ALSAC Names Martin Hand Chief Development Officer; Welcomes Deb Garcia as Senior Vice President of Strategy

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 7, 2026--

ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, today announced that Martin Hand has been appointed chief development officer. In his new role, Hand leads ALSAC’s revenue-generation and development efforts, including fundraising and philanthropy, corporate partnerships, donor acquisition and retention strategies, planned giving, direct response campaigns and other revenue-driving programs.

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ALSAC also announced that Deborah “Deb” Garcia has joined the executive leadership team as senior vice president of strategy. Garcia, who brings an exceptional track record of success at a global nonprofit, will oversee enterprise-wide strategy.

These leadership transitions reflect ALSAC President and CEO Ike Anand’s vision to reshape the organization for its next era of growth, aligning with key priorities in ALSAC's strategic plan.

“Martin is a collaborative, people-focused leader who understands every aspect of our business. He has worked in deep partnership with our Development team for years, and his expertise has been instrumental in driving growth and deepening donor connections,” Anand said. “And Deb brings bold, strategic vision and global fundraising expertise. Together, they offer a powerful combination of strategic vision, operational excellence and innovative thinking to help guide ALSAC into the future, enabling St. Jude to impact more of the 400,000 children around the world who develop cancer each year.”

Hand, a 12-year ALSAC veteran, previously served as chief donor and operations officer and was the first chief donor officer in the nonprofit sector. He has been instrumental in shaping donor engagement strategies and building high-touch cultivation programs that have helped ALSAC achieve record-breaking fundraising milestones and improving experiences for supporters to deepen their connection with the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.

Prior to joining ALSAC, Hand spent more than two decades in customer service leadership positions at United Airlines and Continental Airlines. As senior vice president of Customer Experience at United, he oversaw the integration of reservations and boarding systems following the 2010 merger with Continental and launched formal training workshops aimed at fostering empathy, better customer interactions and improved communication.

Hand holds an M.B.A. from Nova Southeastern University and a B.S. in Finance and Economics from Barry University.

Garcia has a track record of driving outsized growth and transformation in mission-driven organizations. A former management consultant, she most recently served as chief development officer at Doctors Without Borders US, leading a comprehensive development portfolio spanning mass marketing, major and planned giving, corporate partnerships, foundation funding and strategic philanthropy. Under her leadership, the organization realized nearly 20% revenue growth, scaling fundraising to approximately $800 million and setting a new benchmark for private philanthropy in humanitarian aid. She elevated the global brand and deployed an AI-driven modernization of fundraising and marketing efforts to drive effectiveness and efficiency.

Garcia holds an M.B.A. from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a B.A.S. from the University of Waterloo.

For more information about ALSAC’s leadership and mission, visit stjude.org.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ®

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. ® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate in the U.S. from 20% to more than 80% and it won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

Photo Courtesy ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Photo Courtesy ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola said Monday that she would challenge Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in this year's midterm elections, vowing to shake up the establishment to make life more affordable for Alaskans.

“Life is difficult here, and we know that we have to take care of each other,” Peltola said in a video announcement.

Peltola, who is Yup’ik, was the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress. She won special and regular elections in 2022, defeating a field that included Republican former Gov. Sarah Palin. In 2024, she lost to Republican Nick Begich, who had also run in 2022.

Peltola's time in Congress was marked by tragedy. Her mother died in 2023, and her husband died in a plane crash later that year.

Peltola focused on local concerns in her announcement, saying Alaska's future depends on fixing the “rigged system in D.C. that’s shutting down Alaska, while politicians feather their own nests.”

She said the salmon and migratory birds that once filled the freezers of Alaska Native subsistence hunters are now harder to find, forcing families who live far from the state's limited road system to rely on grocery stores for pricey staples, driven up by high transportation costs.

“It’s not just that politicians in D.C. don’t care that we’re paying $17 for a gallon of milk in rural Alaska," she said. "They don’t even believe us. They’re more focused on their stock portfolios than our bank accounts.”

Although Democrats are hopeful about picking up seats in this year's midterms, Alaska could prove to be difficult political terrain. Sullivan, a former state attorney general and natural resources commissioner, defeated the state's last Democratic senator in 2014.

The Republican National Committee said Peltola became “a rubber stamp for the far-left the second she got to Washington.”

"Alaskans saw through her empty promises then showed her the door, and she’ll lose to Dan Sullivan who fights for Alaskans every day,” RNC spokesperson Nick Poche said in a statement.

While serving in Washington, Sullivan has been involved in military and resource development issues, and he was endorsed by then-President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

“Senator Sullivan has spent years delivering real results for Alaska: historic investments in our state’s health care, major funding for our Coast Guard, helping protect those who can’t protect themselves and policies that are finally unleashing Alaska’s energy potential," his campaign spokesperson, Nate Adams, said in an email to The Associated Press.

“His opponent," Adams said, “served a term and a half in Congress where she didn’t pass a single bill. Alaskans deserve a senator with a proven record of getting things done, and the contrast couldn’t be clearer in this race.”

Peltola has long touted her ability to work across party lines, such as supporting the large Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope. She angered some Democrats in 2024 when she refused to endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race won by Trump.

Peltola said Alaska’s Republican congressional delegation used to ignore partisanship and do what was right for the state, such as backing public media and disaster relief, and even invoked Republican former Sen. Ted Stevens.

“It’s about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska First and, really, America First looks like,” Peltola said.

Alaska has open primaries and ranked choice voting in general elections. The top four vote-getters in the August primary regardless of party affiliation will advance to the November general election.

Thiessen reported from Anchorage, Alaska.

This photo combination shows Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, Oct. 10, 2024, in Anchorage, Alaska and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Feb. 8, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Bill Roth, Mariam Zuhaib/Anchorage Daily News via AP/AP, file)