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William Furmanski is the vice president of foundation program operations at American Legacy Foundation (Legacy), the tobacco control organization created by the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement.
In his current position he works with senior foundation staff to implement cross cutting projects and coordinate external relations and corporate partnerships. He also manages foundation sponsorships and conference participation. The position marks a return to Legacy for Bill who previously served as director of communications from 1999 to 2002. In his first position with Legacy he directed a public relations program promoting advertising campaigns and the release of groundbreaking research on youth tobacco prevention as well as the debut of the first national cessation program for pregnant women. He also served as a peer reviewer and facilitator for tobacco prevention grant applications for underserved communities.
In the interim, Bill was deputy director of American Cancer Society’s Center for Tobacco Cessation from 2002 to 2005. In that role he managed day-to-day operations and oversaw communications and policy projects that included publication of a bi-monthly electronic newsletter on cessation and resource materials on cessation and Medicaid and tobacco cessation telephone quitlines, and development of two web sites featuring tobacco cessation information.
Before joining Legacy in 1999, Bill led communications and member services for the non-profit National Foundation for Credit Counseling in Silver Spring, MD. During his six year tenure, he directed public relations and marketing efforts, managed membership communications, and served as media spokesperson working closely with Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal. CNN, and NPR.
Bill, a native of New Jersey, is a graduate of Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ and is currently working to complete a master’s degree in public communication at American University in Washington, DC | 