Meet Hunter Ackerley | Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hunter Ackerley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hunter, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Collaboration. My best friend and I started our business as a means to stay connected with each other and to connect with our community in a helpful and meaningful way. We started a nonprofit organization called CCAP Across The Map, the acronym standing for cervical cancer awareness and prevention. Since its inception in 2017, we have worked with over 30 volunteer team members, as well as domestic and international partners, to carry out educational work on the prevention and diagnosis of cervical cancer. Through our collaboration, we learned the benefit of focusing on holistic wellbeing and have expanded our curriculum to include education about other relevant conditions such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). If it were not for motivated and creative people deciding to work together to make a difference in the world, we would not have been able to expand our business and have the reach that we have had. We now operate in many countries, including the United States, Mexico, Ghana, and Senegal, on a regular basis to deliver education and training on the prevention of cervical cancer via the HPV vaccine and safe sex practice as well as holistic wellbeing.

What should our readers know about your business?
CCAP Across The Map is an organization built on the power and motivation of volunteers. I am most proud of the community we have built of internal team members as well as partners and collaborators all around the world. We started with just a focus on cervical cancer, and have since branched out to include education on sexually transmitted infections, female-reproductive cancers as well as HPV related cancers, and mental health maintenance for people facing a diagnosis. This has not been easy, as learning how to run a business has also been a major part of our process alongside carrying out our initiatives. We overcame the challenges of doing so by relying on motivated volunteers and sheer willpower to keep pushing forward in the faces of challenges such as COVID-19, financial constraints, and cultural and language differences which proved to be informative experiences shaping how we keep people and their health-related needs at the forefront of our efforts above all else. I have learned the value of making sure the people we serve have their voice at the head of the conversation to inform how our efforts can actually be helpful as well as sustainable. Additionally, I have learned the value of seasons. Some for hard work and pushing forward and some for taking a step back to reflect, recharge, and evaluate how we can continue to be effective and helpful with our mission to save the cervix, and more! If there was one thing I wanted people to know about our business, CCAP Across The Map, it would be that we want to work with the community to meet people where they are at, especially to address highly preventable health concerns in sustainable and effective ways.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My home town is Tucson, Arizona. It is a wonderful place filled with community and nature. I would tell people they have to check out Sabino Canyon for some awesome nature views and hiking, and then check out some amazing Mexican food at places such as El Molinito. The most fun things to do in Tucson are to take part in community events such as the 4th Avenue Street Fair or any of the amazing musical performance at places like Club Congress. This town is filled with history and charm and it is truly everywhere. I would show people as much of Tucson as I could!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have also been a harpist since I was 8 years old. My harp teacher, Dr. Carrol McLaughlin was a big source of encouragement and support in my life. She had a saying, “Certainly, I can!” that she would say and instilled in all of her students as a mantra to live by. The power of this statement left me feeling like challenges were meant to be taken on and that I could handle them. I have Dr. McLaughlin to thank for teaching me confidence and self-empowerment. When my best friend, Jillian Leaver, and I decided to take on starting nonprofit right after graduating high school, it was a challenge we had no idea how to tackle. However, it was something I knew we could do together, as Jillian is the most motivated person I know. I have her to thank for being someone I could trust in and who continues to support me and our business, CCAP Across The Map in our journey to continue to grow both our business and as people.

Website: https://ccapmerch.myshopify.com/cart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccapacrossthemap/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ccap-across-the-map

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCAPAcrossTheMap

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ccapacrossthemap/featured

Image Credits
CCAP Across The Map