Mindy Gray: My sister Faith had a BRCA 1 gene mutation. 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. Dana serves on the Board of Peer Health Exchange and on the Presidents Leadership Council and Womens Leadership Council at Brown University. Mindy Gray: We are ALL IN on this mission and wont stop until progress is made! Charlotte is the Program Officer at the Gray Foundation. OCRF: Why did you join OCRFs Board of Directors? OCRF: Tell us about the path that led you and Jon to together create the Basser Research Center with a $25 million gift to the University of Pennsylvania. He became co-head of the real estate group in 2005 and global head of real estate in 2011,[6] overseeing a portfolio of hotel, office, retail, industrial, and residential properties in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. 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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Those who know me know I took this one to heart. The Gray Foundation also funds initiatives to advance the care of individuals living with BRCA mutations. 12/14/2012 | Mindy Gray was devastated by the passing of her beloved older sister, Faith Basser. [37] This donation brings their total giving to the University of Pennsylvania to over $125 million. Learn more about our policy positions and discover how you can take action. 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. The center has been a world leader in BRCA research. In 2012, Mindy and Jon Gray made a transformative gift to establish the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicines Abramson Cancer Center and to date have given over $55 million towards its mission. Gray recently donated $10million to purchase a building in northern Manhattan which will serve as the organization's second elementary school. Despite our twelve-year age gap, she always treated me like an equal. She taught me to talk to animals, especially our crazy cats, she taught me to enjoy Kraft macaroni and cheese at midnight (even when I wasnt the slightest bit hungry), and she taught me that no walks too long if you have a friend by your side. Read On, The ovarian cancer community needs you your support, your voice, your passion and commitment. Those who know me know I took this one to heart. Mindy is also 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. Blackstone has $915 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2022, according to the company's website. Her mother is a legal assistant at Schubert, Bellwoar, Mallon & Walheim, a law firm in Philadelphia. 2 as chief operating officer in 2018. The couple has supported the University throughout their 25 years since graduation. Mindy and Jon Gray graduated from Penn in 1992. Gray was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Formerly, Jon served as Blackstone's Global Head of Real Estate. people. Gift will support first-generation, low-income students, Grays also founded Basser Center for BRCA at their alma mater. 2023 Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Inc. This was when I knew that my relationship with OCRF was meant to be. [15], In February 2018, it was announced that Gray would become president and chief operating officer of Blackstone, replacing Hamilton "Tony" James. We knew then that we did not want other families to ever suffer in the way that we had. Jonathan D. Gray (born February 4, 1970) is an American billionaire businessman and the president and chief operating officer of Blackstone Group, a New York-based asset management firm. She is the Vice-Chairperson and Treasurer of the NYC Kids RISE Board and a member of the Basser Leadership Council at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Amazon Pauses Construction on Second Headquarters in Virginia as It Cuts Jobs, iPhone Maker Plans $700 Million India Plant in Shift From China, Amazon Is Closing Its Cashierless Stores in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle, S&P 500 Notches Best Week Since Late January: Markets Wrap, Stock Traders Are Ignoring Blaring Bond Alarms. My father is 94 and a first-generation American and my mother is first generation as well. 2023 Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Inc. A Personal Connection Becomes a Professional Mission. The index is a dynamic measure of personal wealth based on changes in markets, the economy and [7], Gray led Blackstone's LBO of Hilton Hotels, which became the most profitable private equity real estate deal ever, earning $14 billion for the firm's investors. I felt the more I was involved, the more I could help this mission. The couple, both 52, also launched the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program. Under the same roof that scientific research is furthered, patients are diagnosed, treated and, we hope someday, CURED. 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. 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. He joined Blackstone after graduating, working in both the corporate advisory services and private-equity groups. Jonathan D. Gray is born to Chicago entrepreneurs. Bloomberg reporting. Mindy and Jon Gray created the Basser Professorship of Oncology as part of their gift to establish the Basser Center for BRCA in 2012. Faith was artistic, creative, musical, and mathematical. From our very first visit to the Abramson Cancer Center within which The Basser Research Center is housed, we were impressed with its beaker to bedside capabilities. 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. 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. 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. After organizing the meeting last September, the foundation sought grant proposals from researchers around the world. Formerly, Jon served as Blackstone's Global Head of Real Estate. Read On, The ovarian cancer community needs you your support, your voice, your passion and commitment. Community, Prev: Some women with faulty BRCA genes have taken a very proactive approach. 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. Despite our twelve-year age gap, she always treated me like an equal. My sister Faith was like a mother and best friend rolled into one, remembers Mindy. The value of his cash investments is based on an analysis of income, taxes and market performance. 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. Blackstone Inc.s Jon Gray and his wife,Mindy, are funding an institute at their alma mater focused on early detection and prevention of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers. He previously served as Director of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. [5] His parents divorced when he was young. 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. The Basser Center is the global leader in funding research, education and care for individuals and their families living withBRCA1/2 mutations. Blackstone president Jonathan Gray and his wife, Mindy Gray. On Tuesday, private equity tycoon Jonathan Gray and his wife Mindy announced $25 million in funding for research on pernicious genetic mutations that can lead to breast and ovarian cancer. In calculating net worth, Bloomberg News strives to provide the most transparent calculations available, Previously, Mindy worked as an editor at Ziff Davis Publishing and then as a marketing executive at Edwin Schlossberg, Inc., an exhibit design firm. The Basser enter was named in honor of Faith asser, Mindy's sister who died of BRCA-related ovarian cancer at the age of 44. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. She was the best kind of mix of big sister, mother and friend. Raises world's largest opportunistic real estate fund. 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. Learn more about our policy positions and discover how you can take action. Read On. Anyone can read what you share. Two years after my sister Faith died, I was emotionally ready and anxious to volunteer in any way I could to help in the ovarian cancer community. Meet the Basser Advisory Board Members With the leadership of Dr. Chi Dang, Director of the Abramson Cancer Center, and Dr. Susan Domchek, Executive Director of the Basser Research Center, we are confident that we can make huge progress towards this goal. 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. The Basser Center was named in honor of Faith Basser, Mindys sister who died ofBRCA-relatedovarian cancer at the age of 44. 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. The Gray Foundation On Tuesday, private equity tycoon Jonathan Gray and his wife Mindy announced $25 million in funding for. Most are units that are convertible into common stock on a one-for-one basis, according to the document. 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. Get email updates about research news, action alerts and ways to join the fight. 2023 Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Inc. A Personal Connection Becomes a Professional Mission. Each net worth figure is updated every business day after the close of trading in New York. The very first event where I volunteered was OCRFs high-end garage sale Super Saturday. He also serves on the board of Corebridge and Harlem Village Academies. Mindy Gray: Right now there is no viable tool for early detection of ovarian cancer. Some of the world's best and brightest students aim their sights at an undergraduate education at Penn, but many lack the resources to embark on this journey. OCRF: What is your hope for the future in terms of research, and the hope it can bring to those affected by ovarian cancer? [1] He is also chairman of Hilton Worldwide.[2]. 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. . Mindy Gray is the Co-Founder of the Gray Foundation. 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. The Big Take is the very best of Bloomberg's in-depth, original reporting from around the globe every day. Mindy Gray is the Co-Founder of theGray Foundation, a private foundation committed to maximizing access to education, healthcare and opportunity for low-income children in New York. . articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! What came out of the meeting was there are still a lot of work to be done in the pre-cancer stage. The publicly traded company manages $915 billion in assets as of March 31, 2022.. [27][29] In May 2012, Gray and his wife, Mindy Gray, founded the Basser Research Center,[30] named in honor of Mindy's sister, Faith Basser, who died of ovarian cancer at age 44. Blackstone president Jonathan Gray and his wife, Mindy Gray. Gray was global head of the firm's real estate business from 2005 into 2018, building it into a $115 billion asset operation.