CEO MONTHLY / FEMALE CEO OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2025 6 ased in Houston, CanCare is a nonprofit organisation that has dedicated 35 years to ensuring no one faces cancer alone. On a mission to provide hope and healing to the cancer community, the organisation offers free, one-to-one emotional support by connecting newly diagnosed cancer patients and their caregivers with trained volunteers who are cancer survivors themselves. “What makes our approach unique is the peer-to-peer model,” Darcie told us. “Our volunteers aren’t counsellors or medical professionals; they are individuals who have lived through cancer and can authentically say, ‘I understand what you’re going through.’ This creates immediate trust and provides hope that is both genuine and powerful, as our clients can see living proof that they too can get through this journey.” Darcie Wells joined CanCare in November 2020 as President and Chief Executive Officer, becoming the organisation’s third CEO in its decades-long legacy. Prior to CanCare, Darcie held senior leadership roles at March of Dimes, where she spent several years developing and innovating fundraising strategies and building mission-driven partnerships. During her tenure there, she earned national recognition for her work, including being named national Fundraiser of the Year by RAISE. From the beginning, Darcie’s role at CanCare has encompassed all aspects of organisational leadership, from fundraising and donor relations to volunteer recruitment and training, programme expansion, board governance, and community partnerships. She also serves as the face of the organisation through media appearances, speaking engagements, and as host of the organisation’s Hope in the Face of Cancer podcast. Darcie leverages her previous experience across her roles, having gained a deep understanding of how to mobilise communities around critical health causes. “My transition to CanCare represented a deliberate choice to lead an organisation where I could have a direct, transformative impact,” she reflected. “Having served as a cancer caregiver to family members, I was drawn to CanCare’s mission in a deeply personal way. I saw an organisation with incredible heart, a proven model, and tremendous potential for growth – but one that needed strategic leadership to reach the next level.” Best Cancer Support & Patient Advocacy CEO 2025 (USA): Darcie Wells Many people face cancer alone across the USA, as social and economic disparities fuel the rising loneliness epidemic and limit access to care. CanCare has set out to change that by building a nationwide cancer support community, under the expert guidance of CEO Darcie Wells. Following her recent recognition in the Female CEO of the Year Awards 2025, we spoke with Darcie to learn more about her journey. Over the past four years, the team has grown revenue by 60%, increased cash reserves by 300%, and expanded its one-to-one support matches by over 60%. CanCare has served more than 50,000 cancer patients and caregivers in the last five years and has raised more than $6 million to fuel this growth. The organisation has expanded its services from serving primarily the Houston area to now provide support across all 50 states. For Darcie, however, it is not about the numbers; CanCare has proven the possibility of building a thriving, innovative nonprofit organisation without ever compromising the heart of its mission. The team have launched a national podcast, written a bestselling book, and embraced technology to scale impact, all whilst maintaining the deeply personal, one-to-one connections that make CanCare’s work so powerful. “The greatest gift to me, and what I celebrate most, is when I hear from a client we’ve supported about how instrumental we were in their journey and how we gave them hope,” Darcie shared. “Those messages remind me why all the strategic work matters because, at the end of the day, we’re giving people the courage to face their cancer journey and showing them they’re not alone.” This mission continues to drive CanCare, as it faces a sobering reality: cancer diagnoses continue to rise, and the need for emotional support has never been greater. Darcie’s primary focus is to establish CanCare as the nationally recognised gold standard for peer-to-peer cancer support, as firmly embedded in the cancer care continuum as medical treatment. This will be achieved through strategic healthcare partnerships, thought leadership, measurable impact demonstration, and consistent advocacy for the importance of peer support in comprehensive cancer care. “My career goals are deeply intertwined with CanCare’s mission, because I believe the greatest leadership legacy is building something that outlasts you and continues to grow long after you’ve moved on,” Darcie shared. “The vision is bold but achievable: a future where no one facing cancer has to search for support because CanCare is already there, integrated into their care team with a survivor by their side from day one.” B Contact: Darcie Wells Company: CanCare Inc Web Address: www.cancare.org
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