Owen Parker is a Managing Director at Blackstone. Owen was first introduced to the event in 2018 and has participated ever since in honor of his grandmother who passed away due to complications with MS in 2017. Owen, and his wife Shannon, are excited to be joining the benefit committee and raise money through this amazing event for such a worthy cause.

Eden is the daughter of Lois & Harold Wolland. Lois has lived with MS for 30 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. In 2007, Eden became one of the founding board members of MS Hope for a Cure, and was appointed Chair of the Board in 2015. Since then, Eden and EJ have joined forces to continue raising money to help find a cure for MS and help those living with the disease.

Eden has been instrumental as an MS Ambassador for the New York City Chapter of the National MS Society, 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 Managing Director at at RBC Wealth Management. When Eden is not recruiting team members and raising money for MS Hope, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and her family. She and Anthony live in Manhattan with their 3 children Briana, Maxwell, and Dylan.

Elissa J. Levy was diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in 2002, when she was 33.

Since her diagnosis, EJ has devoted her time and energy 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 since its inception the organization has raised over 10.7 million dollars.

EJ strongly believes that spreading awareness is as important as raising money. She has been interviewed on several news programs including a 2010 appearance on the Today Show with her doctor where she spoke about the symptom management drug Ampyra. EJ is considered a super-responder to Ampyra as it has allowed her to throw away her cane, and has not needed to use a wheelchair since she began taking the experimental form of the drug.  She is proud that she was able to testify before the FDA Advisory Panel in 2009 to help get this drug approved.

EJ works closely with the National MS Society and in 2012 was inducted into the NMSS’s Circle of Distinction. She was a member of the prestigious NOW Campaign Cabinet, which consisted of six people across the country who dedicated their time to help raise 250 million dollars for research. EJ also served on the Oversight Committee for the CGD Center for MS at Mount Sinai in New York City and was a member of the iConquerMS Research Committee.

EJ holds a BA from the University of Vermont and an MA in Education from New York University. In May 2013, EJ’s dream came true when she became a single mom to a beautiful baby girl, Matilda. EJ and Matilda moved from the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the summer of 2016 and now live in beautiful South Burlington, VT with their new puppy Misty.

Andrea Arzt, LCSW is Associate Vice President of Clinical Programs and Direct Services for the New York City-Southern New York Chapter of the National MS Society.

As a licensed clinical social worker, Andrea Arzt has worked for over 25 years with individuals with chronic illness and disabilities and their families through both her agency and private practice work.  

Her special interest has been in working with people living with neurological diseases and injuries, with a focus for the past 13 years on Multiple Sclerosis.  In her current position at the National MS Society, she works closely with Centers for Comprehensive MS Care as well other health care professionals treating people with MS, and MS researchers.  She is committed to helping connect people with MS with the best professional care available and encouraging the next generation of clinicians and researchers to join the field of MS.  Andrea also provides consultation and training on a variety of topics related to psychotherapy with individuals with chronic illness and their families.

In previous positions, Andrea was Assistant Director of the Epilepsy Institute, Coordinator of the International Center for the Disabled’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program, worked as psychotherapist at the Center for the Independence of the Disabled in NY (CIDNY), and at AHRC.  She also saw patients in her private psychotherapy practice for over 20 years.  She obtained a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work and a Certificate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy from the Brooklyn Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.

Andrea is thrilled to serve on the board of MS Hope for a Cure, as it allows her to utilize her knowledge and expertise to help this wonderful organization fund essential research for a cure to MS and enhance its critical support of area MS Care Centers.

Josh Dorf’s professional career began directly after graduating college in 1992 by moving to Europe to work for the Dutch Government's version of the EPA.

From Europe, Josh moved to Los Angeles to work for the largest gourmet food distributor, re-engineering all the technology in the business units.

By 1997, he formed his first company and ultimately moved it to San Francisco to join the new and growing Internet ecommerce space. After a variety of different roles in technology startups he left the technology space in 2002 and bought a 100+ year-old natural food brand from Unilever. Since then, his primary job has been running the Stone-Buhr Flour company. Josh is on the Board of City Winery and is involved in helping a variety of food and technology startups. Josh received his BS degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Jane 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 16, 14 and 12.

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Stephen Krieger, MD, originally joined The Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS as a fellow in multiple sclerosis after completing his Neurology residency training at Mount Sinai.

He was the recipient of a 2006 American Academy of Neurology Scholarship and received a Sylvia Lawry Fellowship in clinical research from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  He graduated summa cum laude from Columbia College, and received his MD degree from Yale University.

Since 2008, Dr. Krieger has a clinical practice at the CGDC for MS, where he received two Cullman Awards for excellence in physician-patient communication. He has participated in numerous MS clinical trials, has presented work at AAN, CMSC, ACTRIMS, and ECTRIMS, and lectures nationally about MS with an emphasis on emerging therapies and MS disease course. Dr. Krieger is on several advisory boards and steering committees in the field of Multiple Sclerosis, and is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) who awarded him an A.B. Baker teaching recognition award in 2010 and the FAAN designation in 2016.

In addition to his clinical work, he has an academic appointment as Associate Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he served as Director of the Neurology Residency Training program for ten years. Dr. Krieger proposed the Topographical Model of MS, a reconceptualization of Multiple Sclerosis clinical course that was published as the cover of the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, and was the subject of an article in Scientific American.”

Fred D. Lublin, MD 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 is an Executive Producer for ABC News' GMA3 and ABC News Live broadcasts.

Responsible for the 3rd hour of ABC's flagship morning newscast - Cat guides the news lifestyle show every day.

The show has welcomed the Governors and Mayors of every state in the union as the nation has battled this pandemic and the racial reckoning that took place over the summer of 2020 as well as an historic Presidential Election.Also responsible for helming Special Projects and Breaking news on ABC News live, ABC's 24-7 streaming network, which featured impeachment coverage, The March on Washington and the Latino Vote Special. Cat was also the Executive Producer of two primetime Specials for ABC - "America in Pain" and "Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming."

Besides working at ABC News - Cat has worked at CBS News helping them launch CBSN, WCCO in Minneapolis, WFRV in Green Bay , WITI in Milwaukee and WABC in New York City - as well as working as a Supervising Producer at "The Queen Latifah Show" produced by Sony Television.

Cat 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.

Couple of fun facts: I have covered 6 Super Bowls, 4 World Series, 5 Oscar Ceremonies, 4 inaugurations

Career Highlights: Juneteenth, Creating a documentary on Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Our coverage of the 9-11 attacks

Stacy’s father was diagnosed with primary progressive MS in the summer of 2012, and she is struck that even as his balance worsens, his optimism is unwavering.  

Her dad's positive outlook has motivated Stacy to find the best way to support the search for a cure.

Stacy feels that by joining the Board of MS Hope, she has been presented with the opportunity to do more than just wish she could help her dad. She is thrilled to dedicate her time, energy and enthusiasm to make a difference.

Stacy graduated with a BSJ from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She holds an MSc in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics. In her pre-mom life, she worked in television news and as the director of marketing for a designer shoe company.

Stacy is now a full time mom and volunteer, currently serving as President of the JCP (Jewish Community Project) Downtown.

She currently lives in Tribeca with her husband, Jonathan, their two sons, Braden and Evan, and their three dogs.

Claire S. Riley, MD is an assistant attending neurologist and assistant professor of neurology in the Neurological Institute, Columbia University, in New York, NY.

Dr. Riley earned an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and a medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, in New York.

She completed her internship in internal medicine and residency in neurology at the Columbia University Medical Center. She is board certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Riley completed a two-year clinical fellowship in multiple sclerosis at Columbia University Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care and Research Center in 2010.

Dr. Riley is an investigator in clinical trials related to multiple sclerosis. As an author or co-author, her work on multiple sclerosis has been published in Multiple Sclerosis and Merritt’s Neurology 12th edition.  Dr. Riley joined the faculty of the Department of Neurology of Yale University in New Haven, CT, in 2010, where she served as the Clinical Director of the Yale MS Center.  She returned to Columbia University as the Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care and Research Center in 2012.

Lisa C. Risi serves as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, since July 2012, following an interim CFO role at the American Lung Association.  

In her current role, she is responsible for Finance, Administration, Human Resources and Information Technology and plays an important role in Strategic and Operational planning.

Lisa served as the CFO for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society from January 2009 through March 2012.  Ms. Risi began with the MS Society in 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 also served the Society as Chief Operating Officer of the New York City chapter where she was responsible for Finance, Administration, Information Technology, and Volunteer Development from December 2005 through December 2008.

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.

David S. Schafran joined the fight against MS in 2001 after his wife Karen was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS.

Realizing he didn't have the aptitude for medical school, David turned to raising money and awareness, forming the MS Walk team “Got Wine?”, which won the award for best new team that year, marking the first and last time he ever beat EJ in anything fundraising related. David is a proud founding member of MS Hope for a Cure’s Board of Directors and is dedicated to the work the organization has accomplished. He is eager for the research we fund to put us out of business, as quickly as possible. Professionally, David is the Vice President of Partner Enablement at Pax8, helping IT Service Providers grow and build value in their companies. He and Karen live in Stamford, CT with their two cats, who are home-schooled.

Joel D. Siegel is a partner in the Morristown 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 as the interim President and CEO of Constellation Bank.

He 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 served as a Trustee and President of GlassRoots located in Newark, New Jersey. GlassRoots works with at-risk inner city youth ages 10-18 to realize their potential through the creation of glass art.

He is a resident of West Orange. He previously resided in 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.