Home News Cancer Support Community South Bay gets two new leaders

Cancer Support Community South Bay gets two new leaders

September 21, 2023

The Cancer Support Community South Bay has a couple of new leaders.

Jillian Van Leuven is the nonprofit’s new executive director and CEO, and Kelli Vieweg is the new president of the board of directors, CSC announced recently.

The organization offers more than 200 free support programs monthly for cancer patients and their families, as part of a global network of 170 other locations.

Van Leuven succeeds Jackie Suiter, who took on the role on an interim basis after former CEO Joey Shanahan left the position earlier this year. Suiter will continue to serve as CSC South Bay’s director of development.

In other recent changes, last year, CSCSB was renamed from CSC Redondo Beach and relocated to Rolling Hills Plaza in Torrance after 34 years on the Redondo Beach Pier.

Van Leuven, meanwhile, has more than two decades of experience working in the nonprofit sector, most recently as executive director of Merci, a Los Angeles nonprofit that serves people with developmental disabilities. There, she’s helped grow the organization by creating new services, mentoring and developing staffers, and fostering robust connections with stakeholders.

The new director has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Francisco State University and a master of public administration, with an emphasis in nonprofit management, from Cal State Northridge.

CSC South Bay’s mission is particularly close to her heart, Van Leuven said in a press release, as her best friend recently died from lymphoma.

“CSC South Bay’s mission and vision connect to me on a deeply personal level,” Van Leuven said in the release. “The work that this organization does is vital for those affected by cancer. I am thrilled to be joining the team, to be leading in CSC South Bay’s growth and extending its reach to serve an even wider community.”