Fred Duncan to Retire as Director and CEO of Little Red Door Cancer Agency
INDIANAPOLIS—After 14 years of service to Central Indiana’s cancer community, Director and CEO of Little Red Door Cancer Agency Fred Duncan will retire on June 2, 2023.
Duncan joined Little Red Door Cancer Agency in 2009 from the Indianapolis Museum of Art (Newfields) where he was the Director of Development. With a background in interior design and philanthropic studies, Duncan has brought years of energy, creativity, and passion to Little Red Door Cancer Agency.
Little Red Door has seen many changes, improvements, and advancements over the last 13 years, all under the leadership of Duncan. Navigating the changes after the passing of the Affordable Care Act was a particularly large change that Duncan lead the charge through. The Affordable Care Act displaced the need for many of the services that the Little Red Door was offering at the time, so Duncan worked with donors and partners to shift resources so that services provided would not get smaller but continue to adapt and reflect the ongoing needs of the community.
In Duncan’s time, Little Red Door has grown from providing 4,000 trips to and from cancer treatment in 2009 to over 31,000 trips in 2021. With great leadership from the Board of Directors and donors, Duncan saw a 150% increase of the endowed fund and a budget increase from $1.2 million to $2 million per year. “I have really enjoyed working with our Board and being engaged with donors,” Duncan said. Duncan recalls that the great work that Little Red Door can accomplish would not be possible without the contributions and support from the Board of Directors.
“I haven’t known Little Red Door without Fred’s leadership, so to me, and I’m sure many others, Fred is the Little Red Door. He embodies the warmth of the building and the spirit of the service. Fred has given so much of himself to this organization that his legacy, the spirit and warmth he radiates, lives in all of those close to Little Red Door,” Board Chair Whitney Melton stated. From the expansion of Little Red Door’s service area to include 14 counties in Indiana to a capital campaign to expand survivorship programming at Little Red Door, Duncan has confidently stepped out into this community and said, “We will help you.”
Among what Duncan is most proud of with his time at Little Red Door has been the ability to mentor and provide leadership development to many staff members that passed through Little Red Door. Nick Duvall, former Chief Advancement Officer at Little Red Door and current CEO at TeenWorks said, “Working for Fred meant the world to me. He is the type of person who makes a lasting impression on anyone he meets. Fred helped me grow as a development professional, but more importantly helped me grow as a person.”
Former Vice President of Development and Communications at Little Red Door and current President and CEO of Cancer Support Community Indiana, Eric Richards, stated, “For me personally, Fred has been one of those once in a lifetime people you encounter. I will forever be grateful for his friendship, mentorship, willingness to give me opportunities to grow during our time working together and lending an ear these past eight plus years as I’ve learned my way through a CEO role.”
Tabitha McMahon, Director of Finance and Operations with the ACLU of New Mexico and former Vice President of Business Operations/CFO at Little Red Door said, “Fred Duncan is the epitome of leadership. His ability to simultaneously be a mentor for and collaborate with his team is unparalleled. Fred’s superpower is bringing out the best in those around him. He has an uncanny ability to identify talent and build teams, but his real strength is his coaching. Fred provides environments in which his colleagues thrive, make mistakes, learn, grow, and gain confidence.”
Duncan will remain as the Executive Director and CEO of Little Red Door through June 2nd, 2023. The Board of Directors have created a committee dedicated to the transition process of a successor.
“I am amazed every day that I get to do this,” Duncan said. Duncan’s sister passed away from breast cancer and working for Little Red Door felt like a calling to him and gave him the opportunity to honor her in his work. “My professional life has been more rewarding than I ever imagined.”