Our Leadership

As President and CEO, Danielle Vizcaino is a methodical, innovative, and hands-on leader with more than 15 years of healthcare experience and seven years of executive leadership experience in the charitable patient assistance space.

Danielle leads a diverse, national organization of more than 80 employees which has consistently been named by Forbes as a top 100 charity and The NonProfit Times as one of the 50 best nonprofits to work for. She oversees TAF’s nearly 100 disease programs, which since 2009 have helped over 190,000 people access the critical treatment they need to manage a life-threatening, chronic, or rare disease.

Since joining The Assistance Fund’s (TAF’s) Executive Leadership Team in 2016, Danielle has served as Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President of Operations, Philanthropy, and Communications, Vice President of Operations, and the executive liaison to TAF’s Medical Advisory Board, where she played a critical role in recruiting new members. During Danielle’s first seven years at TAF, the organization launched 55 new disease programs, achieved a 400% increase in corporate donations, obtained 4,847 new individual donors, and secured $1.5M in individual donor contributions. In addition, Danielle championed several internal and external initiatives that supported TAF’s high standards of operational excellence and customer service, while embracing innovation and transforming the patient experience.

Prior to joining TAF, Danielle served as Director of Operations at One Call Care Management and as a Medical Laboratory Scientist at the Bureau of Public Health Laboratories in Jacksonville, Fla. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Danielle is also a board member of Harbor House of Central Florida. Danielle earned an MBA and MPH from the University of North Florida and a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Microbiology from the University of Central Florida.

Steve is a certified public accountant with over 20 years of financial, operational, and audit leadership experience. As Chief Financial Officer, Steve is responsible for providing financial control and oversight to ensure TAF is an excellent steward of donors’ philanthropic support.

Steve began his career in 1992 at Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), one of the world’s largest professional services firms, as part of its audit and consulting practice. During his seven years with Price Waterhouse, Steve worked extensively in the healthcare industry with nonprofit healthcare systems. From 1999 to 2003, Steve led the internal audit team at Harcourt, an educational publishing company later acquired by Reed Elsevier. In 2003, Steve joined the management team at Rotech Healthcare, the third largest provider of durable medical equipment in the U.S. At Rotech, Steve served in numerous leadership roles including Vice President of Internal Audit, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Executive Officer. In 2014, Steve left Rotech to start Simply Mobility, a provider of mobility and accessibility equipment. Steve sold Simply Mobility in 2016 and joined the leadership team at TAF. Steve has a CPA and a Master’s in Accounting from Florida State University.

As Chief Development Officer, Gerald is responsible for increasing long-term corporate funding and large donations to help cover out-of-pocket costs of treatment for underinsured individuals living with life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases.

Gerald joined TAF in 2013 with 16 years of pharmaceutical sales experience and 10 years of experience in nonprofit business development. A native of New Jersey, Gerald graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts. He began his pharmaceutical career with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in 1997. After GSK, Gerald spent over 10 years at Sepracor, which later became Sunovion Pharmaceuticals. During his tenure at Sunovion, Gerald held several leadership positions in the sales and corporate departments, including Specialty Representative, Hospital Representative, Managed Care Account Manager, District Business Manager, and Leadership Development Manager.

As Senior Vice President of Business Intelligence , John focuses on enhancing TAF’s information technology resources for better security, data visibility, and process improvements. John has over 13 years of experience in the healthcare industry, with a focus on reporting, business analytics, and information technology. In his previous position at Rotech Healthcare, John developed and oversaw reporting projects that provided increased visibility into operations, allowed for better monitoring of assets, and identified areas for process improvement.

Since joining TAF in 2017, John has improved TAF’s data reporting capability and developed enrollment capacity models that increased the number of patients TAF is able to serve. John plays an integral role in championing system enhancements that allow TAF to provide the highest quality service to patients. John has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Rollins College, a Master of Arts in Social Science Education, and a Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Science from the University of Central Florida, and a Global Information Assurance Certification in Information Security Fundamentals.

As Vice President of Development and Business Strategy, Leena Patel is responsible for developing fundraising strategies and sustaining support to help people access medications and live higher qualities of life. Leena has built her career around healthcare management, with special expertise in access and affordability issues, fundraising, compliance, health policy, and business development.

Prior to joining TAF, Leena was Vice President of Development at the PAN Foundation for nearly nine years. In that role, she helped raise more than $3 billion, enabling hundreds of thousands of people to start and stay on their treatment. Leena previously served as a Health Policy Associate at Applied Policy, where she worked with clients to understand and navigate the complexities of health policy and reimbursement issues, and provided client-specific analyses of healthcare policies, rules, and regulations, with a focus on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Leena has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from James Madison University and a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Management and Policy from the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

As the Senior Director of Communications at The Assistance Fund, Margaret is the driving force behind the organization's communications and branding initiatives, ensuring that its mission and message resonate across all key audiences. She is a seasoned communications leader with nearly two decades of experience shaping communication strategies for impactful healthcare nonprofit organizations, hospital trade associations, and federal government agencies.

Prior to joining The Assistance Fund in 2019, Margaret held senior communications positions at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center, the Patient Access Network Foundation, the American Hospital Association, the New York State Health Foundation, and the Greater New York Hospital Association.

Margaret has a Master of Public Administration degree in Health Policy and Management from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Politics from George Mason University.

As Senior Director of Philanthropy, Alyssa is responsible for sustaining and growing financial resources to advance TAF’s mission. Alyssa oversees the creation, planning, and implementation of a comprehensive, relationship-focused fundraising program to support patients living with a life-changing disease.

Prior to joining TAF, Alyssa served as Executive Director of the Sarcoma Alliance, reporting directly to the Board. She also previously held positions at Intermountain Healthcare as Donor Stewardship Manager and Harvard University’s teaching hospital, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as Assistant Director of Donor Relations. Alyssa’s background includes leading strategic, multi-million-dollar philanthropic initiatives, operational oversight, team recruitment and development, and stakeholder relationship management.

Alyssa has a Master of Public Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management, a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from the University of Kentucky, and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Harvard University, Division of Continuing Education. She also holds her Certified Fund Raising Executive credential.

As the Senior Director of Compliance, Jacqueline is responsible for the day-to-day management and administration of TAF’s Business Ethics and Compliance Program. She oversees compliance within the organization and ensures its adherence to applicable laws, regulatory requirements, and policies and procedures. Jacqueline is a knowledgeable and experienced healthcare compliance professional with a track record of ensuring organizations adhere to all applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards.

Jacqueline has over 20 years of experience as a compliance professional and a deep understanding of the complex regulatory landscape and the challenges faced by organizations in the healthcare industry. She has successfully developed and implemented comprehensive compliance programs, policies, and procedures tailored to specific organizational needs. Jacqueline’s expertise extends across various domains of healthcare compliance, including HIPAA, Medicare/Medicaid, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and fraud, waste, and abuse. She has a proven ability to conduct thorough compliance audits, risk assessments, and internal investigations to identify potential vulnerabilities and develop effective mitigation strategies. Prior to joining TAF, Jacqueline held positions at Knipper Health, Aetna Specialty Pharmacy, Aon Hewitt, Physicians United Plan, and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Jacqueline has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern New Hampshire University and is certified by the Compliance Certification Board in healthcare compliance.

As Senior Director of Operations, Jan leads all patient support staff and operational functions at The Assistance Fund (TAF). She leads the teams that provide patient services through the TAF contact center, as well as the Operations staff who process reimbursement claims and enrollment applications, manage provider relationships, and oversee quality assurance.

Jan’s career spans over 30 years, in a variety of industries. Before joining TAF in 2019, Jan held senior contact center and service leadership roles at Wyndham Vacation Ownership (now Travel & Leisure Co.), Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Adventure parks. Jan brings the spirit of hospitality to TAF patient service operations with the goal of making each patient’s journey easier and less stressful. Jan also held senior leadership roles at AT&T Wireless and Avnet Electronics, where she developed many of the processes still in place to this day.

Jan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master Certificate in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of the National Customer Service Association and participates in a variety of other contact center industry organizations, including Customer Contact Week and International Customer Management Institute.

As Director of Operations, Bill Deitz is responsible for leading call center operations, claim reimbursements, and day-to-day development and leadership of TAF’s more than 60 contact center staff.

Bill is an accomplished operational leader with several years of hospitality and service industry experience. He began his career as an Emergency Medical Attendant in North Carolina, later holding positions with the Cleveland Browns as the General Manager of Guest Service Operations, Walt Disney World as a Labor Maintenance Analyst, Marriott Vacation Club as a Senior Business Analyst, and the Ritz-Carlton Company.

Bill studied Emergency Medical Services at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in North Carolina.

As Director of Human Resources, Amanda Kessler brings over 13 years of human resources expertise. In her role, Amanda leads policy development, talent acquisition, compliance management, training initiatives, and strategic planning to enhance employee engagement and retention. She supports leadership through succession planning, diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging initiatives, and strategic guidance on compensation and benefits. Since joining The Assistance Fund in 2018, Amanda has demonstrated a commitment to advancing the organization's mission of helping patients while fostering a positive, inclusive work environment for all employees.

Amanda has a Master of Business Administration degree in Human Resources Management from Liberty University and certifications as a Senior Human Resource Business Partner (sHRBP) from the Human Capital Institute and as a SHRM-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).

As Director of Patient Advocacy, Stephanie Marshall collaborates with patient advocacy organizations to raise awareness of charitable patient assistance and ensure TAF’s programs and services meet the needs of patients and caregivers. She also represents TAF on several coalitions and advisory councils to improve access to critical care and treatment for people living with life-changing diseases. Stephanie is a committed patient advocate who works tirelessly to put patients at the center of TAF’s culture.

With more than 25 years of healthcare policy, advocacy, and communications experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, Stephanie has devoted her entire career to improving health and quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. She has worked at the highest levels of government, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the White House, a leading patient advocacy organization, and a global public relations agency.

Stephanie is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis.

As Director of CRM Development, Akhilash provides TAF with a strategic vision for delivering robust solutions. He brings technical expertise to the role and a deep understanding of customer relationship management (CRM), which he gained over eight years of experience in the field. Akhilash leads cross-functional teams to develop and implement cutting-edge CRM platforms tailored to support TAF and the patients we serve.

Prior to joining The Assistance Fund, Akhilash served as CRM Lead at CallMD, where he led numerous initiatives using CRM to help patients immediately connect with doctors.

Akhilash holds a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems from the California University of Management and Sciences and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

As Comptroller, Tempra maintains accounting records, coordinates the annual external financial and program audit, and assists the Chief Financial Officer in the annual budgeting and planning process.

Tempra Pope is a seasoned financial professional with over 20 years of experience. She takes a proactive approach to her work, anticipating financial challenges and devising strategic solutions that support TAF’s growth and stability. Tempra has a robust understanding of TAF’s financial reporting and compliance requirements, and a passion for internal customer service.

Prior to joining The Assistance Fund in 2012, Tempra worked at Xpedx, Omnicare, and Cincinnati Union Bethel, the oldest social service agency in Cincinnati. Tempra has a Master of Science degree with a Controllership concentration from Strayer University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Christian Brother’s University.