Staff Leadership
Kathleen Ruddy
Chief Executive Officer
Kathleen Ruddy joined the childhood cancer community in early 2001, unintentionally planning the growth of what would become the St. Baldrick's Foundation. From a family with an inherited gene mutation that causes multiple cancers, the mission for Kathleen is personal as well as professional. She knows cancer can bring out the best in everyone, and kids with cancer always do.
Kathleen enjoys meeting the Foundation's VIPs: volunteers, shavees, donors, advocates, researchers, families, and the kids who bring St. Baldrick's mission to life. Her travels to places as different as Aqaba, Jordan to Devil's Tower, Wyoming have afforded chance encounters with fellow disciples of St. Baldrick. As a St. Baldrick's Squire of Hope, Kathleen is a two-time shavee, DWYW participant, a member of the Foundation's Board of Directors, an active advocate for children with cancer, and always thinking of new ways to help and inspire others be the answer to childhood cancer.
Jennifer McCabe, CPA, CGMA
Chief Operating and Financial Officer
Jennifer McCabe joined the St. Baldrick's team in 2015 with over two decades of financial experience. With a love for crunching numbers, she rose through the ranks from accountant to SVP-CFO at her previous company. Jennifer holds a reputation for maintaining a high level of integrity, transparency and keeping everyone grounded in reality when it comes to the budget. It's her top priority to use every dollar wisely and asks that we all excuse her "budget face" (as she calls it) when doing a cost-benefit analysis!
Throughout her 8 years with St. Baldrick's, Jennifer has attended many St. Baldrick's events and has had the privilege of meeting many volunteers, donors, parents, and researchers. She will never forget the day a parent of a child with cancer shared that he credits St. Baldrick's for their child being alive. Connected to an impactful mission, Jennifer's motivation and commitment to helping the Foundation succeed stem from her connection with cancer in her and her husband's family.
Michael T. Lockard
Chief Development Officer
Michael began his career at Indianapolis-based JD Finish Line Foundation where he served in multiple roles and led its development for nine years. Most recently, he served as executive director and on the board of directors for Elevance Health CARES, Inc., the public charity affiliated with Indiana's largest publicly traded company, Elevance Health (formerly Anthem). Prior roles include serving as regional director for Catholic Charities of Los Angeles and leading corporate engagement efforts for the University of California, Davis.
Known as a collaborative, servant leader with a history of achieving results, he is excited to inspire and rally many others to create significant waves of change and progress in the fight against childhood cancer.
Michael earned his MPA with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from the Indiana University Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and BA from Indiana University, Bloomington. He also holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation.
Becky Weaver
Chief Mission Officer
Of her 31 years in the nonprofit sector, Becky has devoted 12 to the cause of childhood cancer research. She remembers the day some guys from New York called to say they planned to raise $17,000 by shaving heads at their St. Patrick's Day party... and the day they called back to say, “We raised $104,000 — and we're doing this again next year!”
Fast forward a few years: Becky became the second employee of the St. Baldrick's Foundation, where she now leads teams dedicated to taking care of families and making grants to researchers. Her mom, two aunts and an uncle are cancer survivors, and cancer took her younger brother at age 40. Finding a cure is not an option — it's an obsession.
Mark Arredondo
Director of Technology
As the overseer of all technology infrastructure and custom developments, Mark Arredondo joins the St. Baldrick's Foundation as the Director of Technology with over two decades of IT experience. In this role, Mark is committed to upholding a strong IT staff as the team works to set new technological developments that align with the Foundation's goals.
Through his personal connections with cancer, Mark understands the urgency that is needed to find cures and better treatments for kids with cancer. Joining the St. Baldrick's team has allowed Mark to help the Foundation continue to raise money through the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting the organization to a remote working environment and virtualizing the Foundation's signature in-person head-shaving events.
As the gatekeeper for passwords, remote access and Outlook connection, Mark holds a lot of power-but we promise he only uses it for good!
Mariela Castillo
Director of Special Events
Since 2006, Mariela has dedicated her time at St. Baldrick's to its signature head-shaving events and Do What You Want fundraising programs. She leads the special events team, who partner and work closely with volunteers across the country and around the globe in organizing their fundraising events, while helping them fulfill their personal ambition to further the mission of childhood cancer research.
Mariela believes that in order to improve the fundraising opportunities the Foundation has to offer, she has to experience it herself, so she's participated as a shavee, has organized head-shaving events and has done multiple DWYW fundraisers. Every day, she's not only inspired by the families and children the Foundation has impacted, but also by the volunteers who dedicate so much of themselves to find cures.
Marysol Jimenez
Executive Assistant
Marysol Jimenez joined the St. Baldrick's Foundation in 2012 as an executive assistant and advocate for childhood cancer research. Her introduction to the nonprofit sector began in 2006. Since her start with St. Baldrick's, Marysol has met various families at different stages in their cancer journey and witnessed first-hand the hurt and pain childhood cancer can place on a family.
With a heart for helping others, Marysol devotes her free time to supporting her church's community outreach programs and offers support to low-income families in various situations. Throughout her years at the Foundation, Marysol has enjoyed seeing the St. Baldrick's team grow and come together to put an end to childhood cancer.
Danette Ocaranza
Human Resources Director
Joining the St. Baldrick's Foundation in 2009, Danette Ocaranza serves as the Director of Human Resources and oversees recruitment, performance management, employee relations, employee benefits — and sometimes plays the role as the office therapist!
With a personal connection to kids, passion for helping the community, and over 20 years experience in human resource, Danette finds joy in combining her three passions to help and support each employee at St. Baldrick's. Danette often compares human resources to being a parent - and with 3 kids she definitely knows how to be empathetic, handle different personalities and resolve conflicts.
Roy Pasco
Director of Finance
With over 12 years of experience in healthcare and insurance finance, Roy brings expertise, dedication, and a creative approach to his role as St. Baldrick's Director of Finance. Known for his strategic mindset and ability to turn complex numbers into actionable insights, Roy has a reputation for fostering transparency and maximizing resources. After losing his grandfather and other loved ones to cancer, he is deeply committed to ensuring every dollar raised fuels lifesaving childhood cancer research.
Outside of spreadsheets and budgets, Roy is a proud dad, triathlete, and music enthusiast. He channels the same determination he brings to endurance races into his work, striving to build a strong financial foundation for St. Baldrick's. When not racing, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing music with his friends, and running a music studio with his best friend.
Roy received his bachelor's degree at St. Joseph's College, Philippines, and his MBA at Aspen University. His exceptional work ethic and leadership earned him recognition as the Rising Star CFO of the Year by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal in 2019.