(January 4, 2010) −Kathelen V. Amos, President of the Aflac Foundation, and an ardent supporter of pediatric cancer programs in Georgia and around the country, has been elected to Chair the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Cancer Coalition for 2010-12, and has been appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees of Emory University.
Amos has been a Georgia Cancer Coalition board member since 2002, when she was Executive Vice President, Director of Corporate Communications and Deputy Counsel at Aflac, which she joined in 1985. Under her direction, Aflac launched their award-winning Aflac duck advertising campaign. She retired from Aflac in 2005, but retained her role as president of the Aflac Foundation and as the relationship advisor to the Aflac Cancer Center. She works with her husband, Dan, on his personal philanthropic endeavors and also serves as the president of the Paul S. Amos Educational Foundation.
In 1995, she initiated Aflac’s unprecedented charitable contribution to the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. To date, that support has grown to more than $50 million. Aflac’s commitment is accompanied by the personal involvement and support of their executive management, sales agents and employees. Monetary endowments for specific programs have also been funded as “chairs,” including the Kathelen V. Amos Children’s Chair for Cancer Survivorship.
In Columbus, the Amos’ received the American Cancer Society’s “Visionary” award in 2007 in recognition of Aflac’s three major cancer research fundraising events in Muscogee County. She was also named “Volunteer of the Year” by Columbus Technical College in 2007 in recognition of her work as co-chair of their “Tomorrow’s Workforce…Today” campaign. Kathelen is a member of the board of trustees of Emory University, Brookstone School, the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley and Columbus Bank and Trust. Aflac has also supported the John B. Amos Cancer Center, a new library, Columbus State University and more in their home community.
Aflac also made major commitments to cancer research as a Founding Sponsor of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR); sponsor of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University for their triple negative breast cancer research symposium; donor to Curing Kids Cancer; and generous contributor to numerous children’s cancer centers in Albany, New York; Nebraska; Los Angeles and San Diego, California and Southwest Florida.
“The Georgia Cancer Coalition is honored to have the business acumen, leadership, and personal commitment of Kathelen Amos as Chair. We look forward to making a significant impact in the state of Georgia under her direction,” says William J. Todd, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Georgia Cancer Coalition.
The Georgia Cancer Coalition leads Georgia's comprehensive cancer initiative, uniting people and organizations to work together to save lives and reduce suffering from cancer. As a public-private partnership, the Coalition works to strengthen existing cancer-related programs and create new initiatives to accelerate cancer prevention, early detection, research, and treatment. By providing assistance and guidance in the use of Georgia's resources, the Georgia Cancer Coalition hopes to reduce cancer mortality and incidence.
