Journey to the Future: How an ISU Alum Leads Investment in Game-Changing Cancer Research

The future of cancer research is today.  And this impacts all of us tomorrow. Iowa State University alum Shane Jacobson, CEO of the V Foundation for Cancer Research, will share insights on the work of the V Foundation for Cancer Research and how their distinctive approach to investing in game-changing research advances the field of cancer research. He will also share insights on his career journey, leadership principles, and lessons learned as a Cyclone and an accomplished nonprofit executive.

Shane Jacobson is an accomplished senior executive with experience leading teams to achieve record-setting revenue, developing best practices culture, and delivering partnerships with ambitious impact goals. At the V Foundation, Shane and the staff focus on funding all-star scientists to accelerate victory over cancer and save lives. They masterfully link networks inside and outside of sports.  Shane has been part of revenue targets aimed at investing more than $3 billion in mission-critical opportunities. He has a positive history of CEO-Board relationships and utilizes his expertise in board best practices, including as an author.

Shane has enhanced organizational culture by aligning core values, strategic planning, Objectives, and Key Results. The team has sustained significant growth in its market development through the signature events portfolio, business partnerships, and principal gift strategies. As a result, revenue and grant-making have each grown by more than 100%, respectively, annually breaking results across the board. He negotiated the largest partnership in V Foundation history: a $30M framework announced at the 2024 ESPYs. Shane has secured several of the largest gifts in the history of the V, each seven- and eight-figure gifts, while leading the cultivation and closure of game-changing business partnerships with ESPN and Disney; negotiated the V Foundation becoming the official charity of the National Hockey League; and delivered partnerships with Bristol Myers Squibb, Lexus, Constellation Brands, First Watch restaurants, the WWE, multiple NFL teams, Hearst Communications, Pepsi, Under Armour, and more. He believes in integrated and co-created win-win opportunities that attract forward-facing engagement, leverage multimedia assets, build powerful content for linear and streaming services, often using sports as an accelerator, and uncover a 2-and-3-way collaboration that enhances brand equity.

This lecture will be recorded and available to view for two weeks to those with an iastate.edu email address on the Available Recordings page, approximately 24-36 hours after the conclusion of the event.