Our Board of Directors

Joan Slaughter (Co-Founder) is the mother of Morgan Adams. With a background in accounting, Joan was a member of a special projects divestiture team for a Fortune 100 company prior to Morgan’s diagnosis. After Morgan died, Joan and her late husband, Steven Adams, started the Foundation that bears their daughter’s name. Joan serves as Executive Director and has focused her work on fundraising and raising community support for pediatric cancer research. Joan also serves on the Philanthropy Council of the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation Board, is the Chair of the Colorado Kids’ Cancer Association, and serves as a Patient Advocate on the NIH’s Pediatric Central Institutional Review Board. Joan and Steven have two other children, Andrew and Sara Grace.

Janelle Aune

Bari DeJaynes is an artist and designer and runs his own art and design studio in Greenwich Village, New York. Utilizing his 20 years in advertising and marketing, Bari helps manage design, marketing, and promotion projects, including auction catalogs, corporate banners, event invitations, and print ads for MAF. As a founding board member of The Morgan Adams Foundation, he has donated countless hours to the Foundation, supports the work of the Foundation financially, and regularly contributes his artwork to artma.

Bari DeJaynes

John Dudasch has a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University and is the Chief Operating Officer for a national construction firm. John and his wife Vicki were first introduced to MAF at the Morgan Adams Concours d’Elegance in 2012, a month after losing their 11-year-old daughter Avery to a brain tumor. Both John and Vicki were so overwhelmed and impressed by the event, the cause, and the foundation that they knew they wanted to get involved. John is focusing on supporting MAF in the areas of operational and organizational planning.

John Dudasch

Courtney Graham is an accomplished strategic human resource executive with over 15 years of leadership experience, recognized for her contributions in driving organizational profitability through the implementation of effective people strategies. With a strong focus on the technology industry, she has demonstrated an exceptional aptitude for assisting high-growth companies in achieving their goals.

In 2022, Courtney’s life took an unexpected turn when her son was diagnosed with a low-grade glioma at the age of 20, leading her to become involved with The Morgan Adams Foundation.

As an HR leader, Courtney finds inspiration in the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the foundation, which has touched the hearts and lives of numerous children and families.

Courtney has come to realize that life’s unexpected twists and turns can be both frightening and fulfilling in ways that were never imagined. In her personal life, she finds happiness in being a devoted mother and loving wife, as well as in traveling and spending time outdoors.

Courtney Graham

Dan Kelly has 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, with a focus on the development of energy assets throughout the western United States. Prior to starting up a small consulting company, Dan spent 13 years in various capacities with Noble Energy, Inc., including the Vice President of Strategy and Planning. He was a strong advocate for The Morgan Adams Foundation at Noble Energy and continues to work closely with Joan. He is also a Director for SRC Energy, which is based in Denver, Colorado. He has a bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

Dan Kelly

Dr. Arthur Liu received his bachelor of science and master of science degrees in electrical engineering and computer science and his Ph.D. in medical engineering and medical physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then went on to attend Harvard Medical School. He received his training in radiation oncology in the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program and is board certified in Radiation Oncology.

In 2007, he moved to Colorado to join the staff in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Colorado. He is the Vice-Chair and Practice Director of the department. His clinical interest is pediatric radiation oncology, and he is also the Director of Pediatric Radiation Oncology. He works closely with the physicians at the Children’s Hospital Colorado. His research interests include late effects of radiation therapy, quantitative structural brain imaging and application of novel radiation approaches in childhood malignancies.

Dr. Arthur Liu

Jeff McPherson is a Tax Partner with a prominent accounting and consulting firm in Denver.  He has a bachelor of science and a master of accountancy from the University of Denver.  Jeff was connected with Morgan Adams Foundation in 2016 when his then six-year-old son was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  After learning more about childhood cancer and the lack of funding for research, he was compelled to join MAF to help them with their mission by providing support in the financial management of the organization.

Jeff McPherson

Jesse Russell is a strategic leader, digital transformation thought leader, and enterprise software veteran. He currently holds and has served in significant leadership roles at leading global technology companies including Oracle, SAP, NetSuite, and Coupa. A Colorado native, Jesse attended the University of Colorado Boulder and holds a BA in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations and Economics, as well as an MBA in Finance from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business. Jesse joined The Morgan Adams Foundation Board in 2019; he brings significant prior board experience as well as a background in strategy, operations, fundraising, and a passion for fighting cancer.  Jesse lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife Kylie, their son, and labradoodle.

Jesse Russell

Sherin Sakr

Perpetual Members

Steven Adams (Co-Founder) (September 4, 1962 – September 22, 2013)

Steven was a professional photographer and the father of Morgan Adams, for whom the foundation is named. Steven was also a member of the Children’s Hospital Oncology Advisory Board for three years and, in partnership with his wife, Joan Slaughter, created multiple events to raise money for children’s cancer research. Before organizing The Morgan Adams Foundation, they worked for four years under the umbrella of the Children’s Hospital Foundation. To date their efforts, with the help of their friends and volunteers, have grossed over $4.7 million. The Steven Adams Memorial Endowment Fund is named in his honor and will help to keep the dream of Steven and Joan Slaughter alive and well.

Steven Adams

Brett M. Derosier, Co-Founder and Event Chair, Morgan Adams Concours d’Elegance (September 10, 1976 – August 13, 2005)

Brett’s vision of a unique event – a carefully blended display of the best driving and flying machines in history – has come together through his incredibly hard work, his dedication and most of all, his belief in the purpose behind it all: a cure for children with cancer. We grieve the untimely loss of such an incredible partner and yet we celebrate his life, knowing that what he envisioned and loved will continue to grow, and in so doing, will honor his spirit.

Brett M. Derosier