Our Staff

	President & CEO Laurie Fenton Ambrose Laurie Fenton Ambrose is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) responsible for managing the overall mission and strategic direction of organization. Hired as LCA’s first President in 2004, Laurie has managed LCA’s relocation, restructuring and realignment from a west coast-based operation to its current headquarters in Washington, DC. Today, LCA is nationally and internationally recognized as the premier non-profit dedicated solely to patient support and advocacy for those living with or at risk for lung cancer. Laurie is responsible for overseeing the creation and implementation of LCA’s patient empowerment programs, public health policy agenda and national grassroots and awareness initiatives. Laurie is also LCA’s primary liaison to community and government leaders, national media, collaborating agencies, health care professionals, and other strategic alliances. Laurie brings almost two decades of public policy experience to LCA having served in senior management positions in both the legislative and executive branches of government. Prior to joining LCA, Laurie was tapped to serve as the first Chief of Staff to United States Department of Commerce Secretary Don Evans, where she helped set the strategic and policy direction of the Department in the first years of the Bush Administration. Before serving in the Commerce Department, Laurie worked for 6 years in the United States Senate as Chief of Staff to Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ). Prior to her work in the Senate, Laurie served 11 years in the House of Representatives, 6 as Chief of Staff to Congressman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), and the remaining as Legislative Assistants to Congressman Amo Houghton (R-NY) and Congressman Edward Madigan (R-IL). Laurie has also served in the private sector as Federal Relations Director for Honeywell. Laurie is a graduate of The George Washington University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government Senior Management in Government Executive Program. Laurie was inspired to join LCA by her friend and associate Sheila Ross, a two time lung cancer survivor.

	Special Counsel Sheila Ross Sheila Ross, special counsel to The Lung Cancer Alliance, was previously the Washington Representative for its forerunner organization, ALCASE. She worked for 20 years on Capitol Hill as chief of staff in both the House and the Senate for Democrats and Republicans. She was a member of First Lady Hillary Clinton's Health Care Task Force in 1993 and 1994. Prior to moving to Washington DC, she was Director of Public Information for the Legislature of the U.S. Virgin Islands. She attended the University of Pennsylvania and is a two time lung cancer survivor.

	Chief Operating Officer Emily Eyres Emily Eyres has more than 20 years of fundraising and non-profit management expertise stemming from her work with the world’s largest non-profit environmental organization. She has helped to design, launch and successfully complete several multi-million dollar capital campaigns, as well as lead fundraising, marketing and board development efforts for several state and international programs. Emily was inspired to join the Alliance after experiencing her mother and father-in-law’s courageous battles with lung cancer. She holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia.

	Chief Administrative Officer Edythe Whidden Edythe Whidden joined the staff of LCA as the Director of Administration and Finance in December 2009. She has more than 30 years of non-profit experience and has worked with three non-profits to implement systems, improve operations and lead them through substantial financial and organizational growth. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Georgetown University. She lost her brother to lung cancer after a short but courageous battle in April 2009.

	Director of Marketing Kay Cofrancesco Kay Cofrancesco holds a BA in Biology from the University of Delaware. She joined LCA in November 2004 as Program Specialist and has held many positions within the organization. Kay is responsible for formulating and overseeing the execution of a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy with the goal of advancing the brand, mission, programs, events and achievements of the organization to targeted constituencies through effective and measurable communications strategies.

	Director of Community and Support Services Maureen Rigney As Director of Community and Support Services, Maureen Rigney oversees LCA's portfolio of support and outreach services. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Maureen has been with LCA since 2005. She received her BS in Psychology from South Dakota University and her Master of Social Work degree from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to joining LCA, Maureen worked in the field of community mental health, primarily supervising programs designed to help those with serious mental illness in three states and the District of Columbia.

	Associate Director of Medical Outreach Amy Copeland Amy Copeland joined LCA in 2007. She is currently Associate Director of Medical Outreach. In this role, she works to expand LCA’s national network of medical institutions serving lung cancer patients, those at risk and their loved ones through collaborative relationships with healthcare professionals. This focus on relationship building, collaboration and coordination will ensure a solid continuum of care from screening through survivorship. Prior to this position, Amy served as Associate Director of Support Services where she assisted with a variety of support programs and materials development to help educate those affected by lung cancer about research advances. Prior to her arrival at LCA, she spent seven years working in international health, primarily with community-based health and nutrition programs in Latin America. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from The College of William and Mary and a Master of Public Health from The George Washington University.

	Tara Perloff Manager of Support Services Tara joined the LCA staff in May of 2012 from the Philadelphia area. As the Coordinator of Support Services, she is primarily working with the Phone Buddy Program. She holds a BS in Health Science from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tara has had numerous internships in the health care sphere and has been an active volunteer in various hospital settings, including ambulatory clinics and a hospice facility in the Philadelphia area. She is very excited to be a part of the LCA team and living in DC!

	Nisa Natrakul Manager of Advocacy Relations Nisa Natrakul joined us in June 2011 as the Manager of Advocacy Relations. She works closely with the Director of Advocacy Relations, managing the National Shine a Light on Lung Cancer Vigil and working with advocates across the nation to raise awareness for lung cancer. Prior to joining the staff, she worked in nonprofit e-commerce marketing and resource development. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and Art History from the University of Delaware.

	Lanni Boyd Manager of Annual Giving and Special Events Lanni Boyd joined the staff in the summer of 2011 from Fort Worth, TX. She is currently our Manager of Annual Giving and Special Events, where she works closely with event organizers on fundraising events around the country, including Team Lung Love. Lanni studied Biology and Social Work at Texas Christian University and upon graduation stayed in Fort Worth and worked for a nationally known homeless shelter coordinating volunteers and engaging donors. She is working toward her Masters in Global Public Health at GWU and enjoys living in Virginia with her husband and two labs.

	Josh Hunter Development and Operations Assistant Having a long-standing desire to work in the non-profit sector, Josh Hunter recently joined Lung Cancer Alliance after completing an internship at an international organization located in Washington, D.C. Outside of work, he is interested in music and photography. Josh studied political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and lives in Southern Maryland.