For over 20 years, John Emanuel has served as an inspiring volunteer leader of the American Lung Association. His passion for our lifesaving mission is genuine and infectious — his leadership enthusiastic, energizing, and impactful. John always educates himself on the issues and instills confidence in volunteer leaders and staff alike. An attorney by trade, John thrives on a healthy debate and always adds value whenever he is "at the table."
John began his American Lung Association service as a member of the Wisconsin affiliate Board of Directors—at the time, a fiduciary board. It didn't take long for John to fully embrace the Lung Association's work and to make OUR mission, HIS mission.
In 2007, John served on the steering committee that guided the formation of the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest (ALAUM). Recognizing, that we are stronger together, John was directly involved in establishing the first mergers between Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. His thoughtful legal expertise in corporate mergers helped build a strong case for North Dakota, South Dakota, and Indiana to soon join the ALAUM. John was committed to the development of a governance structure that enabled mission delivery at the grass roots level.
John became a member of the national board in 2010. John studied the finances of our national operations and was a critical partner to management in the financial turnaround of the national office in 2013-2014 – a turnaround that required tough decisions, along with serious and swift action. It was during this time that John realized that we could do more to fight lung disease as a single organization. In 2014, talks of merging to a one level organization began and John was instrumental in asking the right questions so that board members were in a better position to make informed decisions on the future of the Lung Association. John chaired the national board in 2016 – 2018. It was during this time that the transition became official. It was a Herculean task and, as Chair, it was John’s responsibility to ensure that an inclusive process be developed between volunteer and staff leadership at every level As Chair, John devoted hundreds of thousands of hours to Mission 250, and because of the trust that John instilled in the process, the national board and all the charter boards voted unanimously to consolidate as one corporation in June of 2017. This most significant step in ALA history will help ensure the continuation of our lifesaving work. John did this with hope for the future, respect for the past and gratitude to all those who paved the way.
John is a key part of the American Lung Association’s history; his passion is definitely our gain and we have been the beneficiary of decades of outstanding service.