Calaneet Balas

Calaneet Balas became CEO and President of The ALS Association in December 2017. She joined the organization in June 2016 as Chief of Strategy, leading all three mission areas including global research, public policy and care services, which work in an integrated fashion to find a cure, advance treatments and enhance the quality of life for people living with ALS.

Prior to joining the fight against ALS, Calaneet served as Chief of Executive Officer of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA). In this role she had numerous accomplishments, including:

• Helping to raise the profile of ovarian cancer by testifying before Congress and speaking with major news outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post and NBC Nightly News, about the needs of the ovarian cancer community.
• Initiating the first ever bi-partisan Congressional Ovarian Cancer Caucus and overseeing “50 States of Teal,” a state report card that called out individual states on their coverage of women’s health care implementation through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
• Collaborating with a partner organization to create the largest global organization dedicated to ovarian cancer research, advocacy and patients, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance, which merged in January of 2016.

Ms. Balas also worked at the Arthritis Foundation, where she was part of an executive team that integrated and restructured four separately incorporated chapters into one region representing the Arthritis Foundation.

She served as Chief Strategy Officer of the newly created Mid-Atlantic Region of the Arthritis Foundation from 2010 until September 2012. Previously, she served as President and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation’s Metro DC Chapter from 2005-2009, bringing financial stability to the chapter and increasing its fundraising efforts.

In December 2018, she was elected as Chairwoman of the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations.

Ms. Balas holds a Master of Business Administration from Herriot-Watt University, a Master of Science in Human Movement Science Education from the University of Memphis, and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Truman State University.