Marketing Director, Association of Clinical Research Professionals

Lisa Townsend is a creative and data-driven communications professional who strives to balance the art and science of impactful marketing. She has fifteen years’ experience in the association and non-profit space, where she has been focused on medical, gender-based, and public health causes.

As Marketing Director for ACRP, Lisa creates and implements multi-channel marketing plans to amplify the mission, thought leadership, and value proposition of the association to its members and the broader clinical research community. Lisa has worked with associations and non-profits for more than fifteen years, where she has been focused on medical, gender-based, and public health causes. In her last role, she served as the senior director, Marketing and Communications for the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) and twenty-two medical oncology societies. Lisa is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the American Society of Association Executives™ (ASAE). She served on the 2023 AMA-D Chapter Marketing Mentor Program.

In addition to her marketing roles, Lisa has led partnership engagement programs for a women’s health non-profit, liaising with government agencies, membership associations, unions, youth organizations and health entities to grow their network. She branded and contributed to the development of a mobile cardiac risk assessment program and a national campaign to identify solutions to ensure all women receive preventive cardiovascular screenings where they seek care, specifically at their OB/GYN.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Rutgers College, then attended the Culinary Institute of America where she specialized in Baking & Pastry Arts. One of the greatest influences on her personal and professional life was working in the pastry kitchen of one of the top 10 restaurants in the world.

Lisa is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the American Society of Association Executives™ (ASAE). She serves in the AMA-DC Chapter Marketing Mentor Program and is currently pursuing a Professional Certified Marketing (PCM) Certification in Marketing Management.