From The President
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The National MS Society Welcomes a New President & CEO
On October 1, the National MS Society welcomed a new President & CEO, Cyndi Zagieboylo. The Greater New England Chapter embraces Cyndi with an open heart and great expectations for continued success and growth.
Joyce Nelson, the Society’s President & CEO for the last seven years, retired at the end of fiscal year 2011. Joyce’s 28 years of service to the National MS Society were truly exemplary. Her leadership charted a bold course that produced great results, and positioned our organization well for the present and future.
Cyndi Z, as she’s known around the Society, has an impressive 25-year tenure that started here at our Chapter, when we were only Massachusetts. Her first position was Director of Support Services working directly with people with MS, and with healthcare professionals and the community. From there, she moved to Area Director in the Southeast and Northeast, working on Walk, Bike, and other major events, plus financial analysis, mission delivery, and board engagement.
As Vice President for Chapter Programs, Cyndi shifted her focus nationwide to vastly improve the Society’s program delivery structure. In this role, she ensured the Society grew to be a strong chapter-driven organization. As Chief Field Services Officer, her most current position, Cyndi was crucial in establishing the new regional structure that enables collaboration among chapters. Further, she played a key role in the Society’s 2011-2015 strategic response to MS as a member of the core strategy and implementation team.
In selecting a new leader, the National MS Society Board of Directors looked for someone who could build on the strengths and extraordinary successes we achieved together. Someone who could bring people together from across the MS movement to fuel the necessary growth and innovation needed to realize a world free of MS.
“Cyndi knows the National MS Society inside and out, and is perfectly positioned to become the National MS Society’s next CEO,” said Tom Kuhn, National Board Chair and Search Committee Member. “Her vast experience from chapter to regional to national leadership, and her strategic thinking and results-driven track record speak to her strengths as a leader.”
It’s a matter of pride for me personally to see someone from our Chapter grow to become the President & CEO of the National MS Society. Coincidentally, one of our Chapter Trustees, Eli Rubenstein, has been elected Chair of the Society’s National Board of Directors. A long-serving and insightful Chapter Trustee, Eli’s talents will add great value to the National Board. I have every confidence that together, Cyndi’s and Eli’s leadership will continue advancing the movement to create a world free of MS at an increasingly strong pace. Please join me in congratulating them both.
Arlyn White
President & CEO
The Promise of NOW: Annual Meeting of Members Conference & EXPO with Stanley F. Waterman Research Series
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Portland, ME, Marlborough, MA, Meredith, NH and Burlington, VT
From left: Jane Waterman, Elise Waterman, Lynn Stewart, Robert Shapiro, Dr. Brian Weinshenker, Dr. Peter Riskind, and Dr. Linda Buchwald
Stanley F. Waterman Research Series
More than 500 people attended the 2011 Annual Meeting of Members, which included workshops, research updates, and an exhibitors fair. The Stanley F. Waterman Research Series included a speaker in each state.
- Mayo Clinic Neurologist and Researcher Dr. Brian Weinshenker spoke in Marlborough, Massachusetts and highlighted the advances made towards diagnosing and treating a rare form of MS, known as Neuromyelitis Optica.
- John DeLuca, PhD, ABPP of New Jersey Medical School, addressed members in Portland, Maine on how cognition and fatigue are affected by MS.
- Carolina Ionete, MD, PhD, UMass Medical Center MS Clinic, was in Meredith, New Hampshire and discussed a new treatment option for secondary progressive MS.
- Angela Applebee, MD, Director of the MS Center of Northern New England, spoke in Burlington, Vermont about the clinical trial process and treatments in the pipeline.
Two New Chapter Trustees
During the Annual Meeting of Members, two new Chapter Trustees were elected to the Board: Brandon Kelly, President, R.J. Kelly Company, and Liam Kennedy, Vice President Finance, Bain Capital, Boston. Kelly has been a supporter for many years and his company was honored at the 2011 MileStones Gala. Kennedy is captain of one of the largest Bike MS teams in the chapter, Liam’s Lucky Charms, riding in the Cape Cod Getaway.
The Board elected the following slate of officers for 2012: Chairman: Robert Shapiro. First Vice Chair: Douglas Bryant. Vice Chairpersons: Woody Chittick, Mary Jalbert, Piper McNealy, and Eli Rubenstein. Clerk: Joan Kaplan. Treasurer: David Gladstone. Assistant Treasurer: Michael Mingolelli. And, Immediate Past Chair: Eli Lipcon.
Several Chapter Trustees also have significant leadership roles at the national level. Eli Rubenstein, a member of the Society’s National Board of Directors, began serving as the National Chairman. Dan Rattner also became a National Director, joining Richard Slifka and Peter Galligan on the Society’s Board. And, Woody Chittick was recently named Chairman of the Northeast Region Leadership Advisory Council, and was appointed to a seat on the National Leadership Council.
This year, three Chapter members were inducted into the Society’s Volunteer Hall of Fame: Barbara Green, captain of The Green Team of Walk MS Cohasset, Ken Jones, a Chapter Trustee and a leader in MS advocacy, and Dr. Peter Riskind of UMass Memorial Medical Center, and Chair of the Chapter’s Clinical Advisory Committee.
Fundraisers Going Beyond the Call of Duty
Elite fundraisers, who raised at least $19,000 during fiscal year 2011 ($1 for each person with MS in our Chapter) were welcomed into the Mission Possible Club during the Annual Conference. Seven people achieved that level or higher: Susan Martin, Liam Kennedy, Eli Lipcon, Ron Joseph, Sumner Weeks, Pamela Littell, and David Parker. Top fundraising teams from Walk MS, Bike MS, MS Challenge Walk, and Marathon Strides Against MS were also recognized.