Andrea Ferris

Andrea Ferris is President and CEO of LUNGevity and a member of the Board of Directors. In these roles, she is responsible for setting and executing the strategic direction of the organization and its science programs. LUNGevity funds translational research into both early detection and more effective treatments of lung cancer as well as a highly coveted Career Development Awards program; it also fills unmet needs for people diagnosed with lung cancer by providing education, support and survivorship programs. Under Ferris' leadership, LUNGevity has built the largest grassroots network of events and advocates across the country.

Ferris came to LUNGevity through the merger with Protect Your Lungs, an organization she and her family started to fund lung cancer research following her mother’s death from lung cancer in 2008. Her strong business background combined with her connections to the worlds of research and advocacy have enabled her to build one of the preeminent patient advocacy organizations in the lung cancer space.

In her for-profit career, Ferris was the Vice President of Strategy and Growth of Decision Lens, Inc. a company she helped launch in January 2005. Prior to joining Decision Lens, Ferris held a variety of management positions at Johnson & Johnson (J&J), including Director of Investor Relations, Manager Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions, and Plant Controller. She also spent several years at McNeil Consumer Products, a J&J subsidiary, in marketing and mergers & acquisitions. Prior to her time at J&J, Ferris worked for Lehman Brothers and Coopers & Lybrand in New York City in both Mergers and Acquisitions and as a CPA.

Ferris received her BS in Economics from Wharton with concentrations in Accounting, Decision Sciences, and Finance. She received her MBA from Wharton with concentrations in Finance and Latin American Studies. She served on Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center National Committee of Performing Arts and on the Board of ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) of Metro DC. She has also served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for DC Metro Boys and Girls Club and has worked with the Ronald McDonald House and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.