Who Won LLS’ 2019 Man & Woman of the Year?!

Twenty-four dynamic and relentless candidates collectively raised $2.78 million in an energetic ten-week fundraising campaign, culminating at The Anthem, for the 2019 Grand Finale Gala.  But only two could take home the title.  Who won the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 28th annual Man and Woman of the Year competition??!

Eric Grossman and Jessica Burgess were named 2019 Man & Woman of the Year for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s National Capital Area Chapter. Along with Grossman and Burgess, LLS also recognized First Runners-Up, Demi Puente of Iron Bow Technologies, and Loree Lipstein of Thread Strategies, and Second Runners-Up, Chris Townsend of Symantec, and Erica Pizzeck, for their dedication to supporting the LLS mission.

Burgess, of Annapolis, MD, has worked with Presidio, a top sponsor of the challenge, for more than 14 years. Grossman, of Fairfax, Virginia, was nominated by his friend, Erika Chambers, a candidate for the Woman of the Year title last year.

“Taking on this challenge was about living up to the values my family modeled for me,” Grossman said while receiving his award. “My grandparents, who are no longer with us, long ago imparted the wisdom that while it’s nice to do well, it is imperative to do good. Supporting an organization as impactful as LLS is unquestionably what it means to do good. LLS is curing blood cancers in real time.”

All of the 2019 candidates raised money in honor of this year’s Boy & Girl of the Year, Grant and Lucia, leukemia survivors.

“We celebrate the important progress being made in the field of blood cancer research; the outstanding support of our leadership team; and the generosity of our corporate partners and individual donors,” said Beth Gorman, Executive Director of the National Capital Area Chapter, who will soon start a new position as Vice President of Fundraising and Innovation for LLS. “Thank you to the incredible men and women who participated in the campaign and help us make strides in treatments for blood cancers. These 24 candidates are true champions of the LLS mission.”