Meet Bret Keil, YPB Member

Bret Keil, YPB Member

Bret's heart is purple for his Great Aunt, who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, as well as "all those who have been or will be affected by pancreatic cancer."

Bret was introduced to the Rolfe Foundation through his former boss Christine Hanover, who serves as Treasurer on the Rolfe Foundation Board of Directors.

As Bret describes, "I was inspired to join the cause by the stories of those affected and the passion of the board members. My hope is that through our efforts and contributions to early detection research, we can give hope to those families and friends impacted by pancreatic cancer."

Now, for some fun facts about Bret...

Bret's favorite quote is: "Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul." - Jim Valvano

His favorite sports teams are the Chicago White Sox and Indiana Hoosiers Basketball.

When asked about an interesting hobby or passion, Bret responded "a couple of summers ago, my brother and I spent the weekends trying to play every frisbee golf course in the Chicagoland area. I'm also passionate about the history of rock music. I am a self proclaimed music expert, mainly consisting of music from the 60's through the 90's."

His favorite restaurants are Lou Malnati's for pizza and Twin Anchors for ribs.

Bret is inspired by his parents. "I learn something new from them every day, and continue to gain more and more respect for all the opportunities they've given me in life."

In the summer, his favorite activity is "any activity outside where I can pretend to be a kid again. Playing wiffle ball comes to mind."

Bret describes himself as "sarcastic" and growing up wanted to be "a comedian...that was until I realized I'm not as funny as I think I am. I am cursed by three generations of dry humor."

Bret is from Munster, IN and currently lives in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business and Master in Accounting from Indiana University. He currently works as a Portfolio Accountant at LaSalle Investment Management.