Charlotte Hall Named Interim Executive Director of Alexandria’s Breast Cancer Collective
Veteran Old Town leader will guide the organization through its fall events and a search for its next permanent executive director.
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Charlotte Hall, one of Alexandria’s most recognizable community and small-business leaders, has been named interim executive director of the Breast Cancer Collective, effective Monday, Aug. 17.
The appointment places Hall at the helm of the Alexandria-based nonprofit as its board begins a search for a permanent executive director and prepares for a busy fall fundraising and outreach season.
In announcing the appointment, Board President Dr. David C. Weintritt said Hall’s leadership will help the organization strengthen its connections throughout Alexandria while continuing its work to remove barriers to breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and follow-up care.
“Charlotte is a respected leader in Alexandria and shares our commitment to helping people in our community,” Weintritt said in the announcement. “Her leadership will support the success of our fall events, deepen our connections within Alexandria’s business community, and give the Board the time needed to conduct a thoughtful search for our next permanent Executive Director.”
A familiar face in Alexandria
For Hall, the new role brings together two worlds that have defined much of her career: building relationships across Alexandria and helping local organizations turn community support into meaningful action.
She most recently served as executive director of the Old Town Business Association, representing 189 members and acting as a liaison between the City of Alexandria and the small-business community. In that position, Hall was often a convener as much as an advocate — someone who understood that a healthy Old Town depends on the relationships among merchants, residents, nonprofits and city leaders.
Before leading the business association, Hall spent more than two decades with Potomac Riverboat Company, ultimately serving as vice president. During her tenure, the company grew from one boat to a 12-vessel operation, helping make Alexandria’s waterfront and water-taxi connections a larger part of the city’s identity.
Hall said she was drawn to the Breast Cancer Collective after watching the organization grow and evolve over the past decade.
“I was drawn to the Breast Cancer Collective because I have watched the organization evolve over the past decade, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside its dedicated volunteers,” Hall said. “Together, we can strengthen and sustain the organization, build new partnerships across the community, and expand access to screening, diagnostic care, and follow-up treatment for people throughout Alexandria and the DMV.”
She said her interim role will be practical and collaborative.
“As Interim Executive Director, I hope to draw on my experience serving on community boards, ask thoughtful questions, stir the pot in a good way, and make practical improvements that help the organization continue to grow,” Hall said.
Closing gaps in breast-cancer care
The Breast Cancer Collective, formerly the National Breast Center Foundation, works to improve breast-cancer survivability by expanding access to screening, diagnostic care and follow-up treatment. The organization adopted its new name last fall as it marked 10 years of providing free, lifesaving diagnostics and treatment.
Its Collective Care Program helps uninsured and underinsured people in the DMV and partner communities receive mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies, MRIs and follow-up imaging when cost, transportation, insurance gaps or other logistical obstacles stand in the way.
According to the organization, the program has funded more than 800 screening mammograms, supported more than 200 diagnostic tests and reached more than 1,000 community members through health fairs and outreach efforts.
That work matters because a recommendation for a mammogram or diagnostic test does not automatically mean a patient can obtain it. Cost, limited transportation, language barriers, missed work and the challenge of navigating multiple appointments can delay care — especially for people who are uninsured or underinsured.
The Collective says it provides navigation and support along with financial assistance, working with trusted health-care partners so patients do not have to manage the process alone.
Looking toward fall
The organization’s fundraising calendar has already brought the community together this year. More than 200 golfers, tennis players, sponsors, volunteers, survivors and friends gathered at Belle Haven Country Club in May for the annual Swing to Bust Cancer tournament, which supports screening, diagnostic care, follow-up services and patient navigation.
This fall, the pink-tie optional ALX Pink Gala will return to Above ALX Community, 277 S. Washington St., on Friday, Sept. 25, followed by the 11th annual Walk to Bust Cancer at Fort Hunt Park on Oct. 18. Proceeds from both events help the Collective expand access to timely breast-health care across Alexandria and the DMV.
For Alexandria, Hall’s selection is also a sign that the Breast Cancer Collective sees local relationships as central to its next chapter. Her long record of working with businesses, volunteers and community organizations could help the nonprofit widen its circle of supporters while keeping its focus on the people who need care most.
“Our mission remains clear,” Weintritt said. “To improve breast cancer survivability by expanding equitable access to screening, diagnostic care, and follow-up treatment.”
Learn more about the Breast Cancer Collective, its programs and ways to get involved at breastcancercollective.org.
