A premier health care policy expert, Delora Ifekauche, Esq. serves as principal of Cornerstone Government Affairs. In her role since 2015, she represents the interests of hospitals, managed care organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers, medical cannabis companies and private sector special interests.
A University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law graduate, she previously served Johns Hopkins for nearly a decade representing the institution’s interests at the Maryland General Assembly and other government agencies. For more than two years, she was executive director of the Maryland MCO Association overseeing the group’s development and incorporation as well as being their principal lobbyist and spokesperson.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
Every legislative session, I keep an eye out for opportunities to make a positive impact on my community. In 2020, I partnered with a number of amazing men and women to pass the Crown Act. The law bans discrimination against individuals wearing their natural hair. That same session, I also represented Zero, a nonprofit whose mission is to eliminate prostate cancer, and made prostate cancer screening more affordable and accessible for men in Maryland.
What’s is the most important life lesson you learned?
Adversity is inevitable, whether it comes early or late in life, everyone will face challenges. How you deal with those challenges, is what shapes your character and solidifies your values.