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Lisa Kulok and her mother Carol.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) welcomes Columbia Sportswear executive Lisa Kulok to its esteemed board of directors. PanCAN’s board comprises dedicated individuals who are leaders professionally and in their communities with a broad range of expertise, including business, higher education, fundraising, policy, legal issues, finances and board governance.
As senior vice president of Global Supply Chain Operations for Columbia, Kulok brings a wealth of organizational and operational knowledge to PanCAN’s board. Prior to joining Columbia in 2008, Kulok held various leadership positions at NIKE, Inc., for more than 20 years.
Kulok served as Team Captain for Carol’s Purple Crusaders for PurpleStride Orange County.
Each member of PanCAN’s board of directors has also been personally touched by pancreatic cancer, including Kulok, who lost her mother, Carol, to the disease in September 2016 after a two-and-a-half-year battle.
“My mom was actually diagnosed on my birthday in 2014,” Kulok said. “I knew at that moment, sitting there in the hospital, that nothing would ever be the same.”
Following her diagnosis, Kulok’s mother found PanCAN and encouraged friends and family to participate in PurpleStride Orange County, the walk to end pancreatic cancer. Kulok serves as Team Captain for Carol’s Purple Crusaders, and the team has raised more than $50,000 for PanCAN since 2014.
“She lived as the brightest light until she couldn’t anymore,” Kulok said of her mother. “It’s easy to be inspired by that.”
Carol at PurpleStride Orange County
In addition to participating in PurpleStride, Kulok said that her mom found a deep connection with members of the PanCAN community. She recalls fondly how Orange County Affiliate volunteer leader Roberta Luna, a 17-year pancreatic cancer survivor, visited her in the hospital.
“Roberta was amazing to my mom. She visited the hospital during the difficult times. Her warmth and kindness provided support for my mom that no one else was able to give her, and I am so grateful for her.”
In her free time, Kulok enjoys landscape photography and getting outdoors, including spending time at her beach house in Oregon. She is looking forward to beginning her three-year term on the board of directors and working with PanCAN to accelerate progress to improve patient outcomes.
“I’m proud to join PanCAN’s board of directors to give back to the organization that provided my mom with support when she needed it most,” Kulok said.
“My mom was my life’s greatest inspiration. No matter how bad her days were, she never gave up hope. I plan to continue her legacy of hope and positivity during my time on PanCAN’s board.”
