FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Traci Johnson
Traci@stbaldricks.org
Monrovia, CA (July 17, 2025) – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Edelsberg, SVP of Business Development at Gallagher Re, and Brian McMullan, owner of McMullan’s Irish Pub in Las Vegas, NV, to its Board of Directors.
Edelsberg is a veteran insurance executive with over 30 years of experience in insurance ratings, reinsurance strategy, and financial analysis. He currently serves as Senior Vice President and Head of Business Development for the Life Solutions Group at Gallagher Re, where he advises life insurers on reinsurance transactions. Prior to this role, Edelsberg held senior positions at A.M. Best, and Kroll Bond Rating Agency, earning industry-wide recognition as a trusted advisor.
Edelsberg has been a long-time supporter of St. Baldrick’s. He was first introduced to the organization at the 2016 NAMIC conference and began participating in head-shaving events soon after. In 2024, he shaved his head in person at the Gallagher Re Philadelphia event and served as lead organizer for the 2025 fundraiser. His commitment honors the memory of his nephew, Ayden, who passed away in 2012 from ATRT, a rare and aggressive pediatric brain cancer.
McMullan is the owner of McMullan’s Irish Pub in Las Vegas and a well-known champion for kids with cancer. A father of five and a leader in the hospitality and casino industries, McMullan brings more than 30 years of operational experience to the Board. Before opening McMullan’s in 2002, he helped develop four casinos and more than 15 Irish pubs across the United States.
Since 2007, the McMullan family has hosted the largest and longest-running St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event in the Las Vegas area, raising more than $7.7 million for lifesaving research. The annual event honors their daughter Kyra, who passed away from cancer at a young age. Over the years, McMullan has joined thousands of volunteers in shaving his head to support St. Baldrick’s mission to fund lifesaving childhood cancer research.
As Edelsberg and McMullan step into their roles, John Bender, St. Baldrick’s Co-Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Phil Ralston, President of American Nevada Company, and Ryan Brown, CAIA, CFP®, of Goldman Sachs, complete their Board service. The Foundation extends its heartfelt gratitude for their years of dedicated service and lasting impact, and looks forward to their continued involvement and steadfast support of the mission to Conquer Kids’ Cancer for years to come.
“The addition of Andrew and Brian marks an important moment for the Foundation as we continue to strengthen our efforts to fund the most promising childhood cancer research,” said Kathleen Ruddy, CEO of St. Baldrick’s Foundation “Both bring not only impressive professional expertise but also a deep personal commitment to helping children with cancer. As we continue pushing toward better treatments and cures, their voices will be powerful additions to our mission. We are also profoundly grateful to John, Ryan, and Phil for their years of leadership and service. Their contributions have helped move the needle in childhood cancer research, and their impact will be felt for years to come.”
Edelsberg and McMullan join a dynamic group of leaders committed to guiding the Foundation’s efforts, expanding its impact, and ensuring that every child with cancer has the chance to live a long a healthy life.
To learn more about St. Baldrick’s, visit StBaldricks.org, and connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.
St. Baldrick’s Foundation Board of Directors
St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s Board of Directors include: Chair of the Board, John M. McManus, Chief Legal & Administrative Officer & Secretary of MGM Resorts International; Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, Director of Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship at University of Alabama at Birmingham; Richard A. Bucher, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vitaulic; Jill Cetina, Executive Professor of Finance & Associate Director of the Commercial Banking Program, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University; Andrew Edelsberg, SVP, Business Development of Gallagher Re, Julia Glade Bender, MD, Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering; Tim Kenny, Executive Chairman of Aran Insurance Services Group; Brian McMullan, Owner of McMullan’s Irish Pub in Las Vegas, NV; Franklin W. Nutter, Chairman Emeritus, President of Reinsurance Association of America (RAA); Kathleen Ruddy, Chief Executive Officer of St. Baldrick’s Foundation; Shannon Rutledge, President & Chief Executive Officer at Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa; Grant Simon, Sr. VP & Group Manager at Comerica Bank, San Francisco, CA; Jason T. Yustein, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine & Director, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
Every 2 minutes a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., 1 in 5 will not survive. St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, has awarded more than $356 million to researchers to Conquer Kids’ Cancer. When you give to St. Baldrick’s, you don’t just give to one hospital – you support every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick’s ensures that children fighting cancer now — and those diagnosed in the future — will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment by supporting every stage of research from new ideas in the lab, to the training of the next generation of researchers, to lifesaving clinical trials. St. Baldrick’s has played a role in virtually every advancement in the field over the past 25 years and remains essential in advancing progress and fostering innovation in childhood cancer research. Visit StBaldricks.org and help #ConquerKidsCancer.