Management Team

John Crowley, PhD, brings four decades of experience in Biostatistics to his role as President and CEO of Cancer Research And Biostatistics (CRAB). Dr. Crowley is the Director of the Statistical Center for the SWOG, co-located at CRAB and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.  Building on that expertise, under Dr. Crowley’s lead CRAB also serves as the Statistical Center for the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the Stand Up to Cancer Pancreatic dream team; CRAB also works intimately with the Pancreatic Cancer Research Team, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, the International Myeloma Foundation and Sarcoma Alliance Research Through Collaboration. Read more about these research groups in Our Key Partnerships.

To serve these groups, Dr. Crowley oversees the study design, protocol development, data management, quality control, data analysis, and statistical research of more than 130 active multi-site clinical cancer trials. Dr. Crowley manages a staff of 85 high-level statisticians, data coordinators application developers and other professionals dedicated to conquering cancer through large-scale clinical trials. Dr. Crowley's own research interests focus on the design and analysis of cancer clinical and translation trials. His more recent research focuses on analytical methods for utilizing microarray data to determine predictive and prognostic groups; the design of targeted therapy trials; and methods for describing staging systems for lung cancer and myeloma. His longstanding interest in developing exploratory tools for survival data has produced widely used statistical applications in these areas. Dr. Crowley also educates cancer clinicians and biostatisticians here and abroad in the principles and pitfalls of cancer clinical trials.

Since Dr. Crowley's research career began in 1974, he has had numerous significant accomplishments. He served as Head of the Biostatistics Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center from 1983 until 1993, during which time he was honored with a Mortimer Spiegelman Award, given every year by the American Public Health Association to an outstanding young biostatistician. Dr. Crowley's credentials also include prestigious fellowships from the American Statistical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. To date he has authored over 250 professional papers and books.

Dr. Crowley received his master’s and doctorate degrees (in 1970 and 1973, respectively) in Biomathematics from the University of Washington. He served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University and then moved on to an Assistant Professorship in 1974, followed by an Associate Professorship in 1979, at the University of Wisconsin Departments of Human Oncology and Statistics. In 1982 Dr. Crowley accepted an appointment as Associate Member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) along with an Associate Professorship in Biostatistics at the University of Washington. He was subsequently promoted to Full Professor at the University and Full Member at FHCRC in 1984. His academic base is now at CRAB, and he holds a joint appointment at the Full Member level at FHCRC. John is an avid sports fan, enjoys traveling, hiking, bird watching and an occasional game of tennis.

Evonne Lackey, CCRP, brings 25 years of experience in oncology data management to Cancer Research And Biostatistics.  She has oversight for the prevention and therapeutic data management activities associated with SWOG, one of the largest of the National Cancer Institute sponsored cancer clinical trial cooperative groups.  She also provides data management expertise and resources for CRAB’s partner research groups she has been instrumental in moving data management from paper based to proprietary based data systems to commercially available data collection platforms.  She provides guidance to the design of electronic data capture forms, edit check requirements, and registration and randomization procedures.  Her focus on quality data collection and review assists the biostatisticians with timely data for analysis.

Ms. Lackey began her career as a data manager at a large military hospital providing support for the numerous physicians who actively participated in oncology clinical research trials. She went on to assist in the establishment of one of the National Cancer Institute's premier Community Clinical Oncology Programs in the Pacific Northwest.  In 1984, she was hired by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) at the SWOG Statistical Center. She has a two-year degree in Business Administration and she is a Certified Clinical Research Professional through the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA). 

Evonne enjoys traveling to warm climates in cold weather, spending time at the ocean where the terrain is flat enough for long walks and bike rides, cooking and reading.

Dr. Catherine Crowley has donned many administrative hats during the evolution of CRAB from a basement startup to the research institute CRAB is today.  She has driven the development of administrative, financial and human resources policies and procedures as well as the procurement of office space and the identification and nurturance of business and service providers. Her financial stewardship has been demonstrated in the establishment of sound policies and procedures, consistently clean audits, accurate budgeting, managing expenditures in such a way as to develop a reserve, and the creation of a rich benefit package for the employees. In her capacity as CFO, Dr. Crowley continues to act as a liaison with the Board of Directors, and oversees the   development and maintenance of CRAB's strategic plan.

Dr Crowley studied mathematics at Pomona College, earned her BS in Psychology and her PhD in Developmental Psychology (minor: Statistics) from the University of Washington. She completed postdoctoral training in clinical psychology at University of Wisconsin and practiced for 20 years in Wisconsin and Seattle. Cay enjoys traveling with John which often results in her acting as an ambassador for CRAB.  Other hobbies include photography, hiking, knitting, cooking and entertaining.  She is looking forward to her new role as grandmother.

Keith Goodman, MA, has more than 20 years of experience working with computer technology, including network and systems administration, software development, and management. He has been with CRAB since 2005. Before joining CRAB, Mr. Goodman worked 10 years in software development and management for his own company providing commercial software. Prior to that position, Mr. Goodman was employed as the network administrator for the Public Health Sciences Department at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) in Seattle. Mr. Goodman earned bachelor's and master's degrees in Communications at the University of Washington and is currently working toward a doctoral degree in Business Administration at Argosy University.

Scott Schliebner, Chief Business Development Officer, is responsible for growing CRAB’s research activities with private industry partners. Mr. Schliebner leads CRAB’s new business development activities, external communication, and marketing efforts. In this role, Mr. Schliebner’s efforts are focused on expanding and diversifying CRAB’s revenue streams, engaging with new clients, and maintaining oversight of CRAB’s privately funded projects. Additionally, he serves on CRAB’s Compensation Committee, Development Committee, and serves as an Officer for the organization. Mr. Schliebner joined CRAB as Chief Operating Officer in April 2008.

Mr. Schliebner brings an extensive and diverse background in clinical research, operations, business development, and strategic planning to the CRAB Executive Management Team. Prior to joining CRAB, Mr. Schliebner was a Partner and Vice President of Strategic Development at MedSource, a private, oncology-focused clinical research organization (CRO). Mr. Schliebner previously held positions in business development with PRA International, a global CRO providing full-service strategic and operational solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry.

In addition, Mr. Schliebner’s operational experience has included roles as a Clinical Research Associate, Project Manager, and Clinical Operations Manager at several emerging oncology-focused biopharmaceutical companies. His experience working in a global setting, across clinical trial phases, with a range of solid and hematologic tumor types, augments CRAB's expertise and reputation as a leader in cancer research.

Mr. Schliebner received his bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado, his Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine, and completed a Graduate Research Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He is also a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow (Class of 2010) and currently serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for Bike Works, a local Seattle non-profit organization.

As the Chief Administrative Officer of CRAB, Ms. Buist oversees the HR, Administrative, Contracts & Grants and Compliance groups. As one of the senior officers of CRAB, Ms. Buist is a valuable and integral member of the team. She contributes pharmaceutical, biotechnology, venture capital and consulting experience in the cancer field including cancer therapeutics and cancer diagnostics.

Before joining CRAB, Ms. Buist was founder and CEO of Phoenix, Inc, a management consulting firm specializing in biotechnology. She has been a founder or executive team member of four start-up biotechnology companies including Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, Epigenomics, Targeted Growth and AnorMED. She has worked in the life sciences arena for several decades spanning a range of technologies including RNAi, epigenetics, and crop biotechnology. She has a keen business sense with seasoned finance, business development, scientific and strategic expertise.

Ms. Buist is a member of the Licensing Executive Society. Ms. Buist has served on the Board of Expanding Your Horizons (EYH), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing technology awareness among young women. She has served as a regular volunteer at a Seattle homeless shelter, and she is involved in supporting the Technology Access Foundation.

Ms. Buist has an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology specializing in finance and human resource management. She holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Whitman College.