A prominent Howard University surgeon who chairs the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation is stepping down from the post but remaining on the breast cancer charity’s board, Komen officials said Thursday. 
 
 LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., 81, made the decision because of his duties as provost of Howard University, a Komen spokeswoman said. Leffall declined to comment. A person familiar with the board’s deliberations said Howard University wanted Leffall to distance himself from the Komen board — including taking a possible leave — since the controversy in February about Komen’s unsuccessful attempt to defund Planned Parenthood. The individual did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak for the board. 
 
 Thursday’s move is the latest in a series of leadership changes at Komen, and the first at the board level. Several executives at headquarters and affiliates have left or announced they are stepping down. Questions have also been raised about the charity’s fundraising ability. Komen’s senior leadership has sought to reassure affiliates and donors that it has learned valuable lessons from the public relations fiasco. 
 
 But the personnel moves raise questions about the organization’s commitment to new ways of doing business, according to some Komen employees. To replace Leffall as chairman, Komen brought back founding board member Robert Taylor, 83, from retirement. Taylor is a close friend of Komen founder and chief executive Nancy Brinker. Taylor retired in 2010 after nearly 30 years on the board. 
 
 The board changes, which take effect March 31, were announced at a regularly scheduled meeting of the breast cancer charity Thursday in Dallas. The 10-member board also approved adding a second seat for an affiliate representative. 
 
 Leffall began what was meant to be a two-year term as Komen’s board chairman last March; he previously served in the position from 2002 to 2007. He told board members this year that his additional duties at Howard made it difficult for him to continue in the post, according to a Komen board member who asked not to be identified. 
 
 A Howard University spokeswoman said Howard was not involved in Leffall’s decision to step down as Komen’s chairman. He was tapped last August to be interim senior vice president for health sciences; in December, he became provost and chief academic officer, combining previous duties in one job. 
 
 At Komen headquarters, where staff members have been asked to review budgets for the coming fiscal year because of anticipated revenue decreases, morale is extremely low, according to individuals familiar with the budgeting process. 
 
 The chief executives of the Greater New York and Oregon affiliates, among the most outspoken in their criticism of national headquarters’ handling of the controversy, are leaving. Three officials at the headquarters in Dallas have left or announced their resignations, a spokeswoman said. 
 
 Komen reversed course after the overwhelming public reaction to the news that it was no longer going to provide grants for Planned Parenthood breast cancer screening because of a congressional investigation into whether the group was using federal money to pay for abortions. 
 
 This month the foundation sent an online survey to its 122 affiliates across the country and all 275 Komen employees at the national headquarters. (Some affiliates have 10 to 20 employees; others have only volunteers.) 
 
 The survey included 15 to 20 questions and asked employees whether they planned to leave the nonprofit group within the next 12 months, according to one Komen employee who took the survey but declined to be identified for fear of retaliation. It also asked employees how they viewed Komen’s current leadership. The results of the survey have not been released. 
 
 Komen had also recently conducted a poll to find out how the public regarded the organization. “Knowing what the public is thinking is important because we’re trying to work our way back,” Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said. 
 
 The message that Komen received was clear. “The public wanted to hear that we were sorry and that we understand that we had done something they didn’t like,” she said. People also had the impression, she said, that Komen had turned its back on low-income women. 
 
 “We understand that people are unhappy,” she said. “Nancy Brinker has said this repeatedly, that we certainly regret the actions we’ve taken, and that we’ve begun the healing process and want people to realize that we’re still the organization helping women in our community deal with breast cancer.” 
 
 Staff researcher Lucy Shackelford contributed to this report. 

 At least five high-ranking executives with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer charity have resigned in the aftermath of the organization's decision to eliminate its funding for Planned Parenthood. 
 
 FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2012 file photo, a small group of women protest outside the Susan G. Komen for the Cure headquarters in Dallas. Several high-ranking executives with Susan G. Komen for the Cure... (Associated Press) 
 
 The departures include three officials from Komen's Dallas headquarters, as well as CEOs of affiliate groups in Oregon and New York City. The chairman of the foundation also stepped down from his post, though he will remain on the board. Although some cited personal reasons, the resignations suggest that Komen is still in turmoil, even after reversing course and restoring the money to Planned Parenthood. 
 
 Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said she could not speak to individuals' reasons for leaving but acknowledged the effects of the controversy among supporters. 
 
 "Obviously, we know some folks are upset. We've certainly seen that," Aun said. "We know people have been upset by recent events, but most really do recognize the importance of our work." 
 
 The resignations began about a month ago. Chris McDonald, executive director and chief executive of the organization's Oregon and southwest Washington affiliate, announced that she'll leave at the end of April. She said her decision wasn't "predicated by any one event," but that actions by national headquarters affected her thinking. 
 
 "Despite our deep frustration about the distraction that our organization headquarters' actions caused, I was proud that our affiliate took a strong stand against the politicization of the fight to improve women's health," McDonald said in a Feb. 25 statement posted on the organization's website. 
 
 One board member for McDonald's affiliate, Portland attorney Jennifer Williamson, rejoined the board after stepping down last month to put pressure on the national organization. She couldn't walk away from the local Komen work to expand access to women's health care, she said. 
 
 "As a local affiliate we could push back on them but we couldn't do anything about it," said Williamson, who is also on the Planned Parenthood board and is a Democratic candidate for the state Legislature. "I did what I had the ability to do, which was resign from the board. But to support the mission ... I rejoined the board." 
 
 News emerged in late January that Komen had decided to stop giving money to Planned Parenthood for breast-screening services because Planned Parenthood was the focus of a congressional investigation launched at the urging of anti-abortion activists. After a three-day firestorm of criticism, Komen decided to restore the money. 
 
 Some Komen affiliates, including McDonald's, were among those that publicly opposed the policy change that cut off grants for Planned Parenthood. 
 
 In the days after the reversal, Komen policy chief Karen Handel resigned. She had opposed abortion as a Republican candidate for Georgia governor and had become a target of those angry about the decision to halt funding to Planned Parenthood. 
 
 In Dallas, the three resignations were Katrina McGhee, executive vice president and chief marketing officer; Nancy Macgregor, vice president of global networks; and Joanna Newcomb, director of affiliate strategy and planning. 
 
 McGhee announced in February that she would be leaving May 4 "for personal reasons" and because it was "time to make a change." 
 
 McGregor will leave in June, and Newcomb departed at the end of February. The Associated Press left messages Thursday for McGhee and Macgregor. Newcomb declined to comment. 
 
 Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr. also will step down from his post as chairman of the foundation's board of directors as of March 31, but he will remain on the board, Aun said. His decision, which was finalized at a Thursday board meeting, comes as he is "stepping back a bit" from the board due to his responsibilities is his role as provost at Howard University, she said. Leffall did not immediately return messages from the AP. 
 
 Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron, CEO of Komen's New York City affiliate, said Tuesday that she will leave April 27. Her affiliate was also critical of the Planned Parenthood decision, but she did not cite that in a letter posted on the website, saying only that she wanted to pursue "new career opportunities" and that leaving "was not an easy decision." 
 
 Vern Calhoun, a spokesman for the New York affiliate, said Richardson-Heron was not speaking to reporters. 
 
 Supporters of the affiliate called, emailed, tweeted and posted updates on Facebook about their concerns during those first days of February. But, Calhoun said, "things have quieted down considerably" since the decision was reversed. 
 
 Nevertheless, the office decided to postpone two spring fundraising events because organizers were not certain of their ability to get donations in the "near term." In their place, the New York operation planned to hold a free breakfast event for grant recipients, supporters, volunteers and sponsors, Calhoun said. 
 
 Other Komen groups expect to carry on with business as usual. 
 
 The Los Angeles County affiliate will hold its annual race this weekend. Executive Director Mark Pilon said participation numbers are steady. 
 
 "We're tracking right what we did last year and our corporate sponsorship is up," said Pilon, who took the job only a month ago. 
 
 Pilon replaced Deb Anthony, who resigned last fall. She told Los Angeles television station KNBC in February that she submitted her resignation notice in December "for a variety of reasons." She said it was a coincidence that it came around the time Komen was in the spotlight. 
 
 "There are several decisions that Komen has made in the past year that have led me to decide that my skills and talents no longer fit their model," she said in an email to KCBS television. The AP left a message Thursday seeking comment from Anthony. 
 
 Komen did not publicly announce its decision to halt the grants but conveyed the news to its 100-plus U.S. affiliates. The head of Planned Parenthood has said she was informed of the decision in December. 
 
 Sandra Miniutti, vice president for Charity Navigator, said that the controversy is likely to affect Komen's ability to raise money. Although Komen is in good financial shape, the charity may have to spend considerably more money to achieve the same amount as in the past. 
 
 Her organization allows people to review charities on its website. Before the controversy erupted, there were fewer than 100 reviews of Komen. But afterward, that number grew to about 700, many of them negative, she said. 
 
 Because of the way the organization "flip-flopped" on its decision, it angered people on both sides of the controversy, she said. 
 
 Aun said the charity's "donations and our support remain strong." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper in Portland, Ore., Robert Jablon in Los Angeles, Russ Bynum in Savannah, Ga., and Jim Fitzgerald in New York City contributed to this report.
– Another big name is leaving his post at Susan G. Komen for the Cure following its Planned Parenthood controversy—the chairman of the charity's board. Renowned cancer surgeon LaSalle Leffall is stepping down, though he'll stay on as a board member, the Washington Post reports. A rep says Leffall's exit will allow him to focus on his work at Howard University, where he became provost in December. A source tells the Post that the university wanted Leffall to make such a move, though a Howard rep says the school played no part in his choice. Leffall, the first board member to make a move, will be replaced by retired founding board member Robert Taylor. Meanwhile, the executive exodus from the organization has expanded: Now at least five execs have parted ways with the group, the AP notes. Those include three high-ranking officials in the Dallas office as well as the CEOs of the New York and Oregon affiliates. While there have been reports of low morale at the organization—prompting the postponement of a pair of fundraisers—insiders tell the AP they're optimistic. "We're tracking right what we did last year and our corporate sponsorship is up," says a Los Angeles rep.