COSTA MESA, Calif., May 3, 2009 – The Orange County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has appointed a group of outstanding community leaders to serve as the newest class of “Pink Tie Guys.” The title is given annually to men who are selected to advocate for the organization’s mission and extend support in the business community.
Each of the Pink Tie Guys is a prominent, influential businessman in Orange County asked to bring awareness of breast cancer to the forefront of the business world and communicate a powerful statement that everyone must be committed to finding a cure.
“With the need for breast health care more urgent than ever, the stalwart support of our Pink Tie Guys is exceptionally meaningful, especially to the thousands of women that receive Komen’s early detection and treatment services each year, said Lisa Wolter, executive director of the Komen Orange County Affiliate. “We are especially grateful to have exemplary business leaders who remember that breast cancer is an urgent disease that does not wait for the economy.”
This year’s Pink Tie Guys are:
• Dr. Bruce Albert, co-chair of the 2010 Komen Pink Tie Ball along with his wife Analisa, is a board certified orthopedic surgeon at Elite Orthopedics / Sports Medicine in Irvine, and has been in practice for 25 years. He is the owner of Newport Urgent Care, and the president of the Pelican Ridge Estates homeowners association. Bruce has volunteered with and contributed to several charities, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and has been involved with the Komen Orange County Affiliate for the past four years.
• Vince Ferragamo retired from professional football after 10 seasons, and is best remembered as the only quarterback to take the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl. He is very active in the community, volunteering with a number of charities and hosting the Vince Ferragamo Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic for the past 27 years to raise funds for a number of worthy causes.
• John J. Giovannone has more than 30 years of legal experience in a wide range of corporate and securities matters. His career spans several public and numerous private securities offerings, venture capital financings, hedge funds and commodity pools. He is a member of the State Bar of California and serves on the board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Orange County.
• Alfredo Molina, CEO of the Molina Group and proprietor of Black, Starr and Frost, comes from a lineage of master jewelers that dates back to seventeenth century Italy. With his extensive education and experience in the jewelry industry, he is considered an expert in the determination of the country of origin of gemstones. Alfredo and his family divide their time between Arizona and California, and volunteer with a variety of nonprofit organizations in each state.
• Wayne Pinnell, managing partner at Haskell & White LLP, assumed the role in 2004, following eight years as a partner in the firm’s Audit and Business Advisory Services Group. A part-time faculty member at California State University, Fullerton, Wayne serves as a director on the boards of directors for the Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council, the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Ana, and Laura’s House.
• Glenn B. Stearns is chairman of Stearns Corporation and CEO of a portfolio of financial services companies. Under his stewardship, Stearns Lending was recognized in May 2009 as the largest privately owned mortgage lender in California with over $6 billion in loan volume. Glenn is a lifelong believer in giving back, and donates his time, energy and resources to several nonprofit groups.
• Ty Taylor is group president of Experian InteractiveSM, previously served as president of Experian Consumer Direct and also spent eight years as a senior vice president and general manager for Equifax. Ty graduated with honors from the University of South Florida in Tampa, and also is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
The 2009 Pink Tie Guys will join the 27 previously selected Pink Tie Guys. Chris Anderson, Ed Arnold, Don Crevier, Harald Herrmann, Parker Kennedy, Glenn Schafer, and Anton Segerstrom were named in 2005; Dr.Richard Afable, Steve Churm, James Doti, Larry Higby, Peter Leets, James T. Morris, and the late Len Aoyama were named in 2006. Tim Ryan, Steven Pal, Gregory Mech, Max Gardner, Michael Drake, M.D., Barry Arbuckle, and Wylie Aitken were named in 2007. Bert Ellis, Michael Hayde, Dennis Kuhl, Jim Muzzy, Jim Ulcickas, and Henry Walker were named in 2008.
The Pink Tie Guys will be recognized at the Komen Orange County Affiliate’s fourth annual Pink Tie Ball, Saturday, May 15, at a private Atlantic Aviation hangar at John Wayne Airport. Tickets and more information are available by calling 714-957-9157.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Through events like the Komen Race for the Cure, nearly $1 billion has been invested to fulfill that promise, making Komen for the Cure the world’s largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to fighting breast cancer.
For more information on the Orange County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, please visit www.komenoc.org or call 714-957-9157.