Phil O’Brien has spent more than 20 years rolling up his sleeves for the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) as a grassroots volunteer, advocate, and leader. A longtime champion for patients and families in Wisconsin and across the country, Phil brings the same focus and persistence he has built over a decades-long legal career to the work of expanding access to care, advancing evidence-based policy, and helping more communities take action to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. He is the Vice Chair of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc. (ACS CAN) Board of Directors and serves on the Board’s Audit & Finance Committee.
In addition, in 2024, Phil was named the inaugural National Ambassador of the Cancer Votes program. As National Ambassador, Phil serves as a brand leader, seeking to draw high levels of engagement from volunteers, the media, and business communities.
Over the years, Phil has led and supported countless advocacy efforts—from meeting directly with members of Congress, mayors, and state lawmakers, to testifying before Wisconsin legislative committees, to showing up year after year for ACS CAN’s Leadership Summit & Lobby Day and Wisconsin’s Cancer Action Day at the Capitol. He’s also a steady voice in the public square, writing letters to the editor and opinion pieces, and speaking on behalf of ACS CAN priorities, including Medicaid expansion.
In addition to serving on the ACS CAN Board of Directors since 2020, Phil brings a wealth of volunteer experience on behalf of cancer patients, survivors, families and caregivers. He is the Past Chair of the Wisconsin State Leadership Board (ACS) and was also a member of the ACS Midwest Board of Directors. Phil has also served as the ACS CAN Ambassador Constituent Team (ACT!) Lead for Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District.
Phil is equally committed to powering the mission through fundraising. He first became involved with ACS through Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign in 2005. An original flagship sponsor since 1995, Reinhart and its employees have raised more than $500,000 for Making Strides in the past two decades, helping drive major support for the Milwaukee, Wisconsin walk. He also created the “One Billable Hour” campaign—an innovative, profession-to-profession fundraiser that raised contributions over three years by inviting attorneys, accountants, and actuaries to donate the equivalent of one billable hour to fuel cancer advocacy.