Our Board

Kathleen Maxian brings a passionate and personal perspective to her role as a Patient Advocate; after being diagnosed with advanced-stage ovarian cancer in 2009, she learned a terrible truth. Because of the inherited BRCA 1 gene mutation, she was pre-disposed to breast and ovarian cancer that, in fact, could have been detected through comprehensive genetic testing and prevented with prophylactic surgeries. Those genetic tests are now readily available to American women thanks to a 2013 US Supreme Court decision that declared it illegal for any biotechnology company to hold a patent on a gene, which up until then had been the situation. Ellen Matloff, a Yale Professor and Director of its Genetic Counseling Center, said Maxian played a role in that groundbreaking decision. “She was able to show how gene patents affect real people; she was very courageous and generous with her story.” This landmark case has since then impacted millions of women and saved lives. In 2012, Maxian founded the Ovarian Cancer Project with a mission it is to provide education on ovarian cancer symptoms and risk factors and to support women with the disease. Under her guidance, the Ovarian Cancer Project secured one of the first community-based Woman to Woman Mentoring Programs in the country. She is a graduate of the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s premier science training program, Project LEAD® Institute. Maxian serves as a Patient Advocate on numerous local and national boards and committees, including the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Steering Committee Ovarian Cancer Task Force. She is a sought-after speaker and has won numerous national and local awards for her work, including the Cindy Melacon Survivorship Award from the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. This award commends & honors an individual for their commitment to the ovarian cancer community. Kathleen, an avid gardener who enjoys watercolor painting, lives with her husband, Tom, and faithful dog, Finnegan, in Upstate New York. You can find her on X @KathleenMaxian

• Member: New York State Cancer Consortium Steering Committee
• Member: Patient Advisory Committee of the RPCC – University of Chicago SPORE
• Member: Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance Advocate Leaders
• Member: Hilbert College 2025 Community Advisory Counsel
• 2019-2022 Member: American Society of Clinical Oncologists Panel (ASCO)- PARP Inhibitors for    Ovarian Cancer Guideline Panel
• 2022 – Present:  External Advisory Board: Surgical Oncology Training Program – RPCI
• 2014-2016 Member: National Cancer Institute Gynecological Steering Committee
• 2014-2016 & 2020- Present Member: National Cancer Institute Patient Advocate Steering Committee
• 2015-2018 Member: Niagara County Health Dept. HPV Coalition
• 2013-2018 Member: Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Patient and Family Advisory Board
• 2016-2019 Member: Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Internal Review Board
• 2014 Graduate of National Breast Cancer Coalitions Project Lead® Workshop – Washington, DC
• 2015 Graduate National Breast Cancer Coalition Project Lead® Institute -La Jolla, CA
• 2018 Participant: BRCA Community Perspectives on Data Sharing –(Chan-Zuckerberg) Santa Cruz, CA
• 2019 Participant: Project Lighthouse Workshop – (Robert Wood Johnson) – Washington, DC
• 2023- Present: Member: National Cancer Institute Gynecologic Steering Committee
• 2013 Keynote Speaker: Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance Survivor Luncheon – Denver, CO
• 2014-2017 Guest Lecturer D’Youville College School of Pharmacy – Buffalo, NY
• 2016 Keynote Speaker: Hope for Heather Ovarian Cancer Foundation – Luncheon – Syracuse, NY
• 2016 Grand Rounds Speaker Roswell Park Cancer Institute “Your Genes Have Been Freed, A Patient Advocates Perspective” – Buffalo, NY
• 2019 Speaker: Utah Ovarian Cancer Alliance Black & Teal Gala – May 18, 2019, Salt Lake City, UT
• 2019 Requested to provide remarks at Press Conference Announcing Roswell Park Compressive Cancer Center designation by the NCI.
• 2023 Speaker: American Association of Clinical Research, Exploring the role and impact of patients: A collaborative approach to cancer research. ‘From Patient to Patient Advocate”
• 2013 Recipient of the Cindy Melacon Spirit Award by the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance – Washington, DC
• 2014 Recipient of the “Women Who Move the City Award” by Big Brother’s Big Sister’s Foundation – Buffalo, NY
• 2016 Recipient of the Carolyn Pultz Brown Leadership Award / 2016 Advocate Leader – Washington, DC
• 2021 Women of Distinction Award – New York State 146^th Assembly District

Publication:  PARP Inhibitors in the Management of Ovarian Cancer: ASCO Guideline.  Tew WP, Lacchetti C, Ellis A, Maxian K, Banerjee S, Bookman M, Brown-Jones M, Lee JM, Lheureux S, Liu JF, Moore KN, Muller C, Rodriguez P, Walsh C, Westin SN, and Kohn EC. PARP Inhibitors in the Management of Ovarian Cancer: ASCO Guideline. J Clin Oncol. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.20.01924. Published August 13, 2020.

Publication: Patients Recommend Patience: Ovarian Cancer Survivors Describe the PARP Inhibitor Experience I       A. Ellis, SHARE, K. Maxian, BSW Ovarian Cancer Project,  M. Morrison, Roswell Park, K. Moysich, Ph.D., Roswell Park,  J. Joseph, Roswell Park, Stephanie Blank, MD, Mt Sinai, Melissa Frey, MD, Weil-Cornell) SGO 2021 Poster 11288

Of Note: Kathleen’s story is highlighted in a recently released book by Jorge L. Contreras, Esq., The Genome Defense (Algonquin: 2021). Mr. Contreras is a graduate of Harvard University Law School and teaches in the areas of intellectual property law, property law, genetics, and the law. He has recently been named one of the University of Utah’s Presidential Scholars and won the 2018-19 Faculty Scholarship Award from the S.J. Quinney College of Law.

Like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Genome Defense is a powerful and compelling story about how society struggles to balance scientific advancement, corporate profits, and the rights of all people.

Vicky is Deputy General Counsel for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, where she focuses her practice on litigation and corporate governance. She manages the litigation team and provides legal advice, counsel, and opinions to the Board of Commissioners, Executive Director, and Authority business centers in the areas of: ethics; diversity, equity and inclusion; common carrier law; transportation law; public authorities law; public officers law; wrongful death; premises liability; motor vehicle accidents; No-Fault insurance; and police professional liability. Vicky is a member of the NFTA’s Senior Leadership and Management Teams.

Vicky earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from St. John Fisher College and a Juris Doctor from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She is admitted to practice law in both state and federal courts in New York. She is a member of the Erie County Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, Defense Trial Lawyers Association (DTLA) of Western New York, Defense Research Institute, and New York Trial Lawyers Association. In 2018, Vicky was honored with the Robert M. Kiebala Defense Trial Lawyer of the Year award. She received the Business First Women of Influence award for “behind the scenes” in 2014 and is a graduate of Leadership Buffalo’s Class of 2008. She is a current Board member for the DTLA and the Delaware Women’s Golf Club, as well as a former Board member for St. Mary’s School for the Deaf. Having lost her mother to ovarian cancer in 2015, Vicky is passionate about the mission of the Ovarian Cancer Project and is excited about the opportunity to pay it forward with service to the community on OCP’s Board of Directors. She resides in Lancaster, NY with her wife, Elizabeth, and their dog, Hazel.

Bobbi Levine is a Western New York native and community volunteer. She has volunteered with the Blue Rose Foundation, Special Olympics, Girl Scouts, and the Erie County SPCA and is a longtime volunteer with the Ovarian Cancer Project. She received her degree in Exceptional and Elementary Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo State. After that, she worked in the Buffalo Public Schools. Bobbi’s second career was as a wholesale buyer, working for Sibley’s and the May Company. Later, she was the manager of the gift shops at both the Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester, NY, and the Roswell Park Cancer Center. Bobbi took piano lessons from Warren Case and began teaching piano in the 9th grade. Bobbi is an accomplished classical piano player with a passion for all music. She lives in Clarence with her husband, Stan, and enjoys traveling and spending time with her grandchildren.

Julie is a dedicated licensed sales, support, and services professional, working in the financial industry for over 23 years with HSBC. She is an ovarian cancer survivor and participated during her treatment in Ovarian Cancer Project programs. Now viewing life with a  different perspective; Live life in the present, don’t wait on others. Julie values self-care as extremely important in order to better care for others. Knowing that a sedentary lifestyle promotes health risks, she became a hiker. Now Julie hikes or walks each week. She has completed fundraising treks for the Ovarian Cancer Project in both Ecuador and Jordan. At work, she enjoys working with employee resource groups, promoting cultural diversity and self-care.

Maria has a background in the healthcare field, previously working as a Respiratory Therapist. Maria is the daughter of a member of the Ovarian Cancer Project, who sadly lost her battle. Maria was not only a member of the caregivers’ support group but also an active volunteer with the Ovarian Cancer Project. She and her sisters have spent over 5 years running the Buffalo/Grant Street pick-up location during our Geranium sale. She has also volunteered at many other fundraising events in support of the Ovarian Cancer Project.

Bridget works for the New York State Public Health Corps as the Western Regional Fellowship Placement Coordinator, a public health workforce development initiative. Prior to this role, Bridget was a Disease Intervention Specialist for the NYS Department of Health, providing contact tracing and referrals for individuals newly diagnosed, plus their partners, with gonorrhea, Chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. Bridget formerly worked at Child & Family Services Haven House, Erie County’s shelter and non-residential services program for victims of domestic violence. As Domestic Violence Community Coordinator, Bridget worked with providers throughout Western New York to coordinate service provision to increase victim safety, promote abuser accountability, and improve system responsibility. Bridget was a volunteer for the Susan G Komen Western New York affiliate on the speaker’s bureau.

All through life, Laurel has followed the example set by her parents that paying it forward and helping others should be a priority in your life. With that idea, through her experiences working at Ingram Micro as a campus lead for Community Engagement and Volunteerism, she met Kathleen and was introduced to the Ovarian Cancer Project. The involvement with the organization and relationship grew as the years went by, and now, as a dedicated board member, she works to see the OCP thrive and grow to make a positive difference for even more women living with cancer and their families and caregivers.