Washington, D.C. — Longtime American Lung Association volunteer and Lakeway resident Mary Partridge will serve as the American Lung Association’s National Board Chair.

Partridge was elected Chair by the Association’s Board of Directors to lead the American Lung Association’s work to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.
Partridge will serve a one year term as National Board Chair and will work closely with the American Lung Association’s president and CEO to further the mission of the organization by providing governance and oversight of the more than 100-year-old charity.
“As a well-respected leadership and organizational development consultant, Mary brings a wealth of professional experience and personal passion to the Lung Association that will directly benefit those we serve,” said Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO.
Partridge first joined the American Lung Association in 1979 as a volunteer for her local American Lung Association in Texas. Her drive to fight lung disease was first inspired when growing up in Mobile, Ala. where she witnessed a close friend suffer from tuberculosis. Years later, raising a child with asthma led Mary to become a tireless advocate for the American Lung Association’s Open Airways for Schools program.
“There is nothing worse than watching a loved one suffer from lung disease,” Partridge said. “In my life, I have experienced the heartbreak of watching close family and friends struggle just to take a breath of air, which is such a simple act that so many of us take for granted. I’m truly honored to be given this opportunity to serve the Lung Association and to better the lives of those living with lung disease.”
Having lost her father to a decade long battle with COPD, Partridge is most passionate about keeping kids off tobacco. Partridge will harness her leadership as National Board Chair to expand the reach of the American Lung Association’s Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) program, which works to teach kids about the dangers of tobacco use. She will also continue to serve as an advocate to help teens who have started smoking to quit through the Lung Association’s Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) program.
About the American Lung Association: Now in its second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. With your generous support, the American Lung Association is “Fighting for Air” through research, education and advocacy. For more information about the American Lung Association, a Charity Navigator Four Star Charity and holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or visit www.lungusa.org