A 2010 Evening MBA alum, Dave Lew has built a marketing career that bridges Fortune 50 brands and nonprofit leadership—guided by a deeply personal sense of purpose.
For Dave Lew 10EvMBA, career success has never been just about the roles he’s held—it’s about aligning professional skill with personal purpose. A 2010 Evening MBA graduate, Lew has built a career that spans global consumer brands and national nonprofit leadership, guided by a clear belief: purpose is personal, and it can be pursued in many ways.
Building Brands and Finding Purpose
Lew began his career as a marketer in consumer packaged goods, spending more than a decade at Newell Brands (formerly Newell Rubbermaid). There, he worked on household-name brands including Sharpie, Rubbermaid, Coleman, Contigo, and Calphalon—brands found in nearly every U.S. home. The experience gave him deep exposure to large-scale brand management, global operations, and navigating change within a complex organization.
He later moved to Vitamix, where the mission of improving health through nutrition reinforced an idea that would increasingly shape his career: meaningful work can exist anywhere, if you believe in what you’re building. “There is purpose that can be found in any place,” Lew notes. “You just have to believe that what you’re doing is actually driving toward that purpose.”
When Passion Becomes Profession
Long before nonprofit became a professional chapter, however, it was already part of Lew’s life. Through a close friend, he and his wife—also a Goizueta MBA alum—were introduced to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. What began as volunteerism evolved into a decade-long commitment. “If you’re looking for a job to fulfill your purpose, you may always be looking,” Lew reflects. “Profession is just one avenue; you can also find it in volunteerism.” Eventually, he was invited to fuse passion with profession, prompting a pivotal career shift.
That transition brought Lew to St. Jude, and later to his current role as Chief Marketing Officer at the American Cancer Society, a 113-year-old organization known by many but often misunderstood. In this role, Lew leads national brand strategy, audience engagement, and revenue-driving marketing efforts—work he emphasizes is no different in rigor than that of Fortune 50 companies. “Nonprofit is doing the exact same work,” he says. It’s just funded differently.
At American Cancer Society, Lew and his team focus on building trust, brand equity, and organizational value—especially as they navigate generational shifts, evolving donor expectations, and complex public health challenges. The responsibility of stewarding donor dollars adds weight to every decision, reinforcing the importance of intentional messaging and disciplined strategy.
Leading With Intention—and Asking Boldly
Across every stage of his career, Lew has remained a strong advocate for bold networking and intentional asks. One of his most repeated pieces of advice: “Be bolder than what you think you’re able to get to.” He encourages professionals to actively nurture their networks, ask for introductions, and approach conversations with clarity about what they’re seeking. “You’ll never get something if you never ask for it,” he says—while also emphasizing the importance of timing and authenticity.
Today, Lew finds purpose not only in the mission of ending cancer, but in motivating teams and organizations to believe that progress is possible. His post-MBA journey reflects the power of a Goizueta education: transferable skills, strategic thinking, and the confidence to pivot with intention—whether across industries, sectors, or definitions of success.
