Since joining Blackstone in 1992, Jon has helped build the largest real estate platform in the world with $115 billion in investor capital under management. Charissa has dedicated the last 25 years to expanding educational opportunity for NYC youth. In partnership with the Basser Center for BRCA and leading cancer institutions across the country, the Basser Initiative @ Gray Foundation is advancing research and awareness efforts. In 2012, Mindy and Jon Gray made a transformative gift to establish the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine's Abramson ancer Center and to date have given over $55 million towards its mission. Women with a BRCA 1 mutation have a 60-80% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and a 20-45% lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer. Mindy is actively involved at the Harlem Village Academies charter schools and sits on the Leadership Council of Peer Health Exchange, an organization dedicated to giving teens a comprehensive health education. In May 2012, Gray and his wife, Mindy Gray, founded the Basser Research Center, named in honor of Mindy's sister, Faith Basser, who died of ovarian cancer at age 44. [5] His parents divorced when he was young. Assumes role of president and chief operating officer of Blackstone. Stakes in publicly traded companies are valued using the share's most recent closing price. Women with a BRCA 1 mutation have a 60-80% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and a 20-45% lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Blackstone raises $335 million for first real estate fund. I felt the more I was involved, the more I could help this mission. Despite our twelve-year age gap, she always treated me like an equal. The Center is focused on funding scientific research and giving brilliant research scientists the state-of-the-art facilities and the freedom to discover innovative paths to treatment, prevention and cure. The Basser Center for BRCA, founded in 2012 by Penn alumni Mindy Basser Gray, C'92, and Jon Gray, C'92, W'92, works to free the world of the devastating effects of BRCA-related cancers and, in doing so . Jon and I are both University of Pennsylvania graduates and feel a deep connection to the University. people. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. in English from the School of Arts & Sciences and a B.S. [11], In 2013, Gray helped create a business venture through Blackstone called Invitation Homes to buy foreclosed single-family houses and turn them into rentals. articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! Jon and Mindy Gray's gift will fund an institute focused on early detection of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers. from the Wharton School. Dang and a group of independent scientists eventually vetted over 50 applications to decide on seven teams with researchers spanning from Harvard and Cornell to Australias QIMR Berghofer and Britains Wellcome Sanger Institute. Gray has been a major Democratic donor, backing Hillary Clinton in 2016[21] and several Democratic presidential candidates in the 2020 election[22][23][24][25], The Gray Foundation was launched in 2014, focusing on inherited BRCA mutations and increasing access to education and healthcare for low-income youth in New York City. [26], As of 2018, Gray had donated $120 million in his lifetime. This is more proactive investing than reactive, says Mindy Gray. Were all in on this We plan on doing more, until we find a way where people can say, I can live with a BRCA mutation., This is a BETA experience. 2023 Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Inc. A Personal Connection Becomes a Professional Mission. Dana serves on the Board of Peer Health Exchange and on the Presidents Leadership Council and Womens Leadership Council at Brown University. No one was better at scooping up a bargain, sniffing out a sale, or stocking up on seriously reduced products than she. He joined Blackstone after graduating, working in both the corporate advisory services and private-equity groups. [27], In February 2023, the Grays were named to The Chronicle of Philanthropys list of the 50 biggest donors in 2022. . . View Mindy Gray results in New York (NY) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Faith was artistic, creative, musical, and mathematical. 2023 Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Inc. Mindy's sister, Faith with son, Logan. The veteran oncology researcher quickly came up with an idea: To host a symposium where leading BRCA experts could gather and discuss issues in the field. The Basser Center was established in honor of Mindy's sister, Faith Basser, who passed away at the age of 44 of BRCA-related ovarian cancer. Read On, OCRA is the voice for the ovarian cancer community, engaging with policymakers to keep this fight a priority. OCRAs support and education programs are available to help you navigate your diagnosis, treatment, and life after cancer. Jon Gray is the Co-Founder of the Gray Foundation. The money will support research on cancer "interception" detecting abnormal, cancerous cells at the earliest stages and disrupting their progress before the disease gets underway. OCRF: As a longtime OCRF Board member, what are your feelings about the organization? Mindy Gray gives a powerfu. Raises world's largest opportunistic real estate fund. This month, the University of Pennsylvania announced a $10 million gift from the couple, . We are singularly focused on putting ourselves out of businessin funding the research that ultimately develops a tool for early detection and in an ideal world, develops a vaccine and/or cure that will prevent anyone from suffering at the hands of this insidious disease ever again. Mindy Basser, a daughter of Pearl and Philip B. Basser of Philadelphia, is to be married this evening to Jonathan David Gray, a son of Susan Florsheim of Highland Park, Ill., and Allen. Anyone can read what you share. Edme Firth Fund for Research in Ovarian Cancer. The Gray Foundation is also focused on The gift comes after the couple poured $55 million in the past seven years into University of Pennsylvanias Basser Center for BRCA, the worlds first hub devoted to studying cancers related to BRCA mutations. She and her husband Jon reside in NYC where they are raising their four daughters. The psychological weight of this is very significant to families, says Jon Gray, who sees more symposiums and research funding in his foundations future. From campus recruiting to executive search, Margarets previous experience includes working at Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs and Heidrick & Struggles, among others. In creating the Basser Research Center in my sisters name, my husband Jon and I are fervently hoping that we can one day prevent other families from experiencing the unthinkable loss of a loved one. The Grays donated $25million to create the Basser Research Center, which focuses on cancer prevention, treatment, and research of BRCA-related, genetically-inherited cancers. Edme Firth Fund for Research in Ovarian Cancer. Among the unthinkable tragedies of losing her was that she left behind her four-year-old son, Logan, who would no longer have his mom. Dangs laboratoryhelped define the complex functions of the MYC oncogene and connected MYC to regulation of cancermetabolism. or the first in their families to attend collegethe latter being a group that is particularly close to heart for Mindy Gray, . The bride, 24, is a marketing executive at Edwin Schlossberg Inc., a design firm in New York. Both the Chair and the Center are named in honor of Mindy sister, Faith Basser, who died of BRCA-related ovarian cancer at age 44, leaving behind her four-year-old son. The Grays are out to change the landscape with their latest research grants, believing BRCA-related cancers can be dramatically reduced through advanced testings that catch the disease before the cancer forms. Mindy Gray is the Co-Founder of the Gray Foundation. Chan School of Public Health in Health Policy and Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Education from Colorado College. Unfortunately, we did not know this before she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Mindy Gray is the Co-Founder of the Gray Foundation, a private foundation committed to maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income children in New York. We knew then that we did not want other families to ever suffer in the way that we had. Read On, OCRA is the worlds largest non-government funder of ovarian cancer research and has invested more than $110 million into desperately-needed breakthroughs. Our cross-institutional collaboration is transforming treatment and prevention methods for individuals and families affected by BRCA mutations. articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! OCRF: If you could send one message to ovarian cancer survivors, their caregivers and loved ones, what would it be? The couple has supported the University throughout their 25 years since graduation. Try telling this to a woman in her 20s who is BRCA-positive and not yet married. No surprise that she was also an incredible, and incredibly doting, mom. Mr. in It wasnt until after Faiths death that the family found out she inherited mutated BRCA genes. Mindy Gray: Faith was my mentor, my guide, my role model. Among the unthinkable tragedies of losing her was that she left behind her four-year-old son, Logan, who would no longer have his mom. We had an engineer from MIT in the meeting, and theyre on standby to work with the other groups and say, if you guys find some signals for early cancers, we can build new drugs that will go right after those cells specifically and eradicate them.. Shari and her husband, Len Potter, created the Basser Global Prize initiative at the Center to fund BRCA research. He serves as a board member of the Pension Real Estate Association and Trinity School and is chairman of the board of Harlem Village Academies. The value of his cash investments is based on an analysis of income, taxes and market performance. My father is 94 and a first-generation American and my mother is first generation as well. The publicly traded company manages $915 billion in assets as of March 31, 2022. The Basser Center was established in 2012 with support from Penn alumni Mindy and Jon Gray in honor of Mindy's sister Faith Basser, who died of BRCA-related ovarian cancer at age 44. Previously he was Senior Director of Scientific Review and Grants Administration at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), where he oversaw the selection, administration, and oversight of a large grant portfolio. She also previously directed the NYC Department of Educations Office of Strategic Partnerships, ran after-school and summer programs in the Bronx and Washington Heights, and taught English at Riverdale Country School. Through this pivotal initiative, the Basser Center is building a better future for patients and the medical community that serves them. But she turned loss into legacy and hurt into hope this year when she and her husband Jon founded the Basser Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania in honor of her sister who succumbed to ovarian cancer at the age of 44. Were going out and asking them to think outside the box. The granteessome of whom are analyzing precancerous tissue while others are working on early detection methodswill meet again this winter to discuss and collaborate on their findings. Formerly, Jon served as Blackstone's Global Head of Real Estate. Mindy and Jon Gray at UPenn, where they met as undergrads. [37] This donation brings their total giving to the University of Pennsylvania to over $125 million. Formerly, Jon served as Blackstone's Global Head of Real Estate. Graduates magna cum laude from University of Pennsylvania. The billionaire has collected more than $1 billion in dividends and compensation since 2011, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A Personal Connection Becomes a Professional Mission, Next: [3][4] His father Allen Gray owned a small auto parts manufacturer on the West Side of Chicago (coincidentally named Blackstone Manufacturing); his mother Susan, remarried to his stepfather James Florsheim, ran a catering business. Mindy Gray: We are ALL IN on this mission and wont stop until progress is made! There are so many ways to lend a hand, to improve the lives of thousands of patients and their families, and get us one step closer to a cure. In his senior year at University of Pennsylvania, not long before accepting an offer to work at Blackstone Group Inc., Jon Gray put down a book at the library to ask out Mindy Basser. Dana Zucker is the Chief Executive Officer of the Gray Foundation. No one was better at scooping up a bargain, sniffing out a sale, or stocking up on seriously reduced products than she. OCRF: What is the ultimate goal of the Basser Center? The center has been a world leader in BRCA research. Gray and Mindy Basser were married in 1995 at Temple Beth Zion Israel in Philadelphia, where Rabbi Ira F. Stone performed the service. 12/14/2012 | Mindy Gray was devastated by the passing of her beloved older sister, Faith Basser. Jon and Mindy Graysgift willfund an institute focused on early detectionof breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers. These are serious risks that must be managed and because they will affect family members across generations, they are risks that also must be communicated. Prior to joining the Foundation, Margaret worked at Geller & Company in the Human Capital Department. Penn graduates Jon Gray, C'92, W'92, and Mindy Basser Gray, C'92, are stepping in to help. Mindy Gray: I have always been impressed with the professionalism and passion that drives both the board and the staff at OCRF. Mindy Gray: Right now there is no viable tool for early detection of ovarian cancer. Those who know me know I took this one to heart. Rabbi Ira F. Stone is to perform the ceremony at Temple Beth Zion Beth Israel in Philadelphia. In our case, it was not that it was overlooked by doctors; it was simply a question of not knowing our family history. Gray and Mindy Basser have two children. He previously served as Director of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Mindy Basser, a daughter of Pearl and Philip B. Basser of Philadelphia, is to be married this evening to Jonathan David Gray, a son of Susan Florsheim of Highland Park, Ill., and Allen Gray of Barrington, Ill. converted to U.S. dollars at current exchange rates Read 2 as chief operating officer in 2018. Posted on The bridegroom, 25, is an associate in the real estate department of the Blackstone Group, an investment banking concern in New York. With his wife, Mindy, Gray established the Basser Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, which focuses on the prevention and treatment of certain genetically caused breast and ovarian cancers. Under the same roof that scientific research is furthered, patients are diagnosed, treated and, we hope someday, CURED. Jon and Mindy Gray founded the Gray Foundation in 2014, with two distinct missions: BRCA-Related Cancers, accelerating research, improving treatment and raising awareness for individuals who have inherited BRCA mutations. 12/14/2012 | Mindy Gray was devastated by the passing of her beloved older sister, Faith Basser. Thinking bigger, we want to develop a preventive vaccine for those not yet affected and a cure for women who are! Mindy Gray: I was immediately impressed with the leadership of OCRF and deeply committed to their mission of funding scientific research to help find a cure. At Jills suggestion, I reached out to OCRF to ask how I could get involved. The Big Take is the very best of Bloomberg's in-depth, original reporting from around the globe every day. It reminds me of investing, where youre a high-conviction investor, says Jon Gray, who made his name as Blackstones real estate baron and was promoted to cofounder Steve Schwarzmans No. The aspirational goal would be to understand the process of cancer development early enough and then look at ways to intervene, hopefully eradicate, prevent the cancer from even developing., What we aspire to do is build a precancer atlas for BRCA, lay a road map for everyone in the world to use, continues Dang. But she turned loss into legacy and hurt into hope this year when she and her husband Jon founded the Basser Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania in honor of her sister who succumbed to ovarian cancer at the age of 44. The Gray Foundation also funds initiatives to advance the care of individuals living with BRCA mutations. Learn more about our policy positions and discover how you can take action. Penn graduates Jon Gray, C'92, W'92, and Mindy Basser Gray, C'92, are stepping in to help. Mindy Gray, Chair Mindy Gray is the Co-founder of the Gray Foundation, a private foundation committed to maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income children in New York. [42], In 1995, Gray married Mindy Basser at Temple Beth Zion Israel in Philadelphia; the ceremony was officiated by Rabbi Ira F. His mother is a partner in Ferree-Florsheim Catering in Chicago. Thanks to Faith, I was certainly among the only seven-year-olds seeing the movie Annie Hall the day it was released. You may opt-out by. Most of Margarets career has been in an administrative capacity related to recruitment. Gray was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Jon currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide. Margaret received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a minor in History from the University of Scranton. At the time of its . After organizing the meeting last September, the foundation sought grant proposals from researchers around the world. While the average woman has a 12% and 1.3% chance, respectively, of developing breast and ovarian cancer, harmful BRCA mutations increase the chance to as high as 72% and 44%, according to the National Cancer Institute. The Basser Center is the global leader in funding research, education and care for individuals and their families living withBRCA1/2 mutations. At the very least, we want to develop a tool that can discover disease well before it presents itself. 12/14/2012 | Mindy Gray was devastated by the passing of her beloved older sister, Faith Basser. Family members died young and medical records never made it over, so there was simply no history of disease that could be tracked. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, receiving a degree in economics from the Wharton School as well as an English degree at Penn. Gray is president and chief operating officer of Blackstone Group, a New York-based alternative asset manager. our complete methodology , Design & development: Blackstone has $915 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2022, according to the company's website. The new institute will look for innovative ways to detect and treat BRCA-related cancers before surgery, radiation or chemotherapy become the necessary treatment. Though breast cancer can be screened through mammograms and MRIs, tests and prevention for ovarian cancer remain elusive, and the disease often flies under the radar until its later stages. In 2018, he gave $23 million, ranking #49 on Forbes' America's Top 50 Givers. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Mindy Gray: Faith was my mentor, my guide, my role model. The Gray Foundation is also focused on funding initiatives to advance the care of individuals living with BRCA mutations. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy, and was a member of the Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel. Pat has served on numerous grant study sections for both national and international organizations. December 14, 2012 The Basser Center was named in honor of Faith Basser, Mindy's sister, who passed away at age 44 from BRCA-related ovarian cancer. The Big Take is the very best of Bloomberg's in-depth, original reporting from around the globe every day. Gray is president and chief operating officer of Blackstone Group, a New York-based alternative asset manager. These are serious risks that must be managed and because they will affect family members across generations, they are risks that also must be communicated. September 15, 2022 $55 million gift to Penn is aimed at stopping breast cancer before it starts Mindy Gray and her husband, Blackstone president Jon Gray, gave the money in honor of Mindy's sister Faith Basser. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. [8] Gray continues to act as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide, which went public in December 2013. Share Your Design Ideas, New JerseysMurphy Defends $10 Billion Rainy Day Fund as States Economy Slows, What Led to Europes Deadliest Train Crash in a Decade, This Week in Crypto: Ukraine War, Marathon Digital, FTX. Try telling this to a woman in her 20s who is BRCA-positive and not yet married. Previously, Mindy worked as an editor at Ziff Davis Publishing and then as a marketing executive at Edwin Schlossberg, Inc., an exhibit design firm. [1] He is also chairman of Hilton Worldwide. Mindy and Jon Gray created the Basser Professorship of Oncology as part of their gift to establish the Basser Center for BRCA in 2012. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Masters in Education Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. As first generation immigrants from Eastern Europe, Mindys parents didnt keep historical family medical records. Mindy is the Board Chair of the Basser Center Advisory Boardand a former member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) where she served for over 10 years. Jonathan Gray was born in 1970 to Chicago entrepreneurs. Youre passing this on, and thats why you get these families with the grandmother, the mother, the childrenmultigenerations of cancer. We know the pain of losing a loved one and dont want any other family to suffer the way we have. My sister Faith was a serious discount shopper. We wanted to create a center that would be focused on this mutation, which would provide research, and support, and care, and thats why we founded the Basser Center.. Mindy Gray: My sister Faith had a BRCA 1 gene mutation. He began his careerat Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he becameDirector of the Division of Hematology, the Johns Hopkins Family Professor in Oncology Research, the Vice Dean for Research and Director of the Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering. [5] In 1992, Gray graduated from the University of Pennsylvania magna cum laude with a B.A. In February 2018, he was promoted to president and COO of Blackstone after 13 years as head of the firm's real estate business. In creating the Basser Research Center in my sisters name, my husband Jon and I are fervently hoping that we can one day prevent other families from experiencing the unthinkable loss of a loved one. . Mr. Gray previously served as the firm's Global Head of Real Estate, which he helped to build into the largest real estate platform in the world. Christine Anderson, a spokeswoman for Blackstone, didn't respond to requests for comment on Gray's net worth. Pat holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in biophysics from the University of Quebec, Canada and obtained his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Boston University. [33] Town & Country (magazine) noted this work in its "Top Philanthropists of 2016" feature, in which the Grays were included. Previously, Mindy worked as an editor at Ziff Davis Publishing and as a marketing executive at Edwin Schlossberg, Inc. Mindy received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History from the University of Pennsylvania. The hope is eventually BRCA-related cancers can be screened and treated at its earliest stages, rendering risk reduction surgeries obsolete. Family members died young and medical records never made it over, so there was simply no history of disease that could be tracked. Thanks to Faith, I was certainly among the only seven-year-olds seeing the movie Annie Hall the day it was released. In his senior year at University of Pennsylvania, not long before accepting an offer to work at Blackstone Group Inc., Jon Gray put down a book at the library to ask out Mindy Basser. Gray recently donated $10million to purchase a building in northern Manhattan which will serve as the organization's second elementary school. Since joining Blackstone in 1992, Jon has helped build the largest real estate platform in the world. In January 2014, the Basser Research Center announced an additional $5million gift from the couple to fund an external research grant program. We are here to support you and your family, offering layers of support and many ways to connect. We endure this loss each and every day. Because of this, the only way to truly reduce risk is removing a womans ovaries (and fallopian tubes). The Basser Center was named in honor of Faith Basser, Mindys sister who died ofBRCA-relatedovarian cancer at the age of 44. [15], In February 2018, it was announced that Gray would become president and chief operating officer of Blackstone, replacing Hamilton "Tony" James. 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