When Nancy Brinker's sister, Suzy, died of breast cancer at the age of 36 in 1980, Nancy promised herself she would fulfill her sister's plea to help others battling the disease. In 1982, she established the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, today recognized as the nation's leading catalyst in the fight against breast cancer. Currently, the Komen Foundation boasts more than 75,000 volunteers working through a network of 118 U.S. and a growing number of international Affiliates.

Ms. Brinker also founded the Komen Foundation's signature program - the Komen Race for the Cure®, the largest series of 5K run/fitness walks in the world. Since its origin in 1983 in Dallas, Texas, the Komen Race for the Cure® Series has grown from one local Race with 800 participants to a national series of 113 Races with 1.5 million participants expected in 2003.

In 2001, President Bush appointed Ms. Brinker to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary. In 1986, President Reagan appointed Ms. Brinker to the 18-member National Cancer Advisory Board as one of six laypeople. In 1992, she was appointed by President Bush to the three-member President's Cancer Panel to monitor the progress of the National Cancer Program and was selected by Vice President Quayle to serve as the chairman of a subcommittee to study the progress of breast cancer research and education in the United States and around the world.

Prior to assuming her position as Ambassador, she served on the boards of Manpower, Inc., United Rentals, Inc., and U.S. Oncology. In addition, Ms. Brinker served on the national advisory boards of the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention, Women's Health Resource Center, Women's Health Initiative, the National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship and the National Cancer Institute. She is a former board member of such not-for-profit organizations as the National Jewish Coalition Board of Governors, New York University's Medical School Foundation, and National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project. Ms. Brinker has testified before the United States Democratic Policy Committee's Congressional Breast Cancer Forum and participated in the International Women's Forum.

Ms. Brinker is the recipient of numerous national awards including: Sword of Ignatius Loyola Award from Saint Louis University, The Champions of Excellence Award presented by the Centers for Disease Control, the Susan F. Smith Inspiration Award from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Healthcare Humanitarian Award presented by the Global Conference Institute, the ASCO Special Recognition Award, Toastmasters International Top Five Speakers for 2001 Award, the Sisters Network 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award, Ladies' Home Journal's 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century, Biography Magazine's The 25 Most Powerful Women in America, the 1999 Caring Award, the 2000 Cino del Duca Award, the first Salomon Smith Barney Extraordinary Achievement Award, the James Ewing Layman Award from the Society of Surgical Oncology, Albert Einstein's Sarnoff Volunteer Award, Ladies' Home Journal's Top 10 Champions of Women's Health, among many others. In addition, she was inducted into the Cancer Research and Treatment Fund, Inc. Cancer Survivors Hall of Fame.

Twenty Years of Patient Advocacy: Lessons Learned

You Are Your Own Best Friend

A Sister's Odyssey: The Promise That Became a Movement

Earning From the Heart

Making Your Own Luck: The Power of Having a Vision

The Power of a Promise: Winning the Race Against Breast Cancer

Building the Bridges of Alliance

The Race Is Run One Step At A Time

Building A Non-Profit Entity That Serves Both The Private And Public Sectors

Creating Alliances That Endure In Communities, Cities, States, And Federal Gover

How To Shape Public Policy Through Private Initiatives

The Development Of Fund Raising Skills And Programs

• "The Art of Seeing the Invisible"
  Drawing on her 25-year experience transforming a small living-room operation into a billion-dollar global network against breast cancer, Ambassador Nancy Brinker shares the leadership lessons that every executive and employee needs to know to build their company, energize their teams, strengthen their brand and institutionalize a Culture of Innovation that allows organizations to stay ahead of the competition and achieve world-class results. Just as her passion to find a cure to breast cancer created the world's largest network of survivors and activists fighting the disease, Ambassador Brinker motivates corporate audiences in every industry and sector to excel in "The Art of Seeing the Invisible" - pursuing bold goals that may seem invisible and making them inevitable. Ideal audiences: senior executive retreats and company annual meetings.
• "The Power of One"
  One of the nation's foremost "social entrepreneurs" and a global activist who has inspired millions around the world, Ambassador Nancy Brinker empowers audiences of all ages and backgrounds to embrace "The Power of One" - the ability of every individual to make a difference in their communities, companies, countries and the world. Drawing on her remarkable life experience as a breast cancer survivor, catalyst of an international health movement and U.S. ambassador, Nancy Brinker shares how her unique lessons for personal and professional fulfillment can help every individual lead a life of both success and significance. Ideal audiences: personal/professional development conferences.
• "The Patient Empowerment Revolution"
  A former member of the President's Cancer Panel and one of America's foremost patient advocates for a quarter century, Ambassador Nancy Brinker addresses the key challenges facing the delivery of affordable, accessible healthcare in the United States today. Drawing on her pioneering experience of transforming the way the world talks about and treats breast cancer - and warning how the baby boom will become an unprecedented "cancer boom" - Ambassador Brinker argues that today's "Patient Empowerment Revolution" will only succeed if patient-centered care becomes the central organizing philosophy of a 21st Century healthcare system. Ideal audiences: healthcare industry and associations.
• "Brave Enough!"
  One of Biography Magazine's "25 Most Powerful Women in America" and Ladies Home Journal's "100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century," Ambassador Nancy Brinker energizes women executives, entrepreneurs and business owners to overcome the unique challenges facing female business leaders and seize the unprecedented opportunities of today's business world. Drawing on her own experience of founding, building and guiding the world's largest network of breast cancer survivors and activists, Ambassador Brinker inspires women to be "Brave Enough" to pursue their professional ambitions, persevere in the face of barriers and become mentors and models to the next generation of women leaders. Ideal audiences: women's business conferences/meetings.
• "Winning the War!"
  As one of the world's foremost cancer advocates, a three-decade cancer survivor and catalyst of the global grassroots breast cancer movement, Ambassador Nancy Brinker inspires cancer patients and their families to win their personal war with this devastating disease while urging the international community to recognize and confront the coming "cancer tsunami." Warning that the global cancer burden will more than double in the coming decades - with perhaps 27 million cancer cases every year - Ambassador Brinker calls for a unprecedented and urgent international campaign to save the lives of millions around the world. Ideal audiences: cancer patients/survivors networks and international health organizations.