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.
Professionally, Phil is an employee benefits attorney and shareholder at Reinhart, with 40 years of legal experience. He serves as legal counsel to ERISA self-funded health and pension plans across the United States. His work centers on practical problem-solving: listening closely, breaking down complex issues, and finding workable paths forward, often through negotiation. He was a member of Professionals Committee of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans - made up of over 5,000 members of the employee benefit plans community in the US and Canada – and served as its Chair in 2018 & 2019. That experience, combined with his background in political science and long familiarity with health care and legislative issues, helps him jump in quickly, support staff and fellow volunteers, and stay steady when the work gets challenging. He always keeps in mind the cornerstone of the ACS CAN mission: To advocate for and provide equitable access to patient care so that we can end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
Phil earned both his Bachelor of Arts (in Political Science and English) and Juris Doctor degrees from Marquette University and is proud of his Jesuit education. A native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, he lives in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin with Retired Physical Therapist Holly Forrestal O’Brien. They are the proud parents of daughter Brigid and son Connor. The O’Briens are members of the ACS CAN Major CANpaign Circle and the ACS Champion Society.