Mark K. Pilon, executive director of Susan. G. Komen® Los Angeles County

Mark K. Pilon, the executive director of Susan. G. Komen® Los Angeles County since 2013, is an inspirational leader who has developed and grown the non-profit’s profile, presence, fundraising efforts and reach. He has improved local recognition for the LA County affiliate; developed and implemented strategies for major shifts in messaging; built local revenue streams including recurring gifts through the Core of Komen, a business influencers organization; reorganized processes and initiated the first collaborative effort with multiple affiliates for a single grant initiative to serve the African American community in California.
Prior to joining Komen LA County, the seasoned management executive spent 11 years with Make-A-Wish as President/CEO, initially handling Orange County, California, then adding responsibility for the Inland Empire. While at Make-A-Wish, Pilon achieved annual double-digit increases in wishes, led the organization through its first comprehensive strategic plan, and increased revenue streams in major gifts, planned giving, and grants and foundation giving. He also co-chaired a national committee that built compliance standards for 80-plus Make-A-Wish chapters nationwide. He worked toward his BS in business administration at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and studied radiology at the Athens Regional Medical Center.h Families and International Travel” at the organization’s international conference in Paris, France, with members of Euro Disney. A Southern Californian since the ‘70s, Pilon hails from the Cleveland, Ohio area.