Board of Directors
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Elissa J. Levy, Chair Eden Lopez Fred D. Lublin, M.D. Catherine McKenzie Lisa C. Risi |
Howie Rubin David S. Schafran Jane Siegel Greene Joel D. Siegel, Esq. Mark. J. Tullman, M.D |
Elissa (EJ) Levy
Elissa J. Levy (EJ) was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease of the central nervous system, when she was 33. Since her diagnosis, EJ has devoted a considerable amount of time to raising money and awareness to find a cure for the disease.
In February of 2007, she founded MS Hope for a Cure, a 501(c)3 charitable organization dedicated to raising funds that can make the biggest difference in the shortest amount of time in the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. As president of MS Hope for a Cure, EJ leads the fundraising efforts and in its first 2 years the organization raised over a million dollars and has funded critical research and programs to help all who are living with this debilitating disease.
Prior to founding MS Hope for a Cure EJ focused her efforts on rasing money for the National MS Society (NMSS). In 2002 she formed her first MS Walk team to raise money for the NYC Chapter of the NMSS. Over the next six years EJ’s Walk team raised over a half a million dollars. She was the number one individual fundraiser for the New York City MS WALK for four years and her team was the top Friends and Family team in the Country for three years. EJ also raised an additional $100,000 for local MS Centers in order for them to be able to increase their research, programs and services.
EJ strongly believes that spreading awareness is as important as raising money. She has appeared on the ABC Morning Show, the CBS Morning Show and along with her WALK co-captains was on the cover of the Spring 2004 issue of Inside MS. She was featured in the first edition of Neurology Now and in December of 2005 was featured in a New York Times article where her section was entitled "Hope". She recently completed filming an educational DVD for the National MS Society in which she interviewed scientists regarding the current research efforts in nervous system repair and protection.
EJ is an avid traveler and lover of the outdoors. She is finding new ways to enjoy these activities, in spite of the effects of MS on her physical abilities. She holds a BA from the University of Vermont and an MA in Education from New York University. She was born and raised in New Jersey and currently resides on the Upper West Side in Manhattan.
In the fall of 2004, EJ was inducted into the National MS Society's Hall of Fame. When asked to finish the sentence, “I believe...” she responded; "I believe I have MS because I was meant to make a difference by raising money to find a cure, spreading awareness of the disease and setting an example of what someone with a disability can accomplish."
Eden L. Lopez
Eden, 32, is the daughter of Lois & Harold Wolland. Lois has lived with MS for 25 years. The youngest of four, Eden has watched her mother struggle, fight and always, incredibly, pull through. Eden will not rest until a cure is found.
Eden started her Loving Lois team for the NYC MS Walk in 2001, when 15 people raised $16,000. Since that time, Loving Lois has grown to more than 100 members, has consistently ranked among the top five teams in New York City and has raised a cumulative total of more than $500,000. Eden personally raised more than $183,000 and has ranked among the top five fundraisers. For the 2005 MS Walk, Eden teamed up with Elissa Levy, captain of Team EJ, to host a charity poker tournament to benefit their teams. This "last minute" event raised more than $265,000, taking both teams above the $200,000 level. In 2006, Eden & EJ served as co-chairs of the tournament which raised over $325,000. In the fall of 2006, Eden was inducted into the National MS Society's Hall of Fame.
Eden has been instrumental as an MS Ambassador for the New York City Chapter appearing on NY1-TV, NBC-Today in New York, CBS Radio, and being featured in The Daily News. Eden has also appeared in a Society PSA for United Airlines. By sharing her story, she inspires others to play a part in the fight against MS. Eden's fundraising success and the wide scope of people she has touched is a true testament to her talent as an effective leader and genuine innovator.
Professionally, Eden is a Vice President of Wealth Management at Merrill Lynch, where she and her partners manage over $1 billion in assets. When Eden is not recruiting team members and raising money for the Loving Lois team, she and her husband, Paul, enjoy traveling and spending time with friends and family. They live in Manhattan with their 2 year old son, Maxwell.
Fred D. Lublin, M.D.
Fred D. Lublin, M.D. is the Saunders Family Professor of Neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at that institution.
Dr. Lublin received his medical degree in 1972 from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA. He completed his internship in Internal Medicine from the Bronx Municipal Hospital, Albert Einstein Medical Center, and his residency at the New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center.
As a neuroimmunologist, Dr. Lublin has a special interest in immune functions and abnormalities affecting the nervous system. He has been involved in both basic science and clinical research. He and his colleagues were among the first in the country involved with studies of Interferon beta-1b, which was approved by the Food & Drug Administration in 1993 to treat the relapsing-remitting form of Multiple Sclerosis. He is currently involved with several new clinical research protocols on promising agents for treating various aspects of MS and is the national Coordinating Investigator for a multi-center trial of combination therapy in MS. He was chairman of the National MS Society (USA) advisory committee on clinical trials of new drugs in Multiple Sclerosis and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Research Programs Advisory Committee. Dr. Lublin and his colleagues at the National MS Society (USA) have re-defined the clinical course definitions of MS using data from a survey of the international MS community. He has chaired a task force on the ethics of placebo-controlled trials in MS. Dr. Lublin was a member of the panel that has re-defined the diagnostic criteria for MS. Dr. Lublin has published numerous scientific articles and belongs to many professional societies and advisory boards. Dr. Lublin has served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health and to many pharmaceutical/biotech companies in all phases of new drug development and in preparation for presentation to the FDA and their advisory panels. He is the Principal Investigator of the NIH-sponsored multicenter Combination Therapy study in Multiple Sclerosis.
Catherine "Cat" McKenzie
For the past ten years Catherine "Cat" McKenzie has been a producer at WABC-TV, Eyewitness news. As a producer at WABC- she has been the behind the scenes manager of their annual Holiday Tree Lighting and the 5Mile Fight Against Prostate Cancer - two programs which she started and that have grown bigger and bigger each year. Her responsibilities also include producing Eyewitness News Weekend Mornings. Anchored by Michelle Charlesworth and Phil Lipof, it is the number one local weekend morning show in the market. She has a keen eye for talent...having booked the "Black Eyed Peas" and Josh Kelly BEFORE they were famous. She has a reverence for history as reflected in her booking important figures such as Essee of Essie Cosmetics to the Reverend Jessie Jackson. Her news programs are always on the pulse of what's happening in the city.
Not content with famous names, she has made a name for herself in the financial world winning an award from the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants for her series "Love, Marriage and Money" a series of interview segments that focused on helping viewers save for their future no matter what their marital status. Outside of work she has been a volunteer for many important causes; to date she has helped raise over 300-thousand dollars to help find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. She is excited about serving on the Board of MS Hope for a Cure and expanding her role in the fight against MS. A musician and theater lover, Cat also sits on the board of Gotham Stage Company, a non-profit theater company. In addition, she has volunteered her time at Jazz at Lincoln Center and St. Joseph's School in Harlem. Cat has a BA Degree from St. Olaf College in Minnesota.
Lisa C. Risi
Lisa C. Risi is the Chief Financial Officer for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and has been in this role since January 2009. Ms. Risi began with the MS Society since March 1997 as the Accounting Manager. She was promoted to Controller in September 2000 and served as Vice President of Finance from January 2003 to May 2005.
Ms. Risi's most recent role with the Society was as Chief Operating Officer of the New York City chapter where she was responsible for Finance, Administration, Information Technology, and Volunteer Development.
Prior to joining the National MS Society, Ms. Risi worked in Ernst & Young’s financial services audit group and as Audit Manager for Citibank’s Investment Banking Division. She also managed the accounting department for Hilton International’s US based real estate development subsidiary, London and Leeds.
Ms. Risi has family and friends who have been affected by MS and she has a deep commitment to finding a cure and ensuring the quality of life for all people with MS today.
Howie Rubin
After nine years of retirement, in the summer of 2008, Howard (Howie) Rubin was coaxed back to work by George Soros to run a distressed Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund for Soros Fund Management, LLC.
Howie began his career in mortgaged-backed securities at Salomon Brothers in 1982 working for legendary traders Lewis Ranieri and Michael Mortara. While there in 1984, Howie priced the first Collateralized Mortgage Obligation (CMO) with Fannie Mae. He is featured in Michael Lewis’s book, “Liar’s Poker”, in William Cohan’s book “House of Cards”, and in the Wall Street Journal article “Street’s New Stars Shine in Hazy Mortgage Bond Sky”.
In 1987, Howie joined the mortgage Department at Bear Stearns. A year later, he was promoted to Senior Managing Director and placed in charge of the CMO trading desk. Due to the complexity of restructuring cash flows, CMO’s became the most profitable area of the mortgage department. Howie’s CMO desk carried some of the largest positions on Wall Street and never experienced a negative year. For several years, the CMO desk was the largest single contributor to the overall mortgage department earnings. When he retired in 1999, he left a Mortgage Department that during his tenure became one of the most respected on Wall Street and a CMO Desk that was consistently ranked number 1.
Several of the people that worked for Howie over the years now head Mortgage and Fixed-Income Departments at UBS, Goldman Sachs, BOA/Merrill Lynch, GMAC, and RBS.
Howie received an M.B.A. in 1982 from Harvard Business School and a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from Lafayette College in 1977, where he received a 4.0 major grade point average and the Outstanding Engineering Student Award by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. When he was applying for jobs on Wall Street, however, his potential employers were far more interested in his two years counting cards in blackjack in Las Vegas, rather than in his academic credentials. Howie now divides his spare time between family, trading, tennis, Texas Hold’em Poker, and his “fast and furious” 550 hp 1968 Camaro.
David S. Schafran
David S. Schafran, President of Transformation Strategies, Inc. (www.TransStrat.com) is a consultant who works with information technology (IT) consulting and support firms to integrate or managed services within their offerings.
Schafran has developed a strong reputation in the managed services industry as a consultant and speaker through his work with a variety of MSPs and vendors, in managed services sales, marketing, operations and technology. His approach to managed services has influenced best practices in many aspects of the industry.
Prior to establishing Transformation Strategies, Mr. Schafran worked for twenty years within IT consulting and support firms as a network and systems engineer, an executive and an owner. Since 1987 he has worked with hundreds of clients, large and small, across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia, encompassing many vertical markets.
In addition to serving on the board of MS Hope for a Cure, he served on the Board of Trustees of the New York City chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Mr. Schafran has held several executive volunteer positions with its fundraising auxiliary, The Manhattan Society, including Co-Chair and Senior Co-Chair. In 2002 he formed, and continues to lead, a MS Walk team which to date has raised over $207,000.
Jane Siegel Greene
Jane Siegel Greene is an attorney and the former Executive Director of the Innocence Project, a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. She also worked as an associate at the New York office of Winston & Strawn. Jane previously served on the Board of Directors of the Innocence Project.
Jane received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
She lives in New York City with her husband Mark, and her 3 children, ages 7, 6 and 4
Joel D. Siegel, Esq.
Joel D. Siegel is a partner in the Roseland law firm of Orloff, Lowenbach, Stifelman & Siegel where his primary professional focus is the counseling of closely held businesses, multi-generational families and high net worth individuals in a manner which integrates estate planning, income tax planning and financial planning. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.
Mr. Siegel served as a Director, Chairman of the Compensation Committee and member of the Executive Committee of KCS Energy, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange company from 1988 to June 2006 and as a Director and Chairman of the Board of the Constellation Bank prior to its 1994 merger with CoreStates Financial Corporation. In 1991, Mr. Siegel served for seven months as the interim President and CEO of Constellation Bank.
Mr. Siegel is the President of the Liberty Hall Foundation and a Trustee of the Liberty Hall Museum in Union, New Jersey. Liberty Hall was built on the eve of the American Revolution and has been associated with many of the events and individuals that have shaped the history of New Jersey and our nation.
Mr. Siegel is a resident of Livingston where he served as a Member and Chairman of the Zoning Board of Adjustment. He has served as Chairman of the Lawyers Division of the United Jewish Appeal of Metrowest.
Mr. Siegel is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce of the University of Pennsylvania and a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he was an Editor of the Law Review. He received his master's degree in taxation from New York University.
Mark Tullman, M.D.
Mark J. Tullman, MD, is Assistant Professor of Neurology and Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Tullman is an expert in the diagnosis of MS and specializes in all aspects of MS patient care, including treatment with the disease-modifying drugs and symptomatic therapies.
He is the principal investigator for numerous MS clinical trials and he has published a number of MS-related articles. In addition to his membership in the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Neurology, Dr. Tullman is a member of the editorial board of Continuum, the continuing medical education publication of the American Academy of Neurology.