PAUL KNOEBEL NAMED CHAIRMAN OF THE MACC FUND’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Paul Knoebel is the new Chairman of the Board of the MACC Fund, Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc. The longtime MACC Fund board member and former Vice Chair, Knoebel, assumed the leadership position following an election during the MACC Fund’s annual meeting on December 10, 2014, the MACC Fund’s 38^th birthday.  His involvement with the MACC Fund dates back to its formative years nearly 38 years ago. He replaces Wm. (Bill) O. Steinberg whose tenure mirrors Knoebel’s.  Steinberg will remain on the 15-person board and will be the Fund’s first Chairman Emeritus.  Kevin Steiner will be the Vice Chair. MACC Fund Co-Founders Jon McGlocklin and Eddie Doucette will remain as President and Honorary Vice President respectively. Jan Lennon will continue as Secretary and Scott Falk will continue as Treasurer.

The MACC Fund completed its 38^th year on December 10 following its founding during a Milwaukee Bucks game celebrating the retirement of the “Original Buck”, Jon McGlocklin who teamed up with the legendary Bucks announcer, Eddie Doucette, to start the MACC Fund.  Doucette’s toddler son Brett was battling leukemia at the time and the duo started the MACC Fund to raise funds for pediatric cancer research.  Now married and living in California, Brett is regarded as the MACC Fund first “success story.”

A veteran MACC Fund board member, Paul Knoebel, has a personal connection with the childhood cancer fighting group having helped his sister Christine battle the disease starting in 1978.  Having seen firsthand the effect of cancer on a child, Knoebel has dedicated his professional life to helping children win their battles like his sister did.  The Founder and Chairman of Knoebel and Associates, an international manufacturer’s representative firm as well as a manufacturing firm based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Knoebel has held a number of leadership positions for the MACC Fund over the years.  He recently led the Fund’s efforts to pledge $10 million over a 10-year period to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin leading to the MACC Fund Center.

A member of the Board of Trustees of Children’s Hospital and Health System and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Knoebel noted: “The MACC Fund holds a very special place in the heart of many families like ours. I feel fortunate to be in a position to give back and look forward to this opportunity to chair our dedicated board. I promise to do the best I can for the children to whom the MACC Fund has been committed for 38 years.” 

Kevin Steiner, the MACC Fund’s Co-Chair, is President/Chief Executive Officer of West Bend Mutual Insurance based in West Bend, Wis. West Bend has been a significant MACC Fund benefactor for two decades with Steiner leading these efforts for most of those years.  The company’s “2014 MACC Fund Event” raised net proceeds totaling $470,000. Steiner has been on the MACC Fund board for 8 years serving as Chairman of its Finance Committee for the past three years and is active in a number of West Bend community enterprises including the Kettle Moraine YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County.

Steiner is also Chair of the Froedtert Health system board and noted:  “It is an honor to be part of the MACC Fund team.  While much has been accomplished, we all know our work is not done.  I remain committed to the MACC Fund mission and will work hard to support Paul as he leads the MACC Fund efforts.”

Chairman Emeritus Bill Steinberg commented: “This change in leadership is the next step in a succession plan that provides the kind of governance and oversight of operations and staff which safeguards the MACC Fund’s mission, delivers superior performance relative to that mission, makes a distinctive impact on the communities it touches, and achieves lasting endurance beyond any leader, idea or setback.  We’re serious about all that.  For all the reasons noted in this release, there’s no better next step for the leadership of the MACC Fund.  Naming Paul Knoebel as the new Board Chairman and Kevin Steiner as Vice Chair is a perfect balance between what we’ve done in the past and the work we still need to do with our many partners for kids with cancer and related blood disorders. How lucky we to have their leadership.  How lucky we are for them all.”  

Jon McGlocklin, President and Co-Founder of the MACC Fund, said “We are so grateful to Bill Steinberg for leading the board for the past 8 years and for his longtime commitment to our cause.  We are pleased that he will remain active on the board.  The MACC Fund is fortunate to have a seasoned and dedicated leader like Paul Knoebel to step into this important role.  His interest in the MACC Fund has been a cornerstone of his professional career and the children will continue to benefit from it.  The MACC Fund is also grateful to have Kevin Steiner join Paul in this effort as Vice Chair.  Kevin’s interest in the MACC Fund spans two decades personally and corporately.  His working with Paul and our dedicated board will ensure that the MACC Fund does all it can to give every child a fighting chance.  I couldn’t be happier with the future in this important work.”

The MACC Fund has contributed over $52 million to pediatric cancer and blood disorders research for diseases like aplastic anemia and sickle cell disease since its inception in 1976 during a Milwaukee Bucks game which included the retiring of number 14 of “The Original Buck,” Jon McGlocklin. The MACC Fund has played an important role in helping the overall cure rate for childhood cancer to rise from 20% to 80% during this time.   MACC Fund supported research conducted in the MACC Fund Research Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin, in theMACC Fund Center at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and in the MACC Fund Childhood Cancer Research Wing at the University of Wisconsin’s Carbone Cancer Center impacts the treatment of children throughout the state, the nation and the world.  The MACC Fund is committed to give every child a fighting chance to provide “Hope for Kids.”

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