Cindy Geoghegan, Chief Executive Officer

Fifteen years ago, at age 35, Cindy Geoghegan heard the words that every woman fears, "you have breast cancer." At the time, she was the mother of two young children and a corporate communications executive. The diagnosis changed her life and her career. She decided to do something to make a difference, to raise awareness about breast cancer and the need for increased breast cancer funding and research.

She began as a volunteer in Baltimore, helping to found the Maryland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. Later she relocated to New York City where she was elected president of Komen's Greater New York City Affiliate, and ultimately became a member of that organization's global senior leadership team, serving as executive advisor of scientific community relations.
Geoghegan left Komen in 2008 to start her own consulting and advocacy firm, Patients & Partners LLC. In that capacity, she worked with a number of major clients, including Yale Cancer Center, Sage Bionetworks and the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation on projects with a special emphasis on patient-focused outcomes. Geoghegan is recognized nationally as one of the most passionate, articulate and effective patient advocates in the areas of breast cancer awareness and patient rights.

She has served on advocacy initiatives for the National Cancer Institute, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Stand Up To Cancer, and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, among others. She has also received recognition for her contributions to the field of breast cancer awareness from the AACR, Yoplait, BMW, Kellogg's and U.S. Health Care Finance Administration, as well as receiving the Komen Lifetime Volunteer Award and Affiliate of the Year Award on behalf on Komen’s Greater NYC Affiliate.

Geoghegan came to Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization™ in July, 2010 as the interim Chief Executive Officer, at a time when the organization was facing a myriad of challenges. She has led Y-ME through a major restructuring process that resulted in a recommitment to the core mission of providing peer support to every breast cancer patient, of assuring that no one faces breast cancer alone--and with it a return to the original name. In February, 2011, the board of directors named Cindy Geoghegan as the new Chief Executive Officer for Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization.

Since accepting the CEO role, Geoghegan has continued has brought new energy to Y-ME, streamlining operations, updating the Hotline, adding specialized training programs for peer counselors, while raising awareness of Y-ME and its unique mission.