Business
Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Names Stephanie Scheele Executive Director
FORT WAYNE, Ind., July 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer (the "Foundation") today announced, after a national search,
About this update from Vera Bradley, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"FORT WAYNE, Ind., July 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer (the \"Foundation\") today announced, after a national search, it has named Stephanie Scheele as its new Executive Director. Scheele has held the post of Chief Purpose and Communication Officer of Vera Bradley, Inc. (the “Company”) since October 2021, responsible for the Company’s enterprise-wide environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts, including oversight of the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. Scheele joined the Company in 2001 and was the driving force behind various marketing and creative initiatives during her tenure, advancing the Vera Bradley brand’s marketing to an integrated, customer-segmented, research-based approach. She was named VP, Marketing Strategy and Operations in 2015; promoted to Interim Chief Marketing Officer in 2017; and promoted to Chief Marketing Officer in 2018. Prior to joining Vera Bradley, Inc., Scheele worked for Sunrise Greetings, a subsidiary of Hallmark. Scheele has served on the Foundation Board of Directors since 2018. “We are absolutely thrilled to name Stephanie Scheele Executive Director of the Foundation. Stephanie has served on our board and has worked tirelessly over the last several years on fundraising efforts for the Foundation,” shared Ruth Cook, Chair of the Vera Bradley Foundation Board. “Her strategic, marketing, and creative expertise coupled with her institutional knowledge of the Foundation will be instrumental as we elevate funding for life-saving research that is impacting women, men, and their loved ones worldwide.” Since 2000, the Foundation has provided $37.5 million of funding to the Indiana University School of Medicine (“IU School of Medicine”), allowing them to amass the talent, technology, and resources to become a national leader in targeted breast cancer therapies, specifically for triple negative breast cancer. In April 2022, the Foundation made an additional gift commitment of $12.5 million to IU School of Medicine, bringing the non-profit’s total commitment to breast cancer research to $50 million. The Foundation’s ongoing support led to the 2018 creation of the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center (the “IU Cancer Center”) where more than 30 investiga...