New executive director named at GYN Cancers Alliance

Last edited 8:11 a.m., Nov. 13, 2025 [Editor's note: Service information has been clarified.]

GYN Cancers Alliance has appointed a new executive director following the death last month of longtime leader Jan Atteberry Robbins.

Allison Gregory, who has more than 16 years of nonprofit leadership experience, has been tapped to lead GYNCA, according to a news release. Gregory said via email that she started Oct. 29 and that she was among 20 applicants for the role.

Gregory joins GYNCA from FosterAdopt Connect, where she has served as president of advancement and president of regional operations.

"Allison brings wonderful nonprofit experience to the job, which positions GYNCA for strong, sustainable growth in the future,” said Judy Thompson, the nonprofit's board president, in the release.

GYNCA, which has a $445,580 operating budget, has served thousands of women in southwest Missouri in its 25 years in operation. The organization, which was honored this summer as part of Springfield Business Journal's Nonprofit Excellence Awards, provides resources for those receiving treatment for gynecological cancers. 

“GYNCA exists so that no woman in our region faces a gynecologic cancer diagnosis alone,” Gregory said in the release. "In the months ahead, we will strengthen the supports that matter most to our members, including financial assistance, education and community connection, while honoring every member’s dignity and reinforcing the partnerships that make this care possible."

At FosterAdopt Connect, Gregory's position will not be filled due to budget cuts, said Chris Berger, executive director of the Independence-based nonprofit's Springfield office.

Gregory has been appointed to lead the GYNCA following the Oct. 22 death of Robbins. According to past SBJ reporting, Robbins, 72, was diagnosed with vulvar cancer in August 2024, after completing treatments for a 2021 diagnosis of breast cancer. She led GYNCA for nearly two decades.