Komen Breast Cancer Charity Names New CEO Susan G. Komen for the Cure has a new CEO. The breast cancer charity announced the appointment of Judith A. Salerno on Monday. Salerno replaces Nancy Brinker, the charity's founder, who announced last summer she would step down following an onslaught of criticism over its decision to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings. That decision was quickly reversed. Salerno is executive director and chief operating officer of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, a prestigious group that advises the government about health and science. Brinker founded the Dallas-based charity in honor of her sister, who died of breast cancer in 1980. It grew into a fundraising powerhouse, and its signature color of pink has become synonymous with breast cancer awareness.