American Cancer Society VP Named to Top 100 Women in Maryland

Tswana N. Sewell, vice president of the American Cancer Society (ACS) Greater Washington, DC/Baltimore area, has been named to The Daily Record's 2023 list of Maryland's Top 100 Women.

Maryland’s Top 100 Women recognizes high-achieving Maryland women who are making an impact through their leadership, community service, and mentoring. Winners are selected by past Top 100 Women and business leaders.

Sewell leads a team of approximately 20 staff managing and cultivating American Cancer Society events, work, corporate philanthropy, and program implementation for the area. Their combined work raised more than $6.5 million in 2022, fueling ACS-funded cancer research as well as services and support for patients that include free transportation to treatment, free lodging, and the national 24/7 cancer hotline that provides free resources and information. Annually, the American Cancer Society funds approximately $10 million in cancer research grants in Maryland and approximately another $10 million in the DC area.

American Cancer Society events celebrate survivorship, remember those lost, and fight back against cancer. Some larger events in Maryland include: two Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks in Baltimore and Central Maryland which attracted 3,000 participants and raised more than $400,000 in 2022; the annual Taste For Life gala; the Maryland Golf Classic which has raised more than $1.2 million since 2015, and dozens of community and college Relay For Life events with a festival-like atmosphere. During Relay, participants take turns walking a track for hours because cancer never sleeps. Relay concludes with a Luminaria ceremony to honor those fighting cancer and loved ones lost to cancer. The regional ACS team also manages activities in the Greater DC area, including Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in DC which raised $400,000 with 3,000 participants in 2022, multiple community and college Relay For Life events, and the Big Dig for kids in Northern Virginia that fundraises for pediatric cancer.

Sewell has a lead role on the Hope Lodge Baltimore Capital Campaign committee to build the future, 30% larger, state-of-the-art Hope Lodge Baltimore (one of 31 ACS free home-away-from-home communities where cancer patients stay for free when they need to travel for treatment). The campaign is 60 percent of the way toward its $10 million goal. The future Hope Lodge will be located on the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus across from the present 26-guest room Hope Lodge, built in 1987, which is outdated. The new Hope Lodge will help remove barriers to care by expanding to 34 guest rooms that will offer an additional 3,000 nights of free lodging annually. As an example of present capacity, in 2019 more than 400 cancer patients and their caregivers spent nearly 13,000 nights at Hope Lodge Baltimore, saving an estimated $2.3 million in out-of-pocket costs.

Sewell is involved with the ACS Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) program at the University of Maryland (UMD) School of Medicine, one of twelve national universities awarded the program in 2022. This 10-week summer internship engages talented under-represented minority undergraduate students to increase their opportunities in cancer research. TUMD hosted 4 interns as part of a pilot in 2021 and doubled its number of interns to 8 in 2022, thanks to generous local donors. DICR is one of many health equity programs of ACS.

Tswana’s team manages area NFL Crucial Catch relationships with the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Commanders that provide grants for free cancer screenings for the underserved. Thousands of these free screenings have taken place at Federally Qualified Health Centers for residents of the Greater Baltimore and DC region.

ACS also has a longtime partnership with MileOne Autogroup, which has donated a new car to ACS for the past 22 years to raffle as an annual fundraiser. Funds raised provide free transportation to treatment for area cancer patients.

“The 2023 Maryland’s Top 100 Women are leading companies, creating change, breaking barriers and charting new territory. They are leaders who make a difference in their communities and also mentor and inspire future leaders toward success,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of The Daily Record/BridgeTower Media.

The regional American Cancer Society office is located at 405 Williams Court, #120 in Middle River, MD. To volunteer or support the mission of the American Cancer Society, contact tswana.sewell@cancer.org.

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