The Brain Science Foundation has a strategic advantage rooted in the depth of experience and entrepreneurial spirit embodied in its boards. Members of the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Committee operate with a sense of urgency in mission and demonstrate high levels of commitment, engagement, adaptability, ownership and accountability.
Steven R. Haley and Kathleen P. Haley
Steven R. Haley and his wife Kathleen Haley established the Brain Science Foundation in 2002 following Steven’s treatment for meningioma in 1997. For the last 30 years Steven Haley has served in senior management positions in the high technology industry, including with companies such as Juniper, Cisco Systems, StrataCom, and Bytex. He holds a degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, runs his own diversified asset management company and serves on the boards of several private companies and charitable organizations.
After a successful career in finance and accounting, Kathleen Haley now devotes her time to raising the couple’s three children and serving on several nonprofit boards. Kathleen holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University. To read an interview with Steven Haley, click here.
Barbara F. Bass, Ph.D.
Dr. Barbara Bass is an environmental and health sciences consultant with over 30 years of experience working on issues from a scientific, regulatory, and policy perspective. Her work has included areas involving toxic chemical use and release into the environment, risk assessment of exposure to toxic substances, health and mental health issues, and data reporting and evaluation. More recently, Dr. Bass, who is a meningioma survivor, has applied both her scientific training as a toxicologist specializing in the nervous system as well as her professional skills to furthering the cause of research and patient education involving brain tumors. She has performed work for government agencies, non-profit organizations, foundations and citizens’ groups.
During her career, Dr. Bass has also worked for other consulting firms, including Hampshire Research Associates, EA Engineering, Science and Technology, and Versar. As an Adjunct Professor, she co-taught a seminar on environmental law and science. She is a member of the Society of Toxicology, the Society for Risk Analysis and the American Public Health Association. She has served on various committees and expert panels.
Dr. Bass received a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. with honors in Biology and General Scholarship from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. She earned her Ph.D. in Toxicology from the Johns Hopkins University.
Peter M. Black, M.D., Ph.D., FACS
Dr. Peter Black is the Franc D. Ingraham Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School and Founding Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a post he held for more than twenty years.
He is a respected clinical neurosurgeon with a busy neurosurgical oncology practice that includes many international referrals. Dr. Black directs the brain tumor program at Dana-Farber Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center. He is consistently listed in Best Doctors in America and Top Doctors with a special interest in surgery for meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, and low-grade gliomas; image-guided minimally invasive neurosurgery; skull base surgery; and brain mapping. Dr. Black helped to develop the first intraoperative MRI and has used this device extensively to improve brain tumor treatment. He also has extensive experience in epilepsy surgery in children and hydrocephalus in adults.
Dr. Black is deeply committed to neurosurgical research, clinical practice, and education. He was recently elected President-Elect of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS). Dr. Black will serve two years as President-Elect, four years as President, and two years as Past-President. As President-Elect, Dr. Black will help to lead the Federation’s efforts to advance neurological surgery and all of its aspects by educating and training neurosurgeons from around the globe. He has previously been involved with the WFNS as the Chair of its Bylaws committee, and also sitting on the Education and Ethics committees.
Dr. Black’s laboratory has had ongoing funding since 1980, including present RO1 funding. It investigates growth and invasion in brain tumors, especially meningiomas. Collaborations with laboratories in France and Israel have led to new models of meningiomas, new therapeutic approaches, and improved surgical planning. His bibliography includes 10 books and 500 papers, most involving brain tumor management, brain imaging and image-guided surgery, medical ethics, and molecular neurosurgery.
Dr. Black was born in Canada and while in high school, became an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto as a solo performer in piano. He attended Harvard College, graduating with honors. He returned to Canada for medical school at McGill University. He later entered surgical and then neurosurgical residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital. During this period, he served two years in the United States Navy, mostly at the U.S. Capitol as a physician to Congress and the Supreme Court. He earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from Georgetown University. In 1980 he joined the staff at the MGH. In 1987 he became a Professor and Chief of Neurosurgery at the Brigham and Women’s and Children’s Hospitals.
Dr. Black has mentored students, residents, young faculty, and graduate neurosurgeons from more than 30 countries and has given invited lectures in 40. He is very proud of the productivity of his former trainees, many holding prominent academic positions.
Read about Dr. Black's Brain Tumor Laboratory. Click here to read an interview with Dr. Black.
Diane Coletti
Diane Coletti is the CEO/President of Prestonwood Associates, Inc., an executive search firm she founded 21 years ago. Prestonwood is dedicated to executive search excellence through its practice areas supporting the following sectors: C-Suite for software and technology companies; healthcare and biotechnology; and technology and innovation for retail and consumer markets. She is an Overseers Board Member for The Boston Children’s Museum; is on the Executive Council for the Boston College Technology Council; a sponsor of MIT’s Enterprise Forum affiliate, The Capital Network; and a selected member on The Council for Women of Boston College.
Outside of working with innovative companies, she pursues her desire to give back. Ms. Coletti has been an active leader in her community through her support of public education with a three-year term as treasurer for a notable 501(c)3 organization supporting public education in her county; is a member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, leading a school override that was the largest of its time in her town; School Site Councils; and Principal selection committees.
John Connors
John Connors founded the Boathouse Group, a marketing and communications agency, in 2001. Connors is the former CEO of Zentropy. More recently, Connors founded SmallCanBeBig.org, an online venture in philanthropy. Recognizing a need for a new philanthropic model, Connors created this new way for people to directly help local families on the edge by using the Internet to harness the power of small donations.
John “Jack” Delaney
In memoriam
Anne Marie Durkot
Anne Marie served as a Key Account Sales Executive with Puma North America, one of the world’s premiere sporting goods companies. She was responsible for all aspects of the selling and marketing of products to Puma’s largest accounts. Following a successful career as a sales professional, Anne Marie now devotes her time to educational and civic non- profit organizations.
Currently she serves on the Parents’ Leadership Council at Boston College, assisting the BC development team in their fund raising efforts, and in integrating new families into the Boston College community. Anne Marie formerly served on the Parents’ Association Board at the Fay School. She was Vice President of Student Services, with responsibility for cultural arts, community service and other student programs. She also assisted in many fund raising initiatives.
Anne Marie is passionate about increasing Meningioma awareness, and working to advance the mission of the Brain Science Foundation through raising money for research and finding a cure.
Anne Marie graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the College of the Holy Cross with a degree in Psychology. She lives in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.
Michael I. Grady, M.D.
Dr. Michael I. Grady is a graduate of Boston College and the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in Pediatrics at Boston City Hospital (now Boston Medical Center). Dr. Grady is a diplomat and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. His military service as a Flight Surgeon in the United States Air Force included time in Vietnam for which he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal.
From 1968-1998, Dr. Grady was a practicing Pediatrician in Boston. Also, he was Medical Director of the Boston Public Schools from 1981-1992. During this period he was co-principal investigator of a Center for Disease Control Cooperative Agreement with the Boston Public Schools for HIV/AIDS education. Dr. Grady was honored by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1992 with its "Lay Education Medical Award". He also served as President of St. Elizabeth's Health Professionals from 1988-1998 and as President of Greater Boston Primary Care Associates from 1994-1998. Also during this time he was a member of the Board of Directors of Tufts Health Plan.
Dr. Grady served as Vice President at Children's Hospital of Boston from 1998-2005 and was President of the Pediatric Physicians Organization at Children's. At the present time he is on the Emeritus Staff at Children's Hospital of Boston and on the faculty at Harvard Medical School.
In January 2006, Dr. Grady was diagnosed with a frontal lobe meningioma and operated on at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Since that time, he has been involved with and a supporter of the Brain Science Foundation.
Liz Holzemer
Liz Holzemer is the founder of Meningioma Mommas, www.meningiomamommas.org, an online non-profit support group she created after surviving a baseball-sized meningioma brain tumor. Holzemer's dedication to raising the bar on meningioma awareness has garnered her profiles on the TODAY Show, and Discovery Health Channel, as well as in numerous print venues. She is a 2004 Woman's Day "Women Who Inspire Us" recipient.
Liz is also a freelance writer, www.lizholzemer.com and does public speaking.
She has partnered with the Brain Science Foundation as part of her lifelong commitment to raise meningioma awareness and funding for meningioma-specific research. Her first book, Curveball: When Life Throws You a Brain Tumor, was published in spring 2007, with a portion of every sale being allocated toward research.
Liz received her M.A. in journalism from the University of Colorado and B.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine. She lives in Colorado with her husband and their two miracle children.
Joseph Russell Madsen, M.D.
Dr. Joseph R. Madsen is a neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is the Director of the Neurosurgical Clinic at Children’s and specializes in the surgical treatment of epilepsy as well as the pathophysiology and treatment of hydrocephalus. As director of the Neurodynamics Laboratory at the two hospitals, he brings a bioengineering and mathematical approach to the study of the basic science of these entities, as well as innovative devices to advance their treatment.
He has been awarded six U.S. patents, and has been featured in “Best Doctors,” “Top Surgeons,” and “Top Doctors” for multiple years. He has published groundbreaking studies on the functioning of the human brain in Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the Journal of Neuroscience, and Cerebral Cortex. Current research projects include new methods to diagnose and treat impending shunt malfunction, development of a novel neurosurgical robot, more efficient diagnosis of skull anomalies in infants, and prenatal diagnosis and management of neurosurgical problems.
Dr. Madsen graduated with honors from the Harvard-MIT program in Health Science and Technology in 1981, and trained in neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he first met Dr. Peter Black when Dr. Black was a resident. He has been a part of the clinical neurosurgical staff at the Brigham and Children’s hospitals since 1989. He currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
Daniel Ponton
Daniel Ponton is the CEO/Proprietor of Classic Cuisine, Inc. and Rhino Real Estate L.L. C. Rhino re-habilitates and then portfolios commercial buildings. Classic Cuisine Inc. is better known as Club Colette. A private dining club re-established in 1982 by collaboration between Mr. Ponton and Italian leather designer Dr. Aldo Gucci. Based in Palm Beach, Florida and previously also in Southampton, New York. The club caters to the powerful. They vary from many aspects of American culture such as Industry, Wall Street, Professional sports, Fashion, Theater and Television.
Mr. Ponton is currently on the Board of The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and heads their Strategic Planning Committee. He serves on the Board of The United Way of Palm Beach – Allocations Committee, and was recently awarded the Alexis DeTocqueville Society Distinguished Citizen Award. Other organizations currently or previously served include the Board of Hospice of Palm Beach County. The nations fifth largest Hospice and a not for profit entity, The Norton Museum of Art Membership Committee, The Preservation Foundation, The Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin County, Boys and Girls Club, Autism Speaks, American Cancer Society and The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation.
Mr. Ponton founded the Daniel E. Ponton Fund for the Neurosciences at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
A graduate of The George Washington University with a degree in finance, he was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
David Silbersweig, M.D.
Chairman, Institute for the Neurosciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Silbersweig is nationally recognized as a clinician researcher who is at the forefront of the rapidly advancing field of neuropsychiatry at the interface of brain and mind. He is a pioneer of neuroimaging techniques used to identify brain circuit abnormalities associated with psychiatric disorders. His work is transforming the understanding of psychiatric disorders and opening up new possibilities for medically-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the context of personalized medicine. Dr. Silbersweig has received numerous national awards and played an active role in shaping the field of neuropsychiatric biomedicine through both his publications and his work with international organizations and the National Institutes of Health.
Nancy Conn-Levin
Nancy Conn-Levin is a nationally recognized health educator specializing in brain tumor issues. She received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and her M.A. from Goddard College. Prior to her neurosurgery in 1996, Ms. Conn-Levin's work focused on stress management and health promotion for adults.
As a guest speaker at national and regional brain tumor conferences across the United States, she integrates professional expertise with her perspective as a brain tumor survivor. Ms. Conn-Levin is the author of patient education materials and resources for health-care professionals.
In 1999, she created The Meningioma List, an online support group that she facilitates for The Healing Exchange BRAIN TRUST. Since 2003, she has also been a director of the Monmouth and Ocean County Brain Tumor Support Group, Inc. in New Jersey.
Eric Galvez
Eric graduated from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. He helped to establish the first Asian-American interest fraternity in the Midwest and uncharacteristically joined a co-ed a capella group. He was very active in the Filipino American Student Association and Asian American Association. After undergrad he worked for 2 years as a Physical Therapy Aide on the rehab unit at the University of Michigan Medical Center. He returned to school in 2000 and earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Michigan - Flint in 2003. The allure of perfect weather and numerous outdoor activities in San Diego drew him to the west coast. Then in the summer of 2005, he started getting episodes of dizziness, headaches, and nausea.
Nothing could have prepared him for the news he was about to receive. Brain cancer/tumors are fairly rare in young active men. On September 10th 2005, he was told he had a huge brain tumor, a meningioma the size of a golf ball, on the tentorial membrane at the base of the brain between the brain stem and cerebellum. In the following months: He had brain surgery to have the tumor removed; radiation therapy to get rid of the remains; Speech, occupational, and physical therapy for all the physical and mental impairments he was left with after the surgery. He was receiving rehab at the hospital where he used to work. His coworkers were now treating him as a patient!
During his recovery, he has led a team that raised over $11,000 for the National Brain Tumor Foundation, wrote/published a ground breaking book about his experiences as a young brain tumor patient and healthcare professional (Reversal: When A Therapist Becomes A Patient), created a support network for young adult survivors, led the development of a website (www.masskickers.com) designed to empower cancer/brain tumor patients, organized two national book tour, and has initiated a few more projects yet to be revealed.
Martha H. Jones
Martha Jones is President and Executive Director of the Bank of America, Celebrity Series. With a career in the performing arts spanning 30 years, Ms. Jones has worked as stage director, teacher, actress/singer, playwright, and arts administrator. She was a member of the founding team of the Huntington Theatre Company, the professional theater in residence at Boston University, and has served as Director of Development for the Indiana Repertory Theatre. In addition, Ms. Jones has been deeply involved in training and mentoring programs for young performing artists in Kentucky, Florida, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
During her 18 years with the Celebrity Series, Ms. Jones has overseen the Celebrity Series' development as a separate not-for-profit organization, the establishment of its first Board of Directors, and the expansion of its arts-in-education program, which serves approximately 25,000 young people in the greater Boston area each year, and the creation of an endowment. She has also been instrumental in expanding Celebrity Series programming to include a focus in the areas of modern dance and ballet, family concerts aimed specifically at "turning on" young audiences to classical music, cabaret, world music, and classical music initiatives.
Jaime Mason
Jaime Mason has professional experience in both the nonprofit and public sectors. Building on her experience in both, Jaime works as the Development Manager for FSG Social Impact Advisors, a nonprofit consulting firm that works with foundations and corporations on issues of philanthropic strategy and evaluation. Jaime is responsible for all aspects of grant funding for the organization. Previously, Jaime was employed by the Brain Science Foundation and worked to advance the program and development goals of the organization. As a staff member of the BSF Jaime had the privilege of learning from, and working alongside a talented group of individuals who demonstrated a passion and commitment to research and awareness initiatives for meningioma and other primary brain tumors. Jaime is pleased to contribute to this important work as an advisor. Prior to joining the BSF, Jaime was employed by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation where she worked as Assistant Director of Policy and Analysis of the country’s largest transitional work program.
Jaime received her M.P.A. from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and her B.A. from Boston University.
Carolyn Q. McLaughlin
Carolyn McLaughlin is currently the Executive Director of University Advancement for Boston College. Boston College is one of the oldest Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States. U.S. News and World Report ranks Boston College 34th among national universities. As a member of the senior management team, she works closely with the Senior Vice President and Associate Vice Presidents to establish and execute strategic development and alumni relations priorities for the university. Carolyn has worked in advancement for more than 20 years holding a number of senior positions including Director of Advancement Services at Emmanuel College and Associate Director of Principal Giving at Boston College.
In addition to her professional career Carolyn has enjoyed serving in a number of volunteer roles at the Fay School, including the President of the Parents’ Association. The President is responsible for the overall management of the organization and oversight of the following committees: Fundraising, Student Services, Parent Services and Hospitality. She has also served as a member of the Parents’ Council at St. George’s School and a member of the Annual Fund Committee at the Portsmouth Abbey School.
Carolyn is a graduate of Boston College. She resides with her family in Hudson, Massachusetts.
Cynthia Rixey Scott
Cynthia Rixey Scott is a right cavernous sinus meningioma survivor, who had gamma knife radiosurgery in December of 1999. Cindi has been involved with brain tumor advocacy since her diagnosis, visiting with staff members of Colorado members of Congress on issues relevant to the brain tumor community during Brain Tumor Action Month and raising awareness within the brain tumor community of national advocacy opportunities. It was through the advocacy of the brain tumor community that Congress passed the Benign Brain Tumor Cancer Registries Amendment Act, which mandated that that all state registries collect data on benign brain tumors. She is a cofounder of the Brain Tumor Action Network and former Board member of the North American Brain Tumor Coalition.
Cindi is an active member of the online internet support groups THE Brain Trust Meningioma List and braintmr list. She is a long time member of the University of Colorado Hospital Brain Tumor Support Group. Cindi has also been an advocate with the Lance Armstrong Foundation, participating in Livestrong Day on Capitol representing Colorado and also representing LAF in the Washington DC advocacy efforts of One Voice Against Cancer. She is a patient advocate for the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, a multi-institutional international clinical cooperative group.
Cindi graduated from American University, Washington DC with a degree in political science. She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer, Marshall Islands 1969-1971. Cindi received a JD and a Masters in Law Librarianship from the University of Denver. She is a practicing attorney in the area of Social Security disability and a member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives. Cindi resides in Denver, Colorado and is the mother of two grown daughters. An avid contra dancer, she is on the Board of Colorado Friends of Traditional Music and Dance.
Charles D. Stiles
Charles D. Stiles, Ph.D., is a professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Deputy Director of the Mahoney Center for Neuro Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Stiles is well-known for his early work that established functional relationships between cancer-causing genes (oncogenes) and the animal cell growth factors. For the past 10 years, his research group has focused on brain cancers. His group is attacking this clinical problem by cloning and characterizing genes that regulate the development of the normal brain. Dr. Stiles has received various awards recognizing his scientific work, including the American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award, the American Association for Cancer Research prize for meritorious achievement by a young investigator and the Cori Award from the Roswell Park Memorial Institute.
Dr. Stiles serves as a consultant for the Dana-Farber/Novartis Program in Drug Discovery. In this advisory capacity, he contributed in substantive ways to development of Gleevec – the first “smart drug” to be registered by the FDA for treatment of human cancers Dr. Stiles is the author of more than 100 scientific articles and 28 book chapters and symposia.
Scientific Advisory Committee
Dr. Barbara Bass (see biography above)
Dr. Peter Black (see biography above)
Liliana C. Goumnerova, M.D.
Dr. Liliana C. Goumnerova is a neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston as well as a consulting neurosurgeon at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She is the Director of Clinical Pediatric Neurosurgical Oncology at Children’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. Her areas of interest and specialization are in the management of children with brain and spinal cord tumors and also in endoscopy in the management of hydrocephalus and brain tumors. She has extensive experience in both of these fields and works in collaboration with specialists in the multidisciplinary field of pediatric neurooncology.
Dr. Goumnerova has also been involved in the basic science research of brain tumors, specifically medulloblastoma and as part of that group has identified the role of a certain molecule, trk C, in outcome prediction for medulloblastoma. That work has resulted in publications in Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science and multiple other publications in neurosurgical and oncologic journals. Her current research projects include analysis of outcomes of survivors from pediatric brain tumors. She is also actively involved in quality improvement at the departmental, hospital and national levels and is actively involved at the national level in the pediatric neurosurgical societies.
Dr. Goumnerova attended medical school at the University of Toronto from where she graduated in 1980 and then finished her neurosurgical training in Canada at the University of Ottawa. She then spent a year as a Pediatric Neurosurgical Fellow at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She also spent two years as the Dana Fellow in Neuroscience at the David Mahoney Institute at the University of Pennsylvania where she worked on second messenger systems in tyrosine kinase models.
She joined the faculty at Children's Hospital in 1990 and has remained there since. She is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery [Neurosurgery] at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Allan Ropper
Dr. Allan H. Ropper is Professor of Neurology of Harvard Medical School and Executive Vice Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. He was born in 1950 in New York, New York. He received his B.A. from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College in New York in 1974. Dr. Ropper trained in internal medicine at UCSF-Moffit Hospital and in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. His work has been mainly in the field of neurological intensive care and related disorders such as Guillain-Barrè Syndrome. His present focus includes studies of gene therapy as a potential treatment for peripheral neuropathy and he is conducting an NIH sponsored study of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. He has over 150 publications and is an author of the most widely consulted textbook of neurology, Principles of Neurology, which is in its ninth edition. He is a longtime contributor to several major textbooks of medicine including “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine”. He has received numerous awards for teaching and service. Dr. Ropper is an associate editor of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Dr. Edward Smith
Dr. Edward Smith is interested in the treatment of neurosurgical disease, with a clinical focus on the pediatric population, including brain tumors, neurovascular disorders, and neuro-endoscopy, incorporating conventional, minimally invasive and translational treatment modalities. His research is primarily centered on obtaining an increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in the central nervous system.
This work has predominantly focused on a group of angiogenic molecules classified as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This research is focused on understanding basic mechanisms of disease and utilizing this information to facilitate translational research. In particular, Dr. Smith is interested in the development of tests to better screen for the presence, recurrence and progression of brain tumors and cerebrovascular disease.
Formal teaching responsibilities include instruction of the medical students and residents on the neurosurgical service, lecturing for neuroanatomy courses at Tufts University and Harvard and presenting research at regional and national meetings.
Dr. Charles Stiles (see biography above)
Supported Entities
