Meet Our Team

CEO Debbie Pope

Debbie has 20+ years of non-profit management experience, tackling challenging community issues.

She has led efforts to expand and strengthen revenue development, strategic marketing, community engagement, advocacy, and services to expand and strengthen support for families battling the debilitating social and physical challenges of multiple sclerosis. Most recently, Debbie was the National Executive Vice President for the National MS Society, leading a diversified revenue plan and engaging donors, communities, and corporate partners to raise $172M in annual fundraising.

Prior to her work with the National MS Society and throughout her career, she was a strong advocate and personal supporter of critical social justice issues related to ending racism, empowering women, and tackling other injustices including poverty and homelessness of women and children. As a broadcast journalist for all three major network affiliates from 1994-2000, Debbie was recognized for tackling challenging community issues and bringing awareness to the rising number of homeless women and children, infringed rights for impoverished families and unjust laws and policies. She graduated with a B.A. in Speech Communication from the University of Minnesota. Debbie was accepted into the prestigious Washington political journalism internship program receiving credit for her work with the ABC news program, “This Week with David Brinkley”. She is a mother to four dynamic and energetic children. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, hiking “14ers” and enjoying time cooking with her husband, Chris.