Founders

Donna Deegan
Founder/Event Chairman

Donna Degan is a three-time survivor of breast cancer and anchored the nightly news for Jacksonville’s First Coast News for more than 20 years. In 2003, she founded The Donna Foundation, which provides breast cancer patients in North East Florida with emotional, social and financial support. In 2007, she co-founded 26.2 with DONNA The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to produce world-class events dedicated exclusively to raise funds to end breast cancer.

Edith A. Perez, MD
Deputy Director at Large, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
Group Vice Chair, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
Serene M. and Frances C. Durling Professor of Medicine, Mayo Medical School
Mayo Clinic

Edith A. Perez, M.D., is the Deputy Director at Large for Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Florida, Group Vice Chair of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, Director of the Breast Program, and the Serene M. and Frances C. Durling Professor of Medicine at Mayo Medical School. She is a cancer specialist and an internationally known translational researcher at Mayo Clinic. Her roles extend nationally, including positions within Mayo Clinic, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Perez has developed, and is involved in, a wide range of clinical trials exploring the use of new therapeutic agents for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. She leads and has helped develop basic research studies to evaluate the role of genetic markers in the development and aggressiveness of breast cancer. She has authored more than 550 research articles in journals, books, and abstracts. Dr. Perez is invited frequently to lecture at national and international meetings. She serves on the editorial boards of multiple academic journals.

A select list of awards Dr. Perez has received includes: Breast Cancer Research Foundation Research Grant Award (1998-2013); Horizon Achievement Award in Cancer Research (2002); Mayo Clinic Outstanding Faculty Award (2002 & 2004); North Florida Hispanic of the Year Award (2003); Mayo Clinic Distinguished Educator Award (2003); Serene M. and Frances C. Durling Professorship of Medicine (2006); Honorary Doctorate of Letters, University of North Florida (2006); Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator (2007); Florida State Biomedical Research Advisory Council (BRAC) (2009-2012); Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (2009); Mayo Clinic Outstanding Course Director (2009); EVE Award for Lifetime Achievement (2011); NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award (2011); and one of the 75 Most Influential People in Jacksonville Healthcare from Jacksonville Magazine’s 904 (2012).

Jeff Galloway
US Olympian, Author, Inspirational Speaker

Jeff Galloway has dedicated his career to the belief that all of us are designed to run and walk, and his efforts have encouraged thousands of people to make exercise a positive factor in their lives.

Galloway is the author of the top-selling running books in North America, Galloway’s Book on Running and Marathon You Can Do, and a columnist for Runner’s World. He is the inventor of the Galloway RUN-WALK method, an innovative low-mileage training program that offers the possibility of completing a marathon to almost everyone. Through his company, Galloway Productions, Galloway conducts dozens of fitness seminars throughout North America, as well as fitness vacations to Greece and Lake Tahoe, and training groups in 40-50 cities annually. He also delivers inspirational talks at more than 200 running and fitness sessions each year.

Galloway’s expertise in the field is the result of his own athletic and business successes. He qualified for the 1972 Olympics in the 10,000 meters and as an alternate for the marathon. In 1973, he opened a store for runners called Phidippides, in Atlanta, and trained his sales staff to help customers select running shoes by considering the function and shape of each person’s feet. He still owns two Phidippides stores in Atlanta. Galloway also helped to organize the Peachtree Road Race and the first Avon Marathon for women. Today he organizes the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk, which enters more than 20,000 participants each year.

Kurtis W. Loftus
President/Creative Director of The Kurtis Group
Artist, Official Race Poster

Kurtis Loftus has long been recognized by his peers as one of the area’s foremost creative talents, with 30 years of experience in the Jacksonville, Florida, advertising and design industry. He is President/Creative Director of The Kurtis Group, a Jacksonville Beach agency specializing in focused and creative marketing strategies for small business.

Loftus has illustrated three books, published a surfing magazine, and developed art for numerous high-profile events, including the Annual Gator Bowl Classic, ACC Championship Game, Jacksonville Jazz Festival and PGA — America Supports You.
He has earned numerous local, state and national awards, including:

• A National Silver Addy for the Kingpins CD cover design,
• American Advertising Federation (AAF) Silver Medal, the group’s highest honor recognizing an advertising professional who has furthered industry standards, achieved creative excellence, and is actively involved in community service, and
• Regional Gold ADDY for a series of illustrations done on behalf of The Donna Foundation

Loftus is a founding member of the American Institute of Graphic Artists local chapter and serves on the Advisory Board of the Flagler College Graphics Department. He participates in bi-annual portfolio reviews for both Flagler and AIGA, and frequently judges art exhibitions, and mentors graphic design students. He is a member of the Jacksonville Marketing and Advertising Club. In 2011, Loftus set the Guiness Book of World Records record for a marathon surfing session, raising $30,000 to benefit 26.2 with DONNA.

Loftus sits on several local boards, including the Beaches division of Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, where he has been twice honored as their Small Business Leader of the Year. He and his wife of 29 years, Margaret, have two grown daughters.

Tim Deegan
Chief Meteorologist, First Coast News

Tim Deegan is the Chief Meteorologist at First Coast News, providing weather forecasts on four weekday newscasts. Tim is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology. He is a member of the American Meteorological Society and carries that group’s important seal of approval.

Deegan has three daughters and is married to former First Coast News anchor Donna Deegan. He works with many charitable organizations, including the American Lung Association, and is an avid surfer, marathoner and skygazer.

Amanda Napolitano
Executive Director

Amanda Napolitano is the Executive Director of the 26.2 with DONNA Foundation, responsible for the vision and management of all 26.2 with DONNA events. An avid runner, Napolitano is a founding member of 26.2 with DONNA, and in partnership with Chris Twiggs leads the Jacksonville Galloway Training Program. In 2008, she and Chris were awarded the “Spirit of Galloway” award from Jeff Galloway for their work.

Previously, Napolitano was an Account Director for IDEA, a specialized practice within Idea Integration focused on interactive agency services. She holds a BS in Technical Communication from Mercer University in Macon, Ga., and is a member of the Society for Technical Communication and Jacksonville AMA. Napolitano is a Committee Member of the Gator Bowl Association and an active member of The Church of Eleven22.

Special thanks to the 2008 founders of the inaugural 26.2 with DONNA The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer.

Dr. Edith Perez

Kristine Kepler

James & Patricia Cannan

Tim & Donna Deegan

Dr. Joyce Karsko

Karen Doherty

Crawford Family Foundation

Agency Approval & Development

Gracor Training Centers, Inc.

Frances Palmieri

Mr. & Mrs. Preston H. Haskell

Dr. Elizabeth DePeri

The J. Johnson Gallery

Benchmark Homes

Dr. & Mrs. S. Terkonda

Gannett Foundation

Don & Carol Pitman

Ali Korman

Howard Serkin

Marty Lanahan

John & Theresa Snyder

Eulah Ellen Bruce

PPR Travel, Dwight Cooper

Hicks Charitable Foundation

Deborah Gianoulis Heald

Pam Paul

Francis & Kathleen Kennelly

The Newton CLT III – 1997

Ann McDonald Baker

Jim Hanson

Teresa & Arthur de Balmaseda Milam

Barnwell Lane

Kenneth Kirschner

Joan Newton

Bonnie Solloway

J. Carson & Donna Blevins Eddings

John & Sherry Earle

Betty & David Berkman

Donnie & Carol Wanstall

Linda Kozick

Jax Greyhound Racing

Michael Munz

Deborah Pass

Phyllis Staines

Howard & Mary Ellen Halle

Karl’s Haberdashery of FL