The SAGERSTRONG FOUNDATION Names Scott Wilkinson, Jean Landmesser

The SagerStrong Foundation is honored to welcome Scott Wilkinson, Jean Landmesser and Valerie Wilkinson to its Foundation Board of Directors, it was announced today.

“Jean, Scott and Valerie bring a wealth of experience with extensive knowledge to the organization and we are honored to start 2021 off right by having them join us this year,” said Stacy Sager, Board President, SagerStrong Foundation.

The new Board of Director members’ terms will begin immediately and last for two years; their nominations were confirmed at a Board meeting in December. A quick recap of the new Board of Directors can be found below; a full bio and photo can be viewed at: https://sagerstrongfoundation.org/board-of-directors/

SagerStrong Foundation Board Member --Scott Wilkinson

Scott Wilkinson is the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for the Hawks and State Farm Arena. In 2004, Wilkinson assumed responsibility for all Hawks and State Farm Arena legal matters. He previously had the additional duty of Hawks Assistant General Manager from 2006 until 2015, serving in that basketball operations role during a stretch of eight consecutive Hawks playoff appearances under three different GMs. From 1999-2003, Wilkinson served as Assistant General Counsel for Turner Sports, Inc. Before his tenure at Turner, Wilkinson practiced law in both North Carolina and Washington D.C and was a NFLPA certified agent for the Buoniconti Sports Management Group. Prior to that, he was Judge Advocate in the United States Marine Corps, where he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, after over 20 years of combined active and reserve service. Wilkinson attended Duke University on a football scholarship and earned his A.B. degree, cum laude, in 1985. He earned his J.D. from Duke in 1988.

SagerStrong Foundation Board Member – Jean Landmesser

Jean Landmesser is an IT Professional with over 25 years’ experience helping clients with their IT Business Service Management needs. Landing her first IT job in 1995, Jean navigated the industry quickly deploying reporting solutions locally and internationally, and by the year 2000 she was a Director of Professional Services for a reseller of Remedy Corporation (now BMC Software).

In 2003, she started her own company, IT Prophets, with the goal of being the customer’s trusted advisor and making high quality implementations the company’s mantra. In a mostly sales-background, male-dominated profession, Jean’s professional services background and vision paid off and the company spent the next 15 years delivering affordable, referenceable ITSM implementations. Landmesser earned a BA from Furman University and a MS in CIS from Georgia State.

SagerStrong Foundation Board Member --Valerie Wilkinson

Valerie Wilkinson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point with a background in Merchandising and Communications. Upon graduation, Valerie has held several corporate roles, the most recent being the VP of Business at The Aspire Sport Marketing Group. She is active within her community and has held positions on various committees and boards – Make-A-Wish Foundation (Colorado), Colorado Realtors Executive Committee, and Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors Club – just to name a few. Valerie was a scholarship recipient to the Institute for Organizational Management, as well as the Economic Development School. A highlight of her career was being honored by the Mayor and City Council of Rochelle, IL for her outstanding contributions and receiving the key to the city for her work in establishing the Rochelle Enrichment Center and Meals on Wheels.

About the SAGERSTRONG Foundation

The SAGERSTRONG Foundation was founded in 2016 by former Turner Sports Reporter and Personality Craig Sager and his wife Stacy, to fund and support blood cancer research and trials, so that one day, leukemia patients and their families will not have to go through the battle they endured. The Foundation has raised over 1.1 million dollars to help fund blood cancer research, including two clinical trials at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. These important trials support Dr. Naveen Pemmaraju's (Craig's doctor) research with current Myelofibrosis patients and patients with Advanced Myeloproliferative Neoplasms. For an update on Dr. Pemmaraju’s research, please click here. The SagerStrong Foundation has also funded a grant with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to support the Beat AML Master Trial.

The SagerStrong Foundation entered into a two, year, cutting-edge research project grant with the V Foundation for Cancer Research in 2019. The partnership awarded a V Scholar Grant to Dr. Ami Bhatt for her research project titled, “Precisely Shaping the Intestinal Microbiome to Improve Cancer Therapy Outcomes.” Bhatt’s research, in the partnership’s name, is exploring how dietary changes might improve the intestinal environment in cancer patients. For more information on Dr. Bhatt’s research, click here. Your support helps us get closer to one day finding a cure for blood cancer! For additional information on the #SagerStrong Foundation and events, or to make a donation to support this important work, please visit sagerstrongfoundation.org .