Meet Our Founder

Regina Ellis and her family founded Children’s Cancer Association in 1995 after her five-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died of cancer.

Along with other parents, pioneers, and dreamers, she set out to create something extraordinary: an organization with a new vision for what pediatric cancer support services might look like.

What started around the Ellis kitchen table has grown to one of the largest children’s health nonprofits in the Northwest, reaching thousands of children across the region and nationwide. Regina proudly served as Founder and Chief Joy Officer of JoyRx until the summer of 2022.

As JoyRx has grown, so has Regina’s belief that joy changes lives, fuels innovation, and fosters creativity. She speaks nationally on the Joy Effect, inspiring companies and organizations like Nike, Keller Williams, the National Speakers Association, PSFK, and Women in Financial Services. In 2015, Regina was a featured speaker at TEDx Portland, which had over 3,000 attendees.