Breslin began her tenure with the Foundation in 2003, hired on as the organization’s only full-time employee. She had spent the six years prior working for the health care division of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Breslin’s role evolved along with the organization, taking on expanded responsibilities as it grew. She was named Vice President in 2006 and Acting President in 2018, taking the helm of the Foundation during an extended leadership transition. In her current role she directs the organization’s operations, learning and evaluation, and communications functions.
Throughout her Blue Cross NC Foundation career, Breslin has had tremendous influence on the organization’s growth and direction. This includes, among others, transitioning the Foundation’s grantmaking approach to be outcomes oriented, developing a focus on capacity building, overseeing the development of Community-Centered Health, and continually helping lead the organization’s ongoing programmatic and administrative evolution.
She has also embraced the unique role of a corporate foundation – developing the Foundation Fellows program to engage corporate employees in the work of the organization and initiating a skills-based volunteering program to bring corporate capacity to Foundation grantees. Breslin also led the development of the Foundation’s formal values, including its initial focus on equity starting in 2016; and has been a central figure in building an entity that today has a dozen staff members and has invested more than $173M into North Carolina communities through 1200-plus grants.
“It is impossible to overstate the impact Danielle has had on our organization and our people,” said Foundation president, Dr. John Lumpkin. “She has been instrumental in making the Blue Cross NC Foundation what it is today. And while hard to imagine a day without her presence, we are excited for this next chapter in her life as she turns her commitment to supporting the health of the people and places of Northeastern Pennsylvania.“
Breslin’s influence on the field of philanthropy has extended well beyond the walls of the Foundation. This included chairing both the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers (NCNG) Health Funders Group and Grantmakers for Effective Organization’s (GEO) 2015 Learning Conference, as well as serving on the boards of NCNG, Farmer FoodShare, and the Girl Scouts of NC Coastal Pines. She was also a member of the inaugural class of GEO Change Leaders in Philanthropy, a Southeastern Council of Foundations Hull Fellow, and a member of the 18th class of Leadership North Carolina.
A native of Farmingdale, NY, and graduate of the University of Virginia, Breslin has called North Carolina home for the past 25 years. She is married to Michael Breslin and they have two children, Charlie and Jackson.