Nancy Goodman Brinker (born December 6, 1946) is an American philanthropist, author, and former diplomat, best known for her contributions to breast cancer awareness and research. She founded th
Promise Fund
and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Brinker was also

United States Ambassador to Hungary This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Hungary. Until 1867 Hungary had been part of the Austrian Empire, when the empire became Austria-Hungary. Hungary had no separate diplomatic relations with other nations. The United States h ...

from 2001 to 2003 and

Chief of Protocol of the United States In the United States, the chief of protocol is an officer of the United States Department of State responsible for advising the president of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, vice president of the United States, and th ...

from 2007 to the end of the

George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...

. In 2011, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control by the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

Early life

Brinker (née Goodman) was born in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

to the

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family of Marvin L. and Eleanor (née Newman) Goodman.Encyclopedia of World Biography: "Nancy Brinker"
retrieved July 25, 2013 Her father was a commercial real-estate developer, and her mother was a housewife. In 1968, she received a bachelor's degree from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

. After graduating, she moved to

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

and worked at

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus is an American department store chain founded in 1907 in Dallas, Texas by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband Abraham Lincoln Neiman. It has been owned by Saks Global, a Corporate spin-off, spin-o ...

as an assistant couture buyer. In the following years, she took various positions at other public relations firms before marrying businessman

Norman Brinker Norman Eugene Brinker (June 3, 1931 – June 9, 2009) was an American restaurateur who was responsible for the creation of new business concepts within the restaurant field. He served as president of Jack in the Box, founded Steak and Ale, helpe ...

Career

Susan G. Komen

In 1982, following the death of her sister Susan G. Komen from breast cancer, Brinker founded Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The organization has since become the world's largest nonprofit source of funding for the fight against breast cancer, investing nearly $3 billion in research, community health outreach, advocacy, and programs in more than 60 countries. Brinker also established the Race for the Cure® in 1983, which has grown into the world's largest series of 5K run/fitness walks, with over a million participants annually. The organization was named for Brinker's sister, who died of breast cancer. On December 2, 2009, Brinker was appointed

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, a position in which she served in until June 17, 2013, when

Judith A. Salerno Judith A. Salerno, MD, MS is a physician executive and the President of the New York Academy of Medicine. Career The New York Academy of Medicine Salerno became President of The New York Academy of Medicine in September 2017. During her tenu ...

succeeded her.

World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador

Brinker served as the

's Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control. She was appointed by WHO Director-General

Margaret Chan Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun (born 21 August 1947) is a Chinese-Canadian physician, who served as the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) delegating the People's Republic of China from 2006 to 2017. Chan previously served a ...

on May 26, 2009. She advocated for strengthening global action for cancer prevention and control in the context of the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases endorsed by the

World Health Assembly The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 World Health Organization#Membership, member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of h ...

in May 2008. Her message emphasized the need for low and middle-income countries to strengthen comprehensive and evidence-based cancer control policies and programs.

Chief of Protocol

On October 7, 2008, Brinker hosted a symposium on "Breast Cancer Global Awareness" at the Blair House where First Lady

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...

attended. As Chief of Protocol, Brinker expanded the role of the office through outreach programs intended to foster better relationships with the Diplomatic Corps. The effort, known as Diplomatic Partnerships involved over 60 events, including "Experience America", where the Diplomatic Corps traveled throughout the United States to meet with business and civic leaders.

Ambassador to Hungary

Brinker served as

from September 2001 to 2003. She held the first conference on the

trafficking Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

and exploitation of workers that health ministers from the neighboring Balkan States attended. She also raised awareness about breast cancer among Hungarian women by leading a march over the

Chain Bridge A chain bridge is a historic form of suspension bridge for which chains or eyebars were used instead of wire ropes to carry the bridge deck. A famous example is the Széchenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest. Construction types are, as for other suspensi ...

in Budapest where the bridge was illuminated in pink for the occasion. Hungarian President

Ferenc Mádl Ferenc Mádl (; 29 January 1931 – 29 May 2011) * : Collar of the Order of Merit (25 September 2002). References External links His biography at the website of the Office of the President of the Republic of HungaryRetrieved 2011-05-30 ...

awarded Brinker with the Order of Merit, Medium Class, Cross Adorned with Star, for her work in advancing bilateral relations and in recognition of her charity activities.

The Promise Fund

The Promise Fund was created by Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, Julie Fisher Cummings and Laurie Silvers in 2018. It was set up to address a lack of preventative diagnosis of breast cancer among women in South Florida. As of December 2024, the Promise Fund has reached 40,335 individuals through outreach and education and has impacted the lives of 14,576 women through access to screenings, diagnostics, and care.

Other government service

In 1986, President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

appointed her to the National Cancer Advisory Board and in 1990, President George H.W. Bush appointed her to chair the

President's Cancer Panel The "war on cancer" was launched in 1971 by President Richard Nixon to find a cure for cancer by increased research. The goals were to improve the understanding of cancer biology and to develop more effective cancer treatments, such as targeted ...

and monitor the progress of the National Cancer Program. In 1992, Vice President

Dan Quayle James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American retired politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party (United States), ...

invited her to chair a subcommittee monitoring research, progress and development in the fight against breast cancer. Brinker was a bundler for George W. Bush when he was running for office, helping to organize and collect campaign contributions from other donors. In 2000, she became a Pioneer, a member of his $100,000 Club. And on December 24, 2008, President Bush appointed her to the board of trustees of the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

for a six-year term. She testified before the United States Democratic Policy Committee's Congressional Breast Cancer Forum and participated in the International Women's Forum.

Awards

Brinker has received the following awards and titles: * 1995 University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award * The 1997 S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, awarded by

Jefferson Awards The Jefferson Awards Foundation was created in 1972 by the American Institute for Public Service. The Jefferson Awards are given at both local and national levels. Local winners are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectatio ...

* The 2000 Cino del Duca Award, the James Ewing Layman Award from the Society of Surgical Oncology * 2004 Service to America Leadership Award presented by the National Association of Broadcasters Educational Foundation * 2005

Mary Woodard Lasker Public Service Award Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

in Support of Medical Research * The American Society of Breast Disease 2006http://www.asbd.org/pages/online_release_5-3-2006.html * In 2006, Nancy Brinker received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Boston University. * 2007 Trumpet Award * 2007 Castle Connolly National Health Leadership Award * 2007 Pro Cultura Hungarica Medal * American Association for Cancer Research Centennial Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 2007 * 2007 IARC Medal of Honour * Modern

Healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

2007 Health Care Hall of Fame * 2009 Porter Prize *

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...

, awarded by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

on August 12, 2009 *

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

Trust Poll: The 100 Most Trusted People in America, May 2013 * Inducted as a Laureate of

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the Order of Lincoln, the highest award given b ...

and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2016 in the area of Social Services. *

National Women's Hall of Fame The National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) is an American institution founded to honor and recognize women. It was incorporated in 1969 in Seneca Falls, New York, and first inducted honorees in 1973. As of 2024, the Hall has honored 312 inducte ...

Texas Women's Hall of Fame The Texas Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1984 by the Governor's Commission on Women. The honorees are selected biennially from submissions from the public. The honorees must be either native Texans or a resident of Texas at the time of t ...

* ''Time'' magazine, 100 Most Influential People in the World * ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th centur ...

's'' 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century * ''Biography Magazine's'' The 25 Most Powerful Women in America * Anti-Defamation League Americanism Award * The ''Ladies' Home Journal's'' Top 10 Champions of Women's Health * Global Pathfinder Award * The Champions of Excellence Award presented by the

Centers for Disease Control The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...

* ASCO Special Recognition Award * Cancer Research and Treatment Fund, Inc. Cancer Survivors Hall of Fame * The Sword of Ignatius Loyola Award from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

* The Albert Einstein's Sarnoff Volunteer Award * The Champion of Prevention Award by the National Foundation for the

* Inducted into the Cancer Research and Treatment Fund, Inc. Cancer Survivors Hall of Fame * In 2011, Nancy Brinker received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. * In 2012, Nancy Brinker received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Duke University. * In 2017, Nancy Brinker was named one of the “50 Women Who Are Changing the World” by Woman’s Day Magazine * 2023

Women's Entrepreneurship Day Women's Entrepreneurship Day (WED) celebrated annually on November 15 is a day on which the work of women entrepreneurs is observed and discussed, held each year. The inaugural event was held in New York City at the United Nations, with addition ...

Philanthropy Pioneer Award

Publications

Brinker has co-authored four books: * ''Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer'', co-authored with Joni Rodgers - September 14, 2010 * ''The Race is Run One Step at a Time'', co-authored with Catherine McEvilly Harris * ''1000 Questions About Women's Health'', co-authored with Dr. H. Jane Chihal * ''Winning the Race: Taking Charge of Breast Cancer'', co-authored with Chriss Anne Winston Brinker wrote the forewords for: * ''Tamoxifen for the Treatment and Prevention of Breast Cancer'' by V. Craig Jordan * ''Tamoxifen: A Guide for Clinicians and Patients'' by V. Craig Jordan

Personal

Nancy Goodman's first husband was Robert M. Leitstein, an executive at

. Together they had one son, Eric, a hospitality and retail experience executive and businessman, but divorced in 1978. On February 13, 1981, Nancy Goodman married

Norman E. Brinker Norman Eugene Brinker (June 3, 1931 – June 9, 2009) was an American restaurateur who was responsible for the creation of new business concepts within the restaurant field. He served as president of Jack in the Box, founded Steak and Ale, helpe ...

, founder of

Brinker International Brinker International, Inc. (or simply Brinker) is an American multinational hospitality industry company that owns Chili's and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant chains. Founded in 1975 and based in Dallas, Texas, Brinker currently owns, operat ...

, which provided access to capital and influence and enabled her role in public service. Norman Brinker provided funds and methodology for building the Komen foundation. The couple were major contributors to

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

's first presidential campaign. They divorced shortly after the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, but Norman Brinker remained a board member of Komen for the Cure, having served on its board since its founding in 1982 until his death in 2009. While ambassador, Brinker began to collect Hungarian art. Her collection spans 100 years, from just before the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the present and has been on display at several museums around the United States. The collection is one of the largest outside of Hungary. In 2016, Nancy Brinker was named Global Advisor to HOLOGIC Inc. Brinker is a major funder of gay marriage initiatives. Nancy Brinker has been a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 2012. She serves on the advisory board of the

Harvey Milk Foundation The Harvey Milk Foundation was founded in 2009 by Harvey Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, and Harvey's campaign manager and political aide, Anne Kronenberg, based on discussions held with the family and close Harvey Milk allies after Stuart received t ...

References

External links

* *
Papers of Nancy Brinker, 1954-2019Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brinker, Nancy 1946 births Living people American businesspeople in retailing American health activists American LGBTQ rights activists 20th-century American Jews American women ambassadors People from Peoria, Illinois Ambassadors of the United States to Hungary University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Illinois Republicans Texas Republicans Chiefs of protocol of the United States Newsmax TV people 21st-century American Jews