Society since 2001, first in the California Division as a Relay staff; and then in 2004, she moved to International Relay For Life as the Lead Training Manager.  Since then, she has had the privilage to bring the Relay Tribal Wisdom to 20 countries, and had the opportunity to work with wonderful, passionate volunteers here in the US from all our divisions, and now the volunteers on the IRAT Team, but also have had the honor to meet volunteers, survivors from all over the world. "The one thing I know is that we are One World - One Hope," she says.

Relay Experience
I have participated in Relay For Life since 2001.  This year, I am on the IAD team, and although I won't be able to actually attend the event I am an active member of the team! I have also attended Relay events in Australia, South Africa, France, Japan, Honduras, and later this year I will attend the Kingston Relay in Jamaica.

 

 

Gina Myracle
Biography
Gina is a Registered Nurse and has been employed by West Tennessee Healthcare for 29 years.  She currently serves as Executive of cancer services, West Tennessee Cancer Center. Gina is married to Dudley who is a Vice-President of First Bank, and they have two daughters, Molly and Allison. Molly is married to Jason and they are the parents of Gina's first precious grandson, Noah.

 

Relay Experience
I got involved in Relay For Life becuase someone asked me to chair the first Relay event in my hometown in 1996. I chaired that event for 2 years and have remained actively involved. As a result of getting involved in my hometown, I also got involved in the much larger event in the town that I worked in 1999. I have served in various roles of that Relay including Event Chair, Survivor Chair, Team Development Chair, Advocacy Chair, and Production Chair. At the state level, I am member of the Tennessee State Council.  As part of the Mid-South Division Inc, responsiblities include Division Board member, Relay Advisory Team Chair, and Relay Training Team Chair. At the national level, I am currently on the Nationwide Leadership Training Team, and serve on the International Leadership Training Team. Other American Cancer Society volunteer roles include So Glad You Asked facilitator, I Can Cope facilitator, Community Ambassador, and Celebration on the Hill I and II ambassador. Even though I got involved with Relay For Life because it sounded like fun, since that time my father was diagnosed with cancer and is a survivor thanks to American Cancer Society funded research. Now I stay involved because it is still fun, but I have a deep and personal passion to meet the goals of the ACS to eliminate cancer.

 

Linda Brissette
Biography
Linda is the Operations Coordinator for Laura Canada, a Canadian women’s retailer. A lot of her work involves communications, organization and logistics. She works in Laval, Quebec, Canada which is a suburb of Montreal.

Relay Experience
I began my Relay career 6 years ago. Many of us in the office wanted to ‘do something’ such as walk for a cause but we weren’t’ sure what we wanted to do. Our company was already involved on a corporate level with the Canadian Cancer Society so I called them up and they sent someone over to meet with us. He showed a Relay promo video. We were hooked! We, the employees at the Laura Canada head Office, formed a team and I have been team captain ever since. We will participate in our sixth relay this year. Five years ago the local office of the cancer society asked me to be part of the organization committee and this will be my fifth year on this committee, the last three years as event chair. After a while it just got too complicated to try to explain what I was doing at Relay to my family so Eric, my spouse, now Relays with me. He is the logistics coordinator for our local relay and he travels with me to visit other relays in Quebec. I feel privileged to be able to share this passion with him. This year I received a special honour, being asked to join the International Relay Advisory Team working on bringing the Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. message around the world, and in the process, get us all closer to the cure. This has enabled me to meet many great fellow Relayers!

 

Rosanne Radke
Biography
Rosanne works at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, where she works with college students with learning disabilities. She has been married to her husband, Paul, for 30 years and they have two daughters, one son-in-law and two cats!

Relay Experience
My husband and I were asked to co-chair the first Relay in our community in 1995 and the first Calloway County, KY Relay For Life was held in April 1996. I have served as the Team Recruitment Chair, Sponsorship Chair and currently serve as the Relay 101 chair for our Relay. This Relay was recognized as #1 in the Nation per capita in 2000 under my tenure as Chair and has remained in the top ten in the nation since. As I continue to help with my local Relay For Life event I also volunteer on a state, division and national level. I have served as Chair of the Mid-South Division Relay Advisory Team. I serve on several National committees, including the National Leadership Training Team where I travel across the country developing future Relay leadership. For the past two years I have served as Chair of the National Relay Advisory Team. In addition, I was the Luminaria Co-Chair for Celebration on the Hill in 2006 and served as an Ambassador at Celebration on the Hill in 2002. I am thoroughly enjoying my involvement with the International Relay Advisory Team and can't wait to meet some more Relayers!

 

Adam Schwartz
Biography
Adam Schwartz, a native of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, is a two-time graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he received both his Bachelors in Accountancy with minors in business, leadership, and international studies and Masters of Accounting Science. He currently works at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in their International Assignment Services (Tax) group.

Relay Experience
Adam previously served locally as President of Colleges Against Cancer and Event Chair of the Relay For Life of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and helped lead the chapter to CAC National Chapter of the Year – Honorable Mention and Relay For Life of the Year. He has also served as summit chair of the Colleges Against Cancer National Leadership Summit, National Collegiate Leadership Summit, and Illinois Youth Summit, and has presented at various local, Divisional, National, and International programs. Previously he sat as the CAC National Program Growth Chair. He currently also serves on the National Business Group of Volunteerism, Relay For Life Nationwide Leadership Training Team, International Relay For Life Advisory Team, Illinois Division Income Development Committee, and the Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society. Most recently, Adam has helped to lead the new College to Community Task Force Initiative helping to transition Colleges Against Cancer and collegiate Relay For Life volunteers from college to their new communities, and helped to develop a new Student Leadership Initiative to help develop future leaders throughout the Society.

 

Dawn Ramsay
Biography
Dawn works part-time from home for a fire protection consulting firm.  She is thankful for the opportunity to be able to stay home with her sons, Dylan 7 and Devin 4, and spend her spare time working on Relay For Life.

Relay Experience
My first experience with Relay was when I formed a team in 2002 in the city I grew up, Vallejo, California. I had never heard of the American Cancer Society or Relay For Life but fell in love with it in those 24 hours. The following year I was on the Team Development Committee, running the Team Captain Meetings. When I was sent to Leadership Relay I was pulled outside of my community “box” to learn the mission of the American Cancer Society and transitioned immediately to the Mission Delivery Chair. I was so excited to educate my community on the mission and what the American Cancer Society can do for them. After four years in Vallejo, I joined the Relay For Life of Vacaville, the town where I currently live and I am thrilled to Co-Chair our event this year. I currently serve as the Regional Lead Volunteer in the Greater Bay/Redwood Empire in the California Division. I have also participated in numerous California Division Summit committee groups and chaired a California Division Team Development Conference as well as a Relay University Workshop Committee.

 

Thelma Suson
Biography
Thelma is a 23-year Delta Air Lines employee with an expertise in training. Her strength is in facilitation, implementation, coaching, mentorship and public speaking. She enjoys working closely with new hires as well as facilitating recurrent training in a call center of about 1,000 employees.She also had the opportunity to train vendor partners in India three times in three different cities. "At Delta, I was very fortunate to work with an amazing group of training professionals who were not just co-workers; they were my friends who stood by me during my cancer journey," says Suson.  When Delta restructured its work force, Thelma took an early retirement package and decided to live a semi-retired life. This gave her an opportunity to spend time with her 3 grandchildren in California. Having these 3 grandchildren gave her a stronger resolve to fight cancer with all her might. "Our future generation should never have to hear the phrase 'you have cancer'."

Relay Experience
HOPE came in the form of a “Survivors Lap” during my first relay. It was during this walk with other survivors where I met people in purple shirts happily celebrating their lives as survivors of 1,10, 15 or more years. It occurred to me then that I was not going to die and my kids will still have a mother. With the change of my attitude my cancer journey became bearable. There was no turning back. My volunteer world began as a survivor who vowed to fight cancer, to a team captain, event chair etc. I began sharing my story to anyone who listens or ask as I believe every survivor or caregiver has a story to tell to give hope and encouragement to others. Becoming a Hero of Hope gave me more opportunities to promote the amazing resources and services the American Cancer Society has for those going through their cancer journey. I became an ambassador for ACS, sharing my story in relay events, meetings, Celebration on the Hill, and my hometown in the Philippines. My work experience in training and leadership has been put to good use through Relay for Life. Upon returning to work after my cancer treatment, I formed a Relay for Life team at Delta. Last summer, I was invited to be the motivational speaker of a leadership conference at my daughter’s corporate office in California. Immediately that same day, the leadership announced Relay for Life as their community partner. Spring of 2009, their company has formed a relay team in every community they have business in all over California. For me, that is Priceless!

 

 

Julie Brickner
Biography
Julie has worked for the American Cancer Society for almost 15 years. She started out in mission delivery in Toledo, Ohio. Since then, Julie has worked in Relay For Life, Operations and Field Management. Currently, she serves as the Vice-President of Employee Relations (human resources). She is responsible for the training and career development of staff.  She has certifications in facilitating, interpersonal communication skills, remote worker management, managing without authority, DISC profile tools, conflict management and effective interviewing. Julie is also a member of the National Leadership Training Team and the International Relay Advisory Team. Family is very important to Julie.  "They help keep me sane and they remind me why our mission is so important," she says.

Relay Experience
I Relay for all the people who have never heard of the American Cancer Society or Relay For Life. We reach many people with our 1-800 number, our website , Relay For Life etc. People know how to contact us if they need us. To me, it is a good day when someone doesn't need to know how to contact us. I think it is great that everyday, there are people that don't even need to know who we are. I Relay so they never have to know who we are.