Board Member, Founder & CEO

To those who know him, it may be a surprise to learn that Roger E. Magowitz struggled with any task. After all, the founder of the Seena Magowitz Foundation has raised more than $12 million for pancreatic cancer research in the past 15 years—after an impressive career in the bedding industry, where he built a brand and sold it to the largest mattress retailer in the U.S.

But the challenges Roger encountered after enlisting in the Marines following high school graduation probably helped propel him toward entrepreneurship. And the success of his own business, along with the example of charitable giving set by some of his closest relatives, enabled him to start a foundation in his mother’s memory that is improving the lives of increasing numbers of pancreatic cancer patients.

Born in Monticello, New York, Roger moved with his mom and his brother to her parents’ home in Brooklyn after his parents divorced when he was 2. “My relationship with my mom strengthened because of the divorce,” he said. “I stayed close with her for the rest of her life.”

They shared his grandparents’ house with Roger’s aunt and her husband and children. It was a large, loving, supportive family, he said. His mom, aunt and grandmother still found time to establish a charity called The Friendly Group for Cancer Research, which benefited a local hospital. “Growing up, I always remember hearing about the importance of charity,” Roger said.