Clare Durrett

Clare Durrett brings more than two decades of experience in communications, strategy, and public affairs, with a track record that spans political campaigns, policy initiatives, and large-scale advocacy efforts. She has helped lead more than 35 political and policy campaigns at the state and local level, including congressional, state legislature, and mayoral races, as well as municipal and county ballot propositions. Her work has supported major economic development initiatives, such as an incentive package valued at more than $150 million, and she led the creative team for a successful statewide medical malpractice tort reform initiative that passed both houses of the legislature and was approved by voters.

Clare’s career has been defined not only by successful outcomes but by the long-standing collaborative relationships she has built with clients, policymakers, and communities.

Since volunteering to support Steve Gleason and Team Gleason, Clare played a central role in sharing Steve’s inspirational message worldwide and helping him reach global audiences through appearances on every major network, two Super Bowls (including one as a sponsored nonprofit), an ESPN special, the ESPY’s as an award honoree, NFL Network’s A Football Life, the United Nations, and national campaigns for MLB’s Lou Gehrig Day.

Her legislative achievements include helping to pass the Steve Gleason Act, the Steve Gleason Enduring Voices Act, and supporting the ALS Social Security Act and the ACT for ALS. In 2019, she was instrumental in securing bipartisan support to award Steve Gleason the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Today, as Managing Director of Answer ALS, Clare leads one of the largest coordinated ALS research initiatives in the world. She helps guide strategy, partnerships, and communications for a program that has generated the most comprehensive ALS dataset ever created, spanning multi-omics, clinical, and iPSC resources. Under her leadership, Answer ALS has become a cornerstone for global ALS research, empowering independent research projects and providing open-access tools that accelerate discovery and innovation.

Clare attended both Northeast Louisiana University and Louisiana State University. Her loyalties, however, remain firmly with the New Orleans Saints, tennis over pickleball, and the fight to end ALS.