Dr. Candace Johnson Receives Distinguished Citizen Award

This press release was issued by the Great Falls Council of Scouting America and is reproduced here with permission.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dr. Candace S. Johnson, President & CEO and the M&T Bank Presidential Chair in Leadership and Professor of Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, received the 2025 Distinguished Citizen Award from Great Falls Council, Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) at a luncheon ceremony on Tuesday, April 29, at Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Distinguished Citizen Award is an annual honor that recognizes leaders in the community who exemplify the ideals of Scouting through their notable citizenship, leadership and values, and who are active in their communities.

“We are honored to recognize Dr. Johnson as this year’s distinguished citizen,” said Gary A. Decker, CEO and Scout Executive of Great Falls Council, Scouting America. “We applaud her exceptional leadership at Roswell Park and her important research and positive impact on improving the lives of cancer patients. We are grateful for her support of Scouting and its mission to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices throughout their lifetime.”

“I’m proud of my many connections to Scouting and of the deeply positive impacts Scouting America has had on so many of my colleagues, family members and loved ones,” said Dr. Johnson. “I’m honored to be recognized by an organization that commits so deeply to extending opportunities for early experiences with service, with leadership and with teamwork, which provide a wonderful foundation for later achievements.”

The Distinguished Citizen Luncheon is sponsored by Ruff-Pfalzgraf LLC and West Herr Family Dealerships. 

Candace S. Johnson, PhD, joined the faculty of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in February 2002 and is currently President & CEO, the M&T Bank Presidential Chair in Leadership and Professor of Oncology. The first woman to lead Roswell Park, Dr. Johnson has steered the expansion of pivotal programs in areas like immunotherapy, cellular therapies, and community outreach and engagement. She has guided Roswell Park through a period marked by significant growth in both staff and patients served, attracting highly acclaimed physicians and scientists from around the world to Western New York.

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