Sarcoma Foundation of America Names Tony Ferlenda As New Chief Executive Officer

- Leading SFA's VISION 2020 Campaign to Cure Sarcoma-

DAMASCUS, Md., Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA), an organization dedicated to finding the cure for sarcoma in our time, has announced the selection of  Tony Ferlenda to the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer.  Ferlenda comes to the SFA following many years in progressive leadership as a nonprofit healthcare executive, including most recently as CEO of a Northeast regional center of the American Red Cross.

"Tony's arrival to the SFA could not come at a more opportune time," commented Mark Thornton, MD, President of the SFA. "Following the recent approval of Votrient as the first treatment for sarcoma in over 30 years, it is time to foster other therapies for patients who have progressive sarcoma." 

In a move to build upon this advancement, the SFA also announced the creation of the VISION 2020 Campaign to Cure Sarcoma. The goal of this new campaign is to direct all of the energy and focus of the SFA toward successfully impacting the development and FDA approval of five new sarcoma therapies by the year 2020.  The SFA Research Grants program, as well as its fundraising apparatus, Patient Registry / Biobank initiatives, SFA chapters program, government advocacy, and partnering strategies, will all be oriented and laser-focused on achieving the goal of five new drugs by this deadline.  "The hope is that by having a large variety of new therapies available for sarcoma patients in the near future, the tide will finally turn toward meaningful prolongation in survival for patients not cured by current modalities," said Thornton.

"It is a profound honor to have been chosen by the SFA to lead the organization to this next critical level of growth and maturation," said Ferlenda.  "I look forward to applying all of my talents and energies toward making VISION 2020 a reality for sarcoma patients and their families."

About the Sarcoma Foundation of America
The Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, is an advocate for increased research to find new and better therapies with which to treat patients with sarcoma. Sarcoma is a rare cancer in adults (1 percent of all adult cancers) but rather prevalent in children (about 15 percent of all childhood cancers). For more information, please visit www.curesarcoma.org.

Contact:
Holly Blackledge, 301-253-8687
[email protected]

SOURCE Sarcoma Foundation of America