Komen’s Public Policy Advisory Board Provides Strategic Guidance, Strengthens Center for Public Policy

A newly formed group of nine experts with strong ties to health care, health equity and public policy make up Susan G. Komen’s Public Policy Advisory Board and will augment the existing work of Komen’s internal policy team.

These individuals provide subject matter expertise, strategic input and guidance to Susan G. Komen’s Center for Public Policy and help set the priorities and strategies to meet Komen’s mission – to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer. Additionally, they provide input on emerging breast health and breast cancer policy and regulatory issues at the state and federal levels.

Together, the Advisory Board brings together women and men of diverse backgrounds who maintain key relationships and connections with policymakers and health care leaders. Their contributions will ensure Komen’s Center for Public Policy continues to educate lawmakers about the needs of breast cancer patients and advances legislation that will improve access to care and quality of care for anyone impacted by breast cancer.

Meet the Advisory Board members

Jennifer Nelson Carney, JD
Partner, Bricker & Eckler

Jennifer M. Nelson Carney is chair of Bricker & Eckler’s Health Care industry group. Her legal practice focuses on the business and regulatory needs of health care providers. She advises clients on the balance of minimizing risk while providing good patient care from intake to discharge.

Shonta Chambers, MSW
EVP of Health Equity Initiative & Community Engagement, Patient Advocate Foundation

Shonta Chambers has more than 22 years’ experience in chronic disease prevention, health promotion, community engagement and women’s health. She currently serves as Executive Vice President-Health Equity Initiatives and Community Engagement for Patient Advocate Foundation where she is responsible for the development and execution of the Foundation’s national strategy to address health equity.

Lisa Chan-Sawin, MHA
CEO, Transform Health

Lisa Chan-Sawin helped found Transform Health, LLC. She is an expert on safety net system change, providing strategic guidance and technical support to state Medicaid agencies, regional cross-sector collaboratives, providers, plans and other stakeholders. Lisa also worked extensively on outreach and enrollment policies in the private market, Medicaid and the ACA, as well as insurance regulation and health IT policy.

Alpha Lillstrom Cheng, MA, JD
President, Lillstrom Cheng Strategies

Alpha Lillstrom Cheng is a politically connected attorney who has been an effective voice for advancing health policy in Washington since 2007. Building upon her experience as a Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel for Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Alpha engages lawmakers, regulatory bodies, and grassroots advocates to successfully shepherd policy change while providing guidance and strategic advice to healthcare clients. As a young breast cancer survivor, Alpha brings a strong personal and experiential perspective to her work.

Tori Geib
MBC Patient Advocate

Tori was diagnosed in 2016 with Metastatic Breast Cancer (DeNovo), soon after her 30th birthday. Since diagnosis, she has spent time as a patient advocate for Metastatic Breast Cancer research, funding, and awareness both independently and with organizations including Susan G. Komen. Tori is active in political outreach for metastatic breast cancer and has presented before the Ohio House and Senate Cancer Caucus in partnership with other advocates during Ohio MBC Action Day.

Mary Grealy, JD
President, Healthcare Leadership Council

Mary Grealy is president of the Healthcare Leadership Council, a coalition of chief executives of the nation’s leading healthcare companies and organizations. The HLC, the only health policy advocacy group that represents all sectors of the healthcare industry, advocates consumer-centered health care reform, emphasizing the value of private sector innovation. She has led important initiatives on the uninsured, protecting the privacy of patient medical information and reforming the medical liability laws. She testifies frequently before Congress and federal regulatory agencies.

LaTasha Lee, PhD, MPH
VP of Clinical & Social Research and Development, National Minority Quality Forum

LaTasha H. Lee, PhD, MPH is responsible for the oversight and implementation of research projects and programs focused on reducing patient risk and identifying optimal care to reduce health disparities and bring about health equity. She also provides input into the overall strategy for research partnerships and health equity research for NMQF. Tasha has worked very closely with Congress and federal agencies to monitor biomedical research and access to care policy related to various diseases impacting communities of color.

David Lofye, JD
Founder & Principal, David Lofye Consulting

David is a strategic public affairs consultant based in Austin who helps organizations maximize their impact through policy change. He previously served as the deputy chief of staff and legislative director for a member of Congress in Washington, D.C., as a professional staff member on the House Science Committee and as a law clerk on the Senate Judiciary Committee. David’s wife, Andrea, is a breast cancer survivor and he joined the Susan G. Komen Greater Central and East Texas board of directors in 2020.

Kathryn Schubert, MPP
President & CEO, Society for Women’s Health Research

Kathryn G. Schubert (Katie) is President and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), where she leads the organization’s efforts to promote research on sex as a biological variable and improve women’s health through science, policy and education. Katie previously served in key staff roles for U.S. Representative Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) and brings a unique perspective of working across party lines to achieve policy goals. Her areas of expertise include Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and quality, women’s and children’s health and public health.