Our Mission
The mission of the Yvonne Ashley Galiber Breast Cancer Foundation (YAGF) is to educate the community about the risk factors for breast cancer in the Virgin Islands and to advocate on behalf of women and men touched by this disease. The Foundation will provide financial assistance for breast cancer screening, diagnostic mammograms and other related services to those who are medically underserved and uninsured. Through our support groups and other activities, YAGF will establish a special bond with our clients, their family members and caregivers to emotionally encourage them to keep their spirits high throughout their journey. Candidates seeking to apply for YAGF’s financial support must reside in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Our Board
Yvonne Ashley Galiber | Founder and President
Yvonne Ashley Galiber is the founder and President of the Yvonne Ashley Galiber Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. As a breast cancer and a thyroid cancer survivor, Mrs. Galiber realized that many women and men have limited resources for various treatments and support options due to their modest financial means. She immediately committed to establishing a not-for-profit foundation in 2007 to offer assistance to those most in need in the V.I. community. Ms. Galiber holds a BA/BS in Communications and English from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina and has worked in the field of research, customer service, human resources, and has provided management support in various settings. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for her fight against breast cancer in the Virgin Islands.
Cassandra Dunn | Vice President, Communications Director
Cassandra Dunn, a breast cancer survivor, serves as Vice President of the Yvonne Ashley Galiber Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. She is President of WSW Communications, a public relations and strategic communications firm. Prior to her retirement in 2013 from the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, she was employed as the Director of Corporate Communications and spokesperson with responsibility for managing the utility’s internal communications functions and community outreach activities. Prior to that, she served as human resources manager at the Authority and as an academic and career counselor at the University of the Virgin Islands.
Mrs. Dunn has earned awards and recognition for her professional and community involvement and serves on the boards of several organizations. Most recently, she has been a contributing author to a bio/anthology about the life of Caribbean-American poet, prolific writer, and publisher Audre Lorde, former St. Croix resident, civil rights activist, and New York State Poet Laureate 1991-1992, who battled breast cancer for many years before she succumbed to the disease. Mrs. Dunn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Howard University (1972) and a master of arts in educational administration from the University of the Virgin Islands (1987).
Leslye Webb Keith Secretary | Chairperson, Special Projects
Webb Keith, a breast cancer survivor since 2012, serves as the Board Secretary of the Yvonne Ashley Galiber Breast Cancer Foundation. While working for the Treasury Department as a Senior Customs Officer she was attending the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She retired from Federal service in 2001, after which she volunteered with DVSAC, a local non-profit organization, where she was introduced to her current position in the Virgin Islands Police Department as Victim/Witness Advocate. Ms. Webb serves as the chairperson of YAG Foundation’s Dance Mammothon, an annual fundraising event which funds screening and diagnostic mammograms for the medically underserved men and women of the Virgin IslandsLeslye
Dante P. Galiber, MD, FACP, FACC, FASNC | Medical Advisor
Dr. Dante P. Galiber, Medical Director of the Yvonne Ashley Galiber Breast Cancer Foundation, is a board certified invasive and nuclear cardiologist and a staff cardiologist at the Juan Luis Hospital and has a private practice at St. Croix’s The Heart Center, PC. He graduated from St. Dunstan’s Episcopal High School in 1982 as the valedictorian, was a National Merit Scholar, an UVI Early Admissions Student, and the 1982 St. Thomas Carnival King. Dr. Galiber is a Phi Beta Kappa National Competitive Scholar and magna cum laude graduate of Howard University. He completed medical school (1989) and internal medicine residency training (1992) at Indiana University. In 2000 he spearheaded the development of the first cardiac laboratory in the US Virgin Islands, introduced invasive cardiology, and performed the first heart catheterization in the territory. He has published five articles on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart disease in The Journal of Respiratory Diseases.
Dr. Galiber is board certified in internal medicine, cardiology, nuclear cardiology, and cardiovascular computed tomography and the only physician in the USVI and the Caribbean who is certified in both Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. He has presented on a wide range of topics including Preoperative Cardiac Risk Assessment, Einthoven’s EKG, A Century of African-American Medical Pioneers, Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy, Congestive Heart Failure, Cardiac Masses, and Hypertension. He has been a member of St. Croix Toastmasters since 2008 and is a life-member of the Association of Black Cardiologists, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, American College of Cardiology, and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. In 2011, he was inducted into the UVI Golden Key International Honor Society and was also honored by Rotary Harborside in a Roast, Toast and Boast fundraiser for the Lighthouse Mission and The Gift of Life Project.
On February 19, 2015, Dr. Dante Galiber was commissioned Major in the Virgin Islands Army National Guard.
Sarah Mahurt, Ph.D | Board Director, Social Media Coordinator
Dr. Sarah F. Mahurt has more than 30 years as an educator. In that time, she has worked as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, university professor, and administrator with a focus on improving instruction and student achievement. She is currently director of Visions Consulting and most recently was the Assistant Commissioner of Education in the US Virgin Islands where she led several initiatives to improve teaching and learning. Prior to that, Dr. Mahurt was a clinical professor at Purdue University where she led a school-reform program that included in-depth training of literacy coaches, providing administrator academics, and leading training sessions for school leadership teams. She was also a professor at the University of the Virgin Islands, teaching all graduate and undergraduate courses in reading as well as supervising student teachers. Dr. Mahurt has worked with over 100 schools and 30 districts across several states and the Virgin Islands to improve teaching and student achievement.
Dr. Mahurt’s publications include a variety of articles and two books titled, Building Bridges from Primary to Intermediate Literacy and Reading to Learn in Secondary Classrooms. She has made numerous national and international presentations on children's literature, literacy teaching and learning, and school reform in literacy education. Dr. Mahurt received the Celebrate Literacy Award from the St. Croix Chapter of the International Reading Association, the Teaching Excellence Award from the University of the Virgin Islands, and the Purdue University Department of Curriculum and Instruction Engagement Award for school reform efforts. Dr. Mahurt, a breast cancer survivor, holds a B.A. in Sociology, a M.S. in Education, and a Ph.D. in Literacy and Language with a minor in Education Administration. She is certified in the Virgin Islands as an elementary teacher, administrator, and reading educator.
Michelle D. Gibbs | Board Director
Michelle D. Gibbs has been a Sales Associate with the U.S. Postal Service for over 23 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of the Virgin Islands. She has served her community in several charitable organizations and is most well known for her active participation in the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. in which she has served as chapter president for over a decade. Ms. Gibbs has been inducted into the Zeta Phi Beta Southeastern Regional Hall of Fame as Outstanding President and Soror of the Year. Ms. Gibbs, a breast cancer survivor, was awarded the top Breast Cancer Awareness Stamp Sales Associate in the Caribbean District by the United States Postal Service; the proceeds of the sales assist in raising funds for breast cancer research.