Sally Werner serves as Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Support Community (CSC), a global nonprofit dedicated to uplifting and strengthening people impacted by cancer by providing support, fostering compassionate communities, and breaking down barriers to care. With more than 25 years of leadership in oncology nursing and health administration, Sally brings deep expertise in both clinical and operational domains across diverse healthcare systems, including nonprofit advocacy.
 

Prior to becoming CEO, Sally held several key leadership roles within CSC, most recently as Chief Experience Officer, where she directed the organization’s network of more than 200 locations worldwide, as well as its programming, education, research, and strategic growth initiatives. In her current role as CEO, she provides vision and leadership for all aspects of CSC’s mission, advancing health equity, driving innovation, increasing brand awareness, and ensuring sustainability through diversified fundraising.
 

Throughout her career, Sally has overseen comprehensive cancer service lines—from inpatient and outpatient oncology units to cancer research, supportive care, radiation oncology, infusion centers, breast health centers, and cancer registries. She has also led operational oversight for home care, hospice, and palliative care programs, bringing a holistic approach to the continuum of cancer care.
 

Sally holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Winona State University and a Master of Science in Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. A passionate advocate for patients and caregivers, she is recognized for her ability to align compassionate care with strategic execution.
Sally lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and has three grown sons. 
 

Claire Saxton joined CSC in 2016 and currently serves as Executive VP, Insights & Impact. In this role, she oversees CSC’s Policy, (psychosocial) Research, and Industry Partnership teams, ensuring the patient & caregiver experience remains central to all that CSC does and amplifying patient & caregiver voices across the cancer care ecosystem.  

Claire’s work focuses on understanding how scientific breakthroughs are transforming the cancer patient & caregiver experience, from diagnosis and treatment through survivorship and beyond. She leads CSC's efforts to measure the efficacy and impact of services network-wide, translating patient insights into meaningful action. During her first five years at CSC, she led creation of national patient education initiatives, including the award-winning Frankly Speaking About Cancer programs.  

With three decades of nonprofit leadership, Claire has driven transformative change across health advocacy. Her achievements include developing the first National Bladder Cancer Awareness Day, doubling patient programs at the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Austin, and helping launch the National Domestic Violence Hotline in 1996.

Claire holds an MBA from the University of Oregon and an undergraduate degree from Rice University. 

Michael Rusho joined Cancer Support Community in 2018 and currently serves as Lead Web Developer, a role he was promoted to in 2020. In this position, Michael manages the web development team and acts as the technical expert for all digital assets.

Before joining Cancer Support Community, Michael worked as Systems Administrator for East Cherry Creek Valley Water & Sanitation, where he oversaw systems and networks across five major locations. He was responsible for the effective configuration, operation, and maintenance of hardware, software, and related infrastructure.

Michael holds a degree in Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology and a minor in History from the University of Northern Colorado. Outside of work, Michael enjoys spending time with his wife Kara, their dog Chloe, and their cat Ginny. His hobbies include woodworking projects in his garage, traveling, trying new breweries, and cheering on the Denver Broncos as they compete for a Super Bowl. 

Nick is strategically focused on network, program, and services expansion by developing and opening new locations and partnerships throughout North America and assisting with the strategic growth of existing partners. He is also engaged on Operations work including Human Resources administration and employee engagement.

Previous to this position, he worked in various roles in the Strategic Initiatives, Programs, Education, Strategic Growth, Development, Industry Relationships, and Operations departments.

Nick holds a master’s degree in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Psychology from American University.

Heather Badt brings 25 years of experience leading innovation and impactful change in both Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations. In 2019, she joined Cancer Support Community and currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Heather leads all administration, operations, and strategic growth, enabling CSC to continue moving cancer support forward in the rapidly evolving field of oncology, so that those impacted by a diagnosis may experience the best quality of life possible.

Previously, Heather served as the Executive Director of CSC’s Research and Training Institute (RTI), where her leadership of teams conducting psychosocial and behavioral research enhanced organizational impact, secured funding, and increased public awareness about the patient and caregiver experience.

A passionate advocate for cancer patients and caregivers, Heather draws from her personal experiences as both a breast cancer survivor and a caregiver for her husband, an esophageal cancer survivor. Through this experience, she discovered the unique support and depth of CSC’s services and is deeply involved in the cancer community. She has served on the Radiation Oncology Patient and Family Advisory Council at Penn Medicine since 2017 and on CSC’s Research and Training Institute Leadership Board since 2018. 

Heather has two sons and lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with her husband. Her unique blend of business acumen and personal connection to the cancer community makes her a powerful voice in driving meaningful change for patients and their families.

Before joining CSC in July 2018, Jeanne worked at the Morris Animal Foundation, where she led the digital strategy and marketing for the Foundation’s online presence and email program. She previously worked for Share Our Strength, managing the digital communications team, specializing in online fundraising and event marketing. She also has a background in content management and partner relations. At CSC, she leads the digital team in developing and maintaining an innovative and sustainable online program.

Previous to her work in the nonprofit sector, Jeanne's 25 year marketing career extended to both big tech and publishing. She has managed strategy, product management, partner engagement and digital growth programs.  

Jeanne earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri/Columbia in English, French and Art History, and spent a year at the University of Paris/Sorbonne.

Tanisha Haltiwanger is the Senior Manager of Administrative Operations at Cancer Support Community, where she has served since 2015. With over 20 years of experience across both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, Tanisha is a skilled administrative professional recognized for her strong organizational leadership, discretion, and ability to manage high-level operational and administrative functions in fast-paced environments.

Tanisha began her career at the U.S. Department of State, where she developed a strong foundation in executive-level support and organizational operations. Prior to joining Cancer Support Community, she built extensive corporate experience at Fannie Mae in Washington, DC, holding progressive roles in both Human Resources and Financial Administration. As an HR Generalist, she supported employee lifecycle processes including onboarding, background checks, payroll and personnel updates, and new hire orientation. She later advanced to Stock Plan Administrator, where she managed stock plan operations, maintained and reconciled equity databases, coordinated transactions with cross-functional teams including financial reporting, tax, accounting, and payroll, and served as the primary relationship manager with UBS Financial Services, Fannie Mae’s stock plan vendor.

In this role, Tanisha also helped administer the organization’s $80M Corporate Retention Awards program, supporting documentation development, award tracking and reconciliation, and payroll processing.  

A lifelong native of Washington, DC, Tanisha enjoys gardening, cooking, and sightseeing. 

Erica E. Fortune, PhD, joined Cancer Support Community (CSC) in 2020 as the Director of Research at our Research and Training Institute (RTI). Holding a Ph.D. in Cognitive and Experimental Psychology from the University of Georgia (2013), Erica brings a wealth of academic and professional experience to her role. Prior to joining CSC, she served as a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA.

Erica's research is deeply rooted in cognition, decision-making, and risk-taking, with a recent focus on patient experiences, outcomes, and communication within healthcare settings. Erica has experience with various clinical populations including cancer, HIV, and addictive disorders, and her expertise extends to psychometrics as well as advanced analytical techniques.

At CSC, Erica has been instrumental in several key initiatives. She spearheaded CSC’s longitudinal cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic and played a pivotal role in the development and validation of the CancerSupportSource suite of tools and the VOICE measure. She also leads the Cancer Experience Registry and oversees program evaluation efforts, assessing the impact of CSC programming and support on individuals and communities. Additionally, Erica is deeply committed to addressing health disparities, particularly among Spanish-speaking Hispanic and Latino communities, and is interested in better understanding the intersection of technology and healthcare as it relates to patient perceptions and access to care.

Erica enjoys baking, exercising, reading, traveling, and meeting new people when she’s not spending time with her husband and cats. 

Elizabeth Franklin, PhD, MSW, is an advocate for people impacted by cancer and is passionate about ensuring that patient voices are the North Star in healthcare decision and policy making. Growing up in Kentucky, where cancer, cancer mortality, and poverty rates routinely rank among the highest in the country, Elizabeth was drawn to this work by witnessing people being left behind and systems that resulted in inequitable care. These values have driven her for almost two decades in oncology patient advocacy, public policy, research and executive positions in corporate and nonprofit settings.

Elizabeth currently serves as Head, U.S. Public Affairs and Patient Advocacy, Oncology with Sanofi, an innovative global healthcare company, where she partners with the U.S. advocacy community to advance innovation, ensure access, and improve health. Elizabeth previously held positions as President of the Cancer Support Community, Director of Policy and Engagement at the George Washington University Cancer Institute, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy with the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and Special Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer at the headquarters of the National Association of Social Workers. 

Elizabeth is a recognized leader. She received the Association of Oncology Social Worker’s Quality of Life Award in 2022 and was named a 40 under 40 leader in oncology in 2020. Her research articles have appeared in publications such as the JCO Oncology Practice, Journal of Cancer Education, Journal of Clinical Pathways, Health and Social Work, Value in Health, and Conquer Cancer Magazine. She has co-authored 2 books on nonprofit leadership and co-edited 2 social work texts. In addition, she is a member and leader in various organizations and coalitions, including the Association of Oncology Social Work, Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators, National Navigation Roundtable, and National Association of Social Workers.

Elizabeth earned her doctorate at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, where she focused her dissertation on the ways in which patients define value in the cancer care system and how those definitions can be incorporated into public policy and clinical practice. Elizabeth obtained her master's degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Kentucky. Elizabeth resides in Washington, D.C., and is an avid reader, aspiring banjo player, volunteer crisis counselor, and proud mother of pugs.

A native of Philadelphia who grew up in a close-knit family of 5 children, Kim Thiboldeaux graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in Spanish. While at American, Thiboldeaux studied abroad in London and Buenos Aires, experiences that spurred her lifelong zest for travel.

She has visited all 7 continents, all 50 states, and 50-plus countries around the world, and has no intention of slowing down her exploration of new countries and cultures.

Among her many adventures, Thiboldeaux counts a recent road trip as one of her most memorable. She was gifted last-minute tickets to Super Bowl LII. With all airlines booked, she drove her father, a retired Philadelphia city bus driver and lifelong Eagles fan, to Minneapolis where, together, they watched their beloved home team win their first Super Bowl title.

Thiboldeaux is an innovative, internationally recognized leader who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. As the former CEO of the Cancer Support Community (CSC), Thiboldeaux oversaw a global non-profit network of 196 locations, including 47 CSC and Gilda's Club centers, 8 health-care partnerships, and satellite locations that deliver more than $50 million in free support services to patients and families. In addition, CSC administers a toll-free helpline and produces award-winning educational resources that reach more than 1 million people each year. Most recently Thiboldeaux served as CSC's Executive Chair. 

The Cancer Support Community, formed in 2009 by the merger of The Wellness Community and Gilda’s Club, also conducts cutting-edge research on the emotional, psychological, and financial journey of cancer patients. In addition, CSC advocates in Washington, D.C., and at all levels of government for policies to help individuals whose lives have been disrupted by cancer.

As a testament to her drive to serve even more patients and families, in 2018 Thiboldeaux welcomed to the CSC network MyLifeLine, an innovative digital community that includes thousands of patients, caregivers, and their supporters. This exciting advancement has enabled CSC to scale its digital services in an innovative, groundbreaking way.

Thiboldeaux coauthored two full-length books, Reclaiming Your Life After Diagnosis and The Total Cancer Wellness Guide, and hosts the award-winning Frankly Speaking About Cancer podcasts. She also serves on multiple advisory boards, speaks at leading conferences, and frequently appears in national media outlets.

In June 2017, Vice President Joe Biden appointed Thiboldeaux to serve on the Biden Cancer Initiative’s Board of Directors.

Thiboldeaux is the author of Your Cancer Road Map: Navigating Life With Resilience, a comprehensive guide for cancer patients, their families, and caregivers. She also coauthored two full-length books, Reclaiming Your Life After Diagnosis and The Total Cancer Wellness Guide. She serves on multiple advisory boards, speaks at leading conferences, and frequently appears in national media outlets.