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Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born and raised right here in Houston, Texas. My husband, Todd Forester, and I have one son named Kick. Professionally, I work with my parents at our family business, Kickerillo Companies. We are land developers and home builders, and I serve as the executive vice president and chief marketing officer.   

How did you first come to know MD Anderson?
Of course, growing up in Houston, I¡¯ve always known about MD Anderson. What struck me most, besides the incredible research and amazing patient care, was the fact that I¡¯ve had the opportunity to meet so many survivors, many who have been living literally 20 or 30 years since their initial diagnosis and treatment. These survivors are a testimony to MD Anderson and the institution¡¯s mission to end cancer ¡ª it¡¯s truly becoming more of a reality.

Why is it important to you to support this mission to end cancer?
MD Anderson¡¯s mission struck a little closer to home when my mother had a small scare in the ¡®90s. Fortunately, it turned out not to be cancer but it gave us the opportunity to learn more about the benefits available through the Lyda Hill Cancer Prevention Center. I think many people don¡¯t realize that MD Anderson can also help you reduce your cancer risk ¨C the doctors in the cancer prevention program are absolutely wonderful. A few years ago, when I had a small scare myself, I received nothing but amazing care and peace of mind while I was in the hands of the doctors there.

How did you become involved with MD Anderson¡¯s Advance Team? 
Initially, I wanted to get involved in order to learn more about what is available to Houstonians, Americans and the international community who become patients at MD Anderson. I also wanted to know more about how we can better prevent cancer in our own lives. MD Anderson has such an incredible mission, and as a family we have always been supportive of research and medical advancements. Joining the Advance Team was an incredible opportunity to play a more active role in the fight against cancer.

Most recently, I was asked to be a part of the executive team to chair the events committee. Then, Todd and I were asked to co-chair the Houston Living Legend event. It¡¯s been such an incredible and educational experience for me. Our son has even been able to attend some events that benefit MD Anderson Children¡¯s Cancer Hospital. It¡¯s been really fun for our family as we learn more about MD Anderson and what we can do to help end cancer.

The 2015 Houston Living Legend was a huge success. Can you tell us a little about the process from conception to execution?
From start to finish, we had an amazing time chairing the Houston Living Legend event. Our journey began in 2014, when we were asked to co-chair the event honoring Condoleezza Rice. It was an incredibly successful event and really helped us get our feet wet. Then, the planning began for the 2015 event. We knew it would be a huge undertaking, especially filling the shoes of the former chairs.

Thankfully, we were in the incredible hands of MD Anderson¡¯s development and events staff. What I can¡¯t stress enough is that when you¡¯re serving as a chair of any event in Houston, you¡¯ve got to rely on the events and development staff. Fortunately, MD Anderson has an incredible team. After our initial brainstorming session, together with Mary Kathryn Cooper and her capable team, we were able to secure Bob McNair as our Living Legend ¡ª a man loved by this city and a cancer survivor to boot. The stars aligned and everything worked out.

Although the bar was raised high for us, we were up to the challenge and dollar-wise, we succeeded. It was a great night.

What was your favorite part of the event chairing process?
As crazy as it sounds, I loved every step of the planning process. Todd, as my co-chair, may have a different answer! Whether it was picking the napkins to deciding what the font would look like on the invitation to arranging the timeline with the outstanding production company we used, Ward & Ames, I loved the planning and all of the details. Todd and I made a great team ¡ª he gets the big picture while I get lost in the details.

What was the key to your success?
Without a doubt¡ª trust your development team. If you¡¯re chairing an event, you need to rely on this team. Trust them because they know their audience, they know their donors and they know what events work and don¡¯t work.

What was the greatest lesson you learned while planning the Houston Living Legend?
In chairing the Living Legend event, I learned how very generous the people are in this incredible city of Houston. Todd and I were blown away by the support and just how giving people are with their time, talent and treasure.  Also, I learned that when you are chairing an event, it takes a village!

What advice do you have for other Advance Team members looking to get more involved?
Attend any event that you can. There are so many events that are already planned, already scheduled. MD Anderson has many lecture series, there are family events through the Little Galleria for Halloween, Christmas and Easter, etc. Attend these events and see how well they¡¯re run and you will see that chairing and getting involved will be easy. Don¡¯t be scared to get involved. Throw your hat in the chairing ring because it is so rewarding. You can immediately see how the dollars you raise are affecting peoples¡¯ lives and patients¡¯ outcomes.