The Valerie Fund adds new members to their Board of Trustees. Non-profit organization treats 6,000 children each year with cancer and blood disorders.

Chris

Neil

(Maplewood, NJ, August 5, 2021) The Valerie Fund is proud to announce, effective June 21st, Chris Johnson and Neil Mehta have joined the leadership board. Reflecting on their selection, Chairman Neil Yaris commented, "The Board of the Valerie Fund is thrilled to welcome Neil Mehta and Chris Johnson as our newest members. We look forward to working with them in our shared mission to provide the highest level of care for TVF kids and their families for years to come."

Chris Johnson is a seasoned entrepreneur and a highly regarded and respected leader in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry. He grew up working in his father, Ron Johnson's, Yum! Brands franchisee company, serving in roles across the organization.

He currently serves as CEO of Rackson Restaurants, a franchisee of Restaurant Brands lnternational's Burger King brand with over fifty-five restaurants located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Chris has been recognized as one of the top franchisees in the country. This recognition is based on a ranking that includes sales, customer feedback, quality, cleanliness, and operational excellence. Although the restaurant industry was hit hard during the pandemic, none of the 1,500 mostly part-time workers faced layoffs which is highly consistent with Chris' employee first philosophy. Chris previously served on Burger King's Restaurant Council and currently sits on the board of the Burger King Foundation. Since 2017, his restaurants have enthusiastically participated in The Valerie Fund's annual Burger King Coupon Campaign raising close to $90,000 to date. Chris serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Overseers for the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and has personally raised over $250,000 on behalf of the organization.

Chris received his Bachelor of Science at Boston College and his MBA at Columbia Business School. He is a former Fellow of Management Leadership of Tomorrow. He is married and has three young children. 

Neil Mehta is a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in the Global Investment Research. He oversees the North American Natural Resources Equity Research team, which includes a highly-ranked group of analysts with expertise in Oil and Gas, Utilities, Midstream, Metals & Mining and Clean Technology. Neil also leads coverage of large cap Energy equities, including ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Chevron. Neil joined Goldman Sachs in 2008 after graduating Columbia University. He is Co-Chair of the Goldman Sachs Global Research Inclusion & Diversity Council and a senior sponsor for the Asian Professional Network and PhD Fellowship Program. Neil resides in Maplewood, New Jersey along with his wife Paula and two young boys, Dev and Leo.

ABOUT THE VALERIE FUND: After their nine-year-old daughter Valerie succumbed to cancer in 1976, Sue and Ed Goldstein were determined that no family should have to travel great distances to receive superior medical care. Along with a group of close friends, they began fundraising efforts from their living room---tireless work that would lead to the 1977 opening of New Jersey's first pediatric oncology facility at Summit's Overlook Hospital.
Forty-five years later, The Valerie Fund's mission remains that of supporting comprehensive health care for children battling cancer and blood disorders.
For more information, please contact Bunny Flanders, Director of Marketing and Communications at bflanders@thevaleriefund.org.