The HAWKINS FAMILY FOUNDATION proudly continues the philanthropic legacy of Dwayne Hawkins, the Founder and CEO of Crown Automotive Group, who passed away in 2020. Dwayne’s life was driven by a passion for success and a dedication to improving the lives of others. From humble beginnings in a small town outside of Birmingham, Alabama, to an industry leader in the automotive business, Dwayne built Crown Automotive Group from the ground up. With over 50 years of experience in the automotive industry and more than 20 dealerships across Florida, Tennessee, and Ohio, Dwayne understood the importance of hard work and giving back to his community. Throughout his career, Dwayne tirelessly advocated for humanitarian causes related to housing, food, education, healthcare, and the arts. Since 2014, Dwayne has served as a beloved member of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees—dedicating his time, talent, and resources to navigate the hospital through major changes. In 2017, Dwayne initiated a pledge of $2 million towards the Endowed Chair of the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute, and in 2019, he was honored with the William S. “Bill” Belcher Award for his leadership, dedication, and commitment to Johns Hopkins All Children’s. After Dwayne’s passing, his family continued his philanthropic vision by leading the Hawkins Family Foundation. The Hawkins Family Foundation Board of Directors includes Angela Hawkins, Executive Director; Kevin Hawkins, CEO of Mid Atlantic Finance Company, Dealer Principal of the Crown Automotive Group; Jim Myers, President of the Crown Automotive Group; and Terry Hawkins, Managing Director, Crown Automotive Group Management. Kevin Hawkins currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Kevin and Angela Hawkins were instrumental in fulfilling Dwayne’s initial pledge to establish the Hawkins Family Endowed Chair in the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute. Through their efforts and the work of the Hawkins Family Foundation, Dwayne’s legacy of philanthropy lives on, and his commitment to improving the lives of others will continue to be an inspiration for generations to come.
The Hawkins Family Foundation Endowed Chair in the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute
School of Medicine
Established in 2017 by the Hawkins Family Foundation
Held by Cassandra Josephson
CASSANDRA JOSEPHSON, M.D., is the director of the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and a Professor of Oncology, Pediatrics, and Pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She also serves as the Director of the Blood Bank, Transfusion Medicine, and Apheresis division within the Pathology Department at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. She joined the School of Medicine faculty and hospital staff in 2022. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, for the past 20 years she was faculty at Emory University School of Medicine where she was a Professor of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, and Pediatrics, Director of clinical research, and Associate Director of the Emory Center for Transfusion and Cellular Therapies. She also served as the Director of the Blood, Tissue, and Apheresis Service at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
As an international leader in pediatric transfusion medicine, Dr. Josephson’s areas of focus throughout her career include transfusion medicine issues related to hematology and hemostasis, with a focus on sickle cell disease, neonatology, coagulation in pediatric trauma, and platelet transfusion in various disease states. Dr. Josephson was honored as a Celebrated Woman Scientist by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), who highlighted some of her important research findings, including anemia and red blood cell transfusion’s relationship with the increased risk for necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants, and for her work to decrease complications from red blood cell and platelet transfusions by elucidating how these complications arise in infants and children.
Dr. Josephson has authored over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 60 book chapters, is a co-editor of a textbook on Hemostasis and Pediatric Surgery. She has also received multiple grants from the NIH, CDC, and BARDA. She serves as the co-chair of the NHLBI’s signature program, Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-IV-Pediatrics (REDS-IV-P); and most recently, was appointed, for a second time, to a three-year term as a member of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA). Safety is the focus of both the HHS Advisory Committee and REDS program. The HHS Advisory Committee advises and make recommendations on safety issues related to the use of blood, blood products, organs, and tissues in transfusion medicine and transplantation. The REDS program evaluates and improves the safety and availability of the blood supply, as well as safety and effectiveness of transfusion therapies. Dr. Josephson has also been recognized in multiple arenas for her mentorship and has mentored multiple NIH K-grant awardees in addition to multiple post-doctoral fellows, PhD candidates, residents, medical students, and undergraduates.
Dr. Josephson earned her B.A. from Smith College and medical degree from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. She completed a pediatric residency at the University of Colorado and Children’s Hospital Colorado, followed by fellowships in pediatric hematology, oncology, and bone marrow transplantation and blood bank/transfusion medicine at Emory University School of Medicine.