American Cancer Society Enhances Washington Office
WASHINGTON — July 30, 2007 — The American Cancer Society is pleased to announce the addition of a new senior staff member in policy development and a new senior staff member and senior-level promotion within its sister advocacy organization, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
Gregg Haifley joins ACS CAN as an associate director of federal government relations. He will manage direct lobbying and coalition efforts on all federal tobacco issues including FDA regulation of tobacco products and federal tobacco excise tax. Haifley will also be responsible for federal outreach on nutrition, physical health and wellness issues.
Haifley, formerly the deputy director of public policy for the People for the American Way, has 14 years of D.C.-based public interest and lobbying experience. Prior to his tenure at the People for the American Way, Haifley served as deputy director of government relations at the Children’s Defense Fund where he focused on federal budget, tax and health policy and was also responsible for developing and overseeing the Fund’s federal health policy agenda. Haifley holds a Juris Doctor from Valparaiso University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University.
Kelly Green Kahn, a member of the ACS CAN federal lobbying staff, has been promoted to associate director of federal government relations where she will continue to specialize in women’s health issues and advocate for legislation addressing health disparities among ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations. In her tenure at the Society and now with ACS CAN, she has helped advocate for passage and reauthorization of bills to reduce health care disparities in the Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005 and the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007.
Green Kahn came to the Society from the National Institutes of Health where she served in several roles, most recently as a public liaison officer. She originally came to the NIH as a Presidential Management Fellow and served the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families under ranking member Christopher Dodd and the Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary of Legislation. Green Kahn received her Masters in Public Policy and Administration from Rutgers University and holds an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College.
Karen Orloff Kaplan joins the Society in the newly created role of director of the organization’s access to health care project. The Society is deeply engaged in the national health care reform debate, understanding the largest barrier to reaching its goal of significantly reducing the burden of cancer in America is addressing the issue of access to quality health care.
As director of the access to care project, Kaplan is responsible for coordinating the multiple components of the project among the Society’s various departments, leading the project’s strategic planning and project management to ensure timely production of events and products. Kaplan’s areas of expertise are in health and aging issues, palliative care and in developing health and social policy play a critical role in the progress of the project.
Kaplan previously served as director of special initiatives for the Wye River Group on Health Care and as a consultant to the American Cancer Society on palliative care. She was also formerly president and chief executive officer of Partnership for Caring and the national program director for the Robert Wood Johnson funded initiative Last Acts. Kaplan received her Doctorate in Science and Masters in Public Health degrees from the School of Hygiene and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She received her Masters in Social Work from Ohio State University.
"With these valuable additions to our team, we have strengthened our national advocacy team with individuals who bring with them a wealth of experience in lobbying, health care policy and the public interest world," said Daniel E. Smith, national vice president, federal and state government relations. "Their contributions will boost the Society’s and ACS CAN’s efforts to fight the war on cancer in the political arena."
The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information anytime, call toll free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
ACS CAN is the nonprofit, nonpartisan sister advocacy organization of the American Cancer Society, which is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers, candidates and government officials to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.