Top officials at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure stepped down Wednesday, months after the the breast cancer charity found itself embroiled in controversy when it halted grants to Planned Parenthood affiliates.
The reshuffling of leadership could mark a dramatic reorganization at one of the nation’s largest women’s health organizations. Founder Nancy Brinker announced she would resign from her role as chief executive at the organization she founded 30 years ago, after her sister, Susan G. Komen, passed away from breast cancer at the age of 36.
Because Brinker will stay on in a new management role, focused on strategy and revenue growth, she will continue to influence Komen’s future. One Komen insider not authorized to speak on behalf the organization expected Brinker to “still be intimately involved on a day-to-day basis.”
President Liz Thompson announced plans to leave Komen in September. The same insider said Thompson was leaving the organization out of frustration, worried about the role that Brinker would still play at the beleaguered organization.
Komen spokeswoman Andrea Rader said Thompson “had been considering leaving for several months. She had accomplished what she wanted to do and it was time to move on.”