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ATLANTA, Oct. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Cancer Society has named Sharon Byers chief development and marketing officer, an expanded role responsible for ensuring brand relevance, effective strategic alliances and overall revenue growth to continue to advance the fight against cancer on a national and global scale.

Since November 2015, Byers has served as the Society's chief development officer, providing leadership for the fundraising portfolio of the nation's largest voluntary health organization. In that role, she oversees corporate, sports, entertainment and global alliances, as well as community fundraising movements and innovation. With the addition of integrated marketing, she now also oversees brand strategy, digital and social programs, direct response and paid media.

"The American Cancer Society's work and impact has never been more relevant than it is today," Byers said. "Marketing and strategic partnerships allow us to bring that relevance into the daily lives of people who care about cancer. When we do that well, we will see the major revenue growth that we need to have a greater impact against this disease."

Byers most recently served as senior vice president of sports, entertainment, and community marketing partnerships for North America at The Coca-Cola Company. In this role, her team managed more than 500 strategic partnerships including premier properties such as the Olympics, NCAA, NBA, NASCAR, LeBron James, Jennifer Aniston, Taylor Swift and American Idol. At Coca-Cola, she developed increased revenue and brand share through integrated marketing and business approaches, including opportunity evaluation, deal negotiations, sales and marketing execution and consumer analytics. During her 28-year career with Coke, Byers held roles in integrated marketing, strategic planning, and corporate deal negotiation.

"Sharon's experience in the for-profit sector brings a whole new mindset to how to we approach marketing, strategic alliances and fundraising," said Gary Reedy, the American Cancer Society's chief executive officer. "We want to build upon our proven legacy, but we also need to be more innovative and take more strategic risks in order to have greater impact. I have every confidence that Sharon Byers is the right person to lead those efforts."

Byers has been recognized as one of the 50 Most Important People in Sports; number one of the Most Influential Women in Sports by Sports Illustrated; Marketer of the Year by Cynopsis Sports Media in both 2014 and 2015; Woman of the Year by the Women in Sports and Events Organization; and as one of the 50 Most Powerful People in Sports and Sports Industry Game Changers by Sports Business Journal. She serves on the boards of Special Olympics of Atlanta, College Football Hall of Fame and Auburn University Business School.

Byers is a graduate of Auburn University with a BS in finance and a certified public accountant.

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SOURCE American Cancer Society