Danielle D. Leach, MPA
Chief of Government Relations and Advocacy
National Brain Tumor Society
Danielle is an experienced health non-profit professional with a proven track record in patient advocacy and education, government relations, fundraising, advancing legislative and regulatory policies, stakeholder engagement and advocating for cancer research. In her current role at National Brain Tumor Society, Danielle leads the development and implementation of overall public policy and government relations agenda, strategy and organizational capacity building, and external coalition relations and participation. She works to ensure the brain tumor community is empowered through advocacy and stakeholder engagement to advance research and quality life.
Danielle is a dedicated volunteer and grassroots advocate for cancer and children’s issues. She is driven by the death of her son Mason at age 5 from a pediatric brain in 2007 as well as a being a sibling of a childhood cancer survivor. She chose to dedicate her career early on to ensuring patients and families have a strong voice in advocacy, research and care process. She led several public policy initiatives related to childhood cancer research and funding, driving cancer control program development and implementation. She is the emeritus Co-Chair of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, a national coalition tackling childhood cancer policy issues, where she spearheaded strategy and implementation of STAR Act passage, the most comprehensive childhood cancer bill ever passed in Congress increasing childhood cancer funding by $150 million in over five years.
She has served on National Cancer Institute’s Pediatric and Adolescent Solid Tumor Steering Committee and is the Co-Chair Emeritus of its Patient Advocate Steering Committee. She completed her term on NCI’s National Council of Research Advocates, and worked on Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, as a patient advocate on the Pediatric Cancer Working Group.
Danielle was recognized in 2018 with the ASCO Partners in Progress award and the Rare Disease Legislative Advocates “RareVoice” Award.
She holds a Master of Public Administration degree in Health Policy and Management from New York University.
