“UTA is the fifth-most diverse university in the country,” she says. “We represent the face of this region. It’s fantastic to be in an environment where students are learning together, want to learn about each other’s cultures and backgrounds and make the world a better place together. For me, it’s about fostering that—creating an environment where students can graduate from UTA and know how to communicate across cultures and appreciate each other.”

In an interview with D CEO earlier this year, Cowley shared more about her career path and her plans for the future at UTA. Read on:

D CEO: You grew up mostly in Arlington. Did you ever think you would preside over your hometown university?

JENNIFER COWLEY: “No, when I was growing up here, that was not in my thoughts. I can remember back in middle school thinking I was either going to be a fashion designer or a neurosurgeon. When you’re young, you think anything is possible. Neither of those two things happened, but I’ve had a pretty fantastic career.”

D CEO: You ended up studying political science and urban planning. How did you develop an interest in those things?

COWLEY: “Once I matured, I realized I wanted a career that was devoted to public service. Studying political science gave me a chance to explore different types of government. I came to understand that I could have the most impact at a local level. What people care about most are their neighborhoods, community parks, activities, and things that happen at the local level. I thought I would love to become a city manager someday. That’s why I pursued urban planning and, ultimately, public administration. I wanted to see how I could help shape the development of a city. Frankly, running a university is not that different. It’s like having my own little city here.”

D CEO: Where did the interest in public service come from?

COWLEY: “I couldn’t point to one specific thing, but more of an exploration of career fields where you can have a meaningful and visible impact. I also had volunteer experiences that helped show me the benefits of being engaged in the community. There are multiple ways you can serve.”

D CEO: How did you segue from city management to academics?

COWLEY: “While I was studying and doing internships on a potential career pathway to becoming a city manager, one of my professors encouraged me to think about a PhD program. I had a view that professors were these super smart people, and I didn’t see myself like that. So it was really wonderful to have this faculty member notice me and encourage me. I ultimately pursued a PhD, after I had some time working professionally, and went on to become a faculty member at Ohio State University.”

D CEO: How long were you there?

COWLEY: “Sixteen years. I started as a faculty member in planning and then ultimately became the head of the City Planning program. I had wonderful experiences at Ohio State; they really cultivated my leadership skills and offered continued growth opportunities. I was able to have different experiences that positioned me well for an institution-level role. Then it got to the point where my husband and I were ready to come back to Texas. He grew up in Corpus Christi. So it was just about finding the right opportunity at the right time.”

D CEO: What was that opportunity?

COWLEY: “We moved back to Texas in 2017 when I joined the University of North Texas as provost and vice president for academic affairs. As someone who’s a planner and likes to build things, being in an environment like North Texas as a region—as well as these institutions, UNT and UTA—there’s just a tremendous amount of potential.

“One of the extraordinary things that we have here in Texas is both legislative support and institutional support for making sure that our metropolitan areas have a thriving research university. There has been a tremendous amount of growth in that capacity-building at our Tier 1 institutions across the state. Getting to be part of mapping that out and executing on that is been a tremendous opportunity.”

D CEO: Why is research so important?

COWLEY: “The world is a better place because of the research that happens on our campuses. I’ll give you a couple of examples. Advil and 60 percent of the oral medications that are taken are safer because of research at UTA. The highways you drive on—innovation happening in our civil engineering department is creating roadways that you don’t have to maintain every year. Because they’re coming up with different blends for cement, with plastics and other materials to make our roadways last longer and save taxpayer dollars. Additionally, our nursing college helped develop forensic nursing. For example, we created procedures that help support criminal prosecution of rapes. It’s an honor to get to work with such extraordinarily talented people and to help them help make our society better. The opportunities for invention and innovation are limitless.”

D CEO: What are your goals for the future?

COWLEY: “We’re focusing on five themes as part of our strategic planning process. First, of course, is student success. Our central mission is to make sure that we’re developing incredible students who are ready to work at companies throughout our region or serve our military. For us, it’s about what we can do in partnership with the companies that are already here, as well as be a key economic development partner in recruiting new businesses to the region. We know that we are a central provider of talent in the fastest-growing region in the country; we have to be working hand in hand together to make sure that we’re prepared for the new companies and organizations that move here.

“That means academic innovation—making sure that we’re providing the skills and aptitudes that are needed for the workforce of tomorrow. As a Texas Tier 1 university, we’ve made tremendous progress, but we need to chart our path forward. What does our next chapter look like? How can we continue to build capacity and align with our regionally relevant industries?”

D CEO: What are the other strategic planning themes?

COWLEY: “Along with student success, research, and innovation, it’s people and culture—and that’s really about making sure that we are a great place to work. What do we need to do to make this the most desirable place for people to want to come and be part of achieving our mission? Because ultimately, it’s staff members who are helping to develop our students. We want to make sure we have the most talented team possible. And then the last thing is around infrastructure. In order to help support growth, we have to make sure that we have the facilities we need and that they are aligned with the other areas of our strategic plan.”

D CEO: What are the greatest challenges and opportunities at UTA?

COWLEY: “I think the opportunities are endless. UTA is extremely well positioned to continue its path forward to be one of the strongest universities in the nation. We have opportunities to become an even stronger economic development partner, innovating our academic curriculum to help support the companies that are here and relocating here and growing alongside our region. The biggest challenge is the endless list of good ideas and how to pick the best ones. People have wonderful ideas for how UTA can be an even stronger university; it’s a matter of picking the best ones to seed and allow to grow.”

The post Conversation With: Jennifer Cowley appeared first on D Magazine.

D CEO:  Can you explain the rationale behind you firm’s name, Ink + Oro?

Woodson: “Ink is basically the idea of hand drafting and the textures of our design. It’s the architecture and hard lines. Oro is more about the orbital movement and the softer, more fluid details of design. Together, like yin and yang, it creates harmony, balance, and beauty.”

D CEO:  What would you say is your firm’s design aesthetic and specialties?

Woodson: “We are a commercial design firm, but we have a very hospitality and residential look. It’s a niche that nobody does and we’ve found this gap in the market. One of the great things is that we got into the Dallas multifamily game at exactly the right time. There is this energy in the high-rise market right now to make everything look very residential, and we’ve been able to do that very successfully.

And then our office group has really caught on. Especially with returning to work post-pandemic, people really want to merge that gap between office and residential, and I think we do that very well. We’ve been fortunate to work with some of the who’s who here in Dallas like the Hillwood Group and Lincoln Properties. It’s been fun seeing our team grow from five team members just seven years ago.”

D CEO:  When did you first get into interior design?

Woodson: “It’s a funny story. Apparently when I was little, my mom says I used to sleep walk all the time. She says she would come into my room and I would be crying and yelling, ‘My curtains are so ugly and I need to paint my room.’ I guess I had night terrors about how ugly my bedroom was like 9, and I’d rearrange furniture and tell my mom what art to buy. I don’t know, I guess you could say I’ve always had this passion to feng shui a space, probably since I was age 5 or 6.”

D CEO:  You were born in California. What originally brought you to Dallas?

Woodson: “Yeah, I grew up in northern California. My mom owned an Italian restaurant. My dad owned an excavation business. They wanted me to stay in California, but I didn’t think there was challenge in that. So, I’m 18 and it’s my senior year of high school, and I start looking at places to move and for design schools to attend. Miami was too expensive. Los Angeles? No way! New York? No. So I looked at Texas. At the time I could pay rent for less than $500 a month, and Dallas had a great interior design program that was accredited. And, call me crazy, but I decided to move here after only ever visiting one time.

I attended Dallas County Community College and met so many great people when I moved here. I got to know a ton of connections in the design community, and we had a really great class… And so when I finally graduated and started looking for a job, no one would hire me because I didn’t have a bachelor’s degree. So that’s why I decided to start my own firm. And I guess the rest is history.”

The post Conversation With: Tiffany Woodson, Ink + Oro appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

The post On the Links With: Jeff Fehlis, American Cancer Society appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

The post Coffee With: Makeready President and COO Christine Magrann appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

The post On the Links With: Jamie Britton, Texas Security Bank’s CFO and COO appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

The post On The Links With: Matt Autry, Valor’s President of Oil and Gas appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

The post On the Links With: Socorro Tequila Co-Founder and CEO Josh Irving appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

The post Conversation With: Kellie Sirna appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

The post Conversation With: Cotton Bowl Chairman Dave Brown appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

The post On the Links With: Dawes Marlatt, PGA of America Senior Director appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

The post On the Links With: Commercial Real Estate Icon Diane Butler appeared first on D Magazine.

Prior to joining ACS in 2017, Fehlis spent more than 30 years in the aviation industry working for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. He worked his way up to vice president of sales for Delta’s luxury air service Delta Private Jets.

We start the competition off on the 11th hole, a 368-yard par 4. Fehlis, who is sporting Air Jordan 1s on the course, steps up first and stripes a cutting drive down the right side of the fairway—a perfect way to start a four-person scramble. My drive puts us within 75 yards of the hole, but our group fails to get up-and-down for an opening hole birdie. In fact, it takes us until our fourth hole to log our first birdie.

Fehlis jokes, “I appreciate you all playing far below your normal capabilities—it would just look weird if my team won.”

Fehlis—who has been golfing since he was 12 years old—grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of his fondest childhood memories include playing the game with his parents, who enjoyed the occasional mid-game refreshing sip from the cooler of sangria strapped to the back of their golf cart. After he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a marketing degree, Fehlis worked for Xerox selling copy machines for two years. Then, his career in aviation took off. He started with American Airlines and was stationed in New Orleans.

We birdie the 313-yard par 4, 14th after Fehlis’ drive puts us within 80 yards and my 56-degree wedge shot nestles itself 2 feet from the hole. Our team then follows up with a birdie on the 135-yard par 3, 15th, and a birdie on the 117-yard par 3, 17th. We climb to -3 through seven holes, but it wasn’t enough to claw inside the top 10.

In September of 1998, when Fehils’ career in sales with American Airlines was climbing, his mother passed away from cancer. “I remember thinking after the first treatment that she was cancer free,” he says as we tee off on the 489-yard, par 5, 18th hole. “But that wasn’t the case, and it eventually spread to her brain. But my mom was the best. She always had a great outlook on life. So, in 2017, I got pinged by a recruiter to take this role with American Cancer Society, and I realized that I was presented with an opportunity to do something in the memory of my mom and help other families who are facing the same thing we faced. Accepting the role was a no-brainer.”

Now, as the ACS’ South region’s top executive, Fehlis is working even harder with the heart for sales he’s had for more than 30 years. In 2022, the American Cancer Society raised an unaudited $700 million. Ten percent of that figure was raised by Fehlis’ South region—which recently expanded to include Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Other states in the South region include Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Providing Hope, Access, and Community

We start the front side hot with an eagle opportunity on the 495-yard, par 5, first hole—but all four of our putts run just by the hole, and we settle for birdie. After a disappointing par on the second, we birdie the third hole, which is a 135-yard par 3. We finish with a par on the beautiful par 4, fourth hole—which has the iconic Cowboys star painted in the middle of the fairway—and we’re sitting at -5 through 12 holes.

One of Fehlis’ proudest moments in his ACS tenure is building the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge—a 40,000-square-foot, $25 million facility with 50 patient suites—located adjacent to Baylor University Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society operates Hope Lodges across the country and relieves the financial burden from countless cancer patients by offering them and their caregivers free housing when they travel more than 40 miles for treatment. In 2022, the Dallas lodge saved patients more than $2.7 million in travel expenses. Tom Thumb, Baylor, the Dallas Cowboys, and more partner with the ACS to provide meals and spend time with guests.

At full capacity, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge can provide more than 18,000 free nights each year saving guests more than $3.9 million in lodging expenses.

“To date, we’ve given about 12,500 free nights,” Fehlis says as we approach our second shot 280 yards down the fairway on the 415-yard par 4, fifth hole. “Most weeks we’ve had 80 percent occupancy. If I’m ever having a bad day, I walk right across the street to the lodge from our office and have lunch with some of our guests, and I really get to see how appreciative they are. The lodge is designed so that it is a communal experience: Nobody needs to go through the journey alone. I always tell people I never have cried at work more than I do now—but its all good.”

There is a total of 31 Hope Lodges across the country. Under Fehlis’ leadership, the American Cancer Society’s South region—which has eight lodges—recently opened an Oklahoma City location and another in San Antonio will open soon. In 2023, Fehlis expects to launch three capital campaigns for three more regional Hope Lodge locations.

“The American Cancer Society is on a pretty drastic expansion plan to fill market gaps across the country, specifically in the West and Midwest,” Fehlis says. “Many people will forego treatment because they cannot afford to stay in the area they’re traveling to. Our biggest issue is letting people know that we are willing to help. We’ve had patients stay with us for 180 days at a time if they’re undergoing a significant treatment.

“We’re also exploring options to do a smaller Hope Lodge experience that we could incorporate into a hotel in smaller markets where there’s still demand. That way, we don’t need to go through an extensive capital campaign and build something really big.”

On the fifth and sixth holes, we sink back-to-back 15-foot birdie putts to get to -7 through 14, and we are just one shot back of a top ten standing.

Every year, the South region hosts more than 260 events, but the American Cancer Society’s single largest one-night fundraiser event overall is North Texas’ Cattle Baron’s Ball. This year’s event will be the 50th year for the fundraiser. In that time, the event has brought in more than $93 million for the ACS. “There is about a $4 million gap between what Cattle Baron’s [raises] and our other events,” Fehlis says as we stop at the concession stand for a jalapeño sausage after logging par on the seventh hole. We have three holes left to climb into the top 10.

This year’s Cattle Baron’s theme is ‘Iconic’ and the event will host Shania Twain and the Randy Rogers Band as headlining performers. In 2022, the fundraiser raised $6.7 million. In 2023, Fehlis is hoping to exceed $7 million.

We birdie the eighth hole, the shortest par 5 on the course, to get to -8 through 16, and we feel the momentum rising.

As we approach the ninth green with another birdie opportunity, Fehlis starts to talk about the barriers that American Cancer Society is aiming to break. “Cancer doesn’t see color, cancer doesn’t see social economic status, cancer effects everybody,” he says. “But the problem is how those folks get treated and get access to what they need. The data proves there are barriers. We recently saw a spike in prostate cancer deaths—which is a commonly misdiagnosed cancer. Black men are dying at 30 percent higher rates than their White counterparts. There is a higher rate of Black women dying from breast cancer, even though the incident rates are pretty close.

Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research. And we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that so what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.

Jeff Fehlis

“When I start to think about all the reasons why, and really peel back the onion, it could be a number of things. Is it access? Is it the area they live in? Is it what stage it was diagnosed? Do they have adequate housing and transportation? Is it financial or digital literacy? All those things are important to identify. Since 1991, we’ve put in $3.3 billion into research, and we’ve seen over 3 million deaths averted as a result of that. So, what we’re doing is working, but we’ve got to just keep working harder.”

We sink the 12 footer for birdie on the ninth, then Fehlis closes the day out with an 8-foot birdie make on the final hole to get us to a respectable -10, finishing just outside of the top ten.

Looking ahead for the American Cancer Society, Fehlis is excited to see the nonprofit continue its advocacy work. “We’re fighting at the State House and at the federal level to really drive more access to care, treatment, and screenings,” he says as we walk off the final hole. “We’re fighting for Medicaid expansion. We’re fighting for biomarker tests for cancer treatment—because that is a critical piece in treating cancer as soon as possible.”

Fehlis is confident 2023 will be a defining year in the American Cancer Society’s history. “2023 will definitely be the biggest year of fundraising to date for us,” he says. “Post-pandemic we’ve just been on a growth trajectory that is amazing for us. We’ve started some different strategies with young professionals. We’ve done some LGBTQ+ events. So, we’re really trying to grab these pockets of folks to bring new people into the mission, because finding new audiences is so important.”

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