Brooks Bell Elected to Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance voted February 21 to appoint Brooks Bell to a three-year term, effective immediately. Bell is a young-onset colorectal cancer survivor and serial technology entrepreneur based in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

In January 2019, Bell was diagnosed with stage-III colon cancer at age 38. She underwent six months of surgeries and chemotherapy. During that time, she learned of the shocking rise of colorectal cancer in young people, which inspired her to share her story, establish an awareness campaign, and start an initiative and event to encourage colorectal cancer screening.

“The Alliance is thrilled by Brooks’ participation on our Board,” said Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. “Brooks has a one-of-a-kind mind and extraordinary enthusiasm for saving lives that will help advance the Alliance’s mission to end colorectal cancer in our lifetime.”

Bell will serve on the Board with a focus on young-onset colorectal cancer awareness and prevention initiatives, including screening and other public-facing campaigns. In addition, she will serve on the Board of March Forth, the Alliance’s nationwide initiative to save 100,000 lives through prevention, starting in Philadelphia. 

Bell’s election to the Board came around the time of The Colonoscopy Gala, an event she created to celebrate the humble procedure that prevents thousands of cancer diagnoses every year—the colonoscopy. The Colonoscopy Gala raised $30,000 for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s lifesaving programs to screen, care, and cure colorectal cancer. 

“I am eager to be a part of this organization because I care deeply about colorectal cancer prevention,” Bell said. “It’s going to take tremendous scale to make an impact in cancer prevention. The Alliance is the largest colorectal cancer-focused non-profit, and they already have an impressive head start.” 

More about Bell: 

Brooks Bell is an established leader in digital analytics and experimentation. She started her consulting firm, Brooks Bell Inc, in the early 2000s to help bring a data-driven mindset to digital marketing departments. The Brooks Bell team has generated more than $1 billion in value for leaders in retail, financial services, media, and technology. Today, her team's goal is still similar: to help companies build world-class experimentation programs to help better serve their customers. 

In 2011, Brooks co-founded HQ Raleigh, the city’s largest co-working community that helps empower, foster, and cultivate companies that produce long-term job growth and positive social impact. She has also served as the president of the Raleigh-Durham Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), and as a Trustee on the board at St. Mary's School in Raleigh, NC. A native of Alaska, Brooks earned her B.A. from Duke University in 2001.

About the Colorectal Cancer Alliance

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is a national nonprofit committed to ending colorectal cancer. Working with our nation of passionate allies, we diligently support the needs of patients and families, caregivers, and survivors; eagerly raise awareness of preventative screening; and continually strive to fund critical research. As allies in the struggle, we are fiercely determined to end colorectal cancer within our lifetime. For more information, please visit colorectalcancer.org.