Mallory Casperson

Nonprofit founder. Cancer survivorship advocate. Ex-aerospace engineer. Berkeley mama.

I'm the CEO and Founder of Cactus Cancer Society (formerly Lacuna Loft), a nonprofit providing online support programs and resources to young adult cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. I hold an MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I worked with the Air Force Research Lab and NASA on high-temperature metal fatigue research. I left graduate school in 2013 to launch Lacuna Loft — now Cactus Cancer Society — putting technology and engineering thinking to work for cancer survivorship. I'm passionate about making survivorship care accessible through digital health, and about centering the patient voice in healthcare.

Cactus Cancer Society (formerly Lacuna Loft) 2013 – present

CEO + Founder · Aug 2013 – Present

Founded and lead a nonprofit organization providing online support programs to young adult cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers.

Pioneer in survivorship digital health — building the first nonprofit moving survivorship care for AYA cancer survivors into digital health, making care accessible at an unprecedented scale.
Lead a multi-disciplinary team across programs, operations, and development, fostering a values-, equity-, and accessibility-driven culture.
Diversify revenue across grants, major donors, corporate partnerships, earned-income models, and sponsorships.
Serve as a co-Investigator on a current NIH-funded P01 and as a member of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Research Community Advisory Board.
Contribute to emerging cancer survivorship research, conceptual frameworks, and policy discussions focused on improving quality-of-life outcomes for young adults facing cancer.

NASA 2011 – 2013

Graduate Student Researchers Program Fellow · Aug 2011 – Aug 2013

NASA fellowship based in Huntsville, Alabama, supporting high-temperature metal fatigue experiments and simulations in collaboration with the Air Force Research Lab.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2009 – 2013

Graduate Research Assistant · Aug 2009 – Aug 2013

Aerospace engineering research spanning experimental and computational work on high-temperature material behavior.

Raytheon 2008 – 2009

Systems Engineering Intern · May 2009 – Jul 2009

Conducted trade studies on the V-22 Osprey.

Systems Engineering Intern · May 2008 – Aug 2008

Performed flight test data analysis for the V-22 Osprey.

Boards

Piedmont Makers 2026 – present

Board Member · 2026 – Present

Piedmont Makers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting and inspiring K–12 S.T.E.A.M. education in Piedmont, CA and beyond through robotics programs, community partnerships, and the School Maker Faire.

Education