Key Points
- A family health condition led the Boehlys to learn of the Foundation and the promise of focused ultrasound.
- They decided to get involved to help make focused ultrasound available to countless patients.
Katie Garrett Boehly graduated from The College of William & Mary with a BA in History in 1995. She came to the College as a fourth-generation student with significant family ties to the School. After graduating, she joined Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) as an associate covering the greater Richmond area, where she was a nationwide top sales associate. After several years at ADP, she moved to New York City to lead the Court Express sales team nationwide and married Todd Boehly in September 1998. In 2001, she transitioned to become a full-time mother. The couple have three sons. Katie is active with The Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance, Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT, and has served on the board of FACES (Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures) since 2017.
Todd L. Boehly is the Co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Eldridge Industries, and Chairman of Eldridge.
Eldridge Industries employs more than 5,000 people and has made investments in over 100 operating businesses, including Security Benefit, of which Mr. Boehly is Chairman, A24, Fulwell Entertainment, and Penske Media, which includes The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Vibe, Music Business Worldwide, dick clark productions, Life is Beautiful, and the investment in South by Southwest.
Mr. Boehly is Chairman and owner of Chelsea Football Club and an owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Sparks, and the Trent Rockets.
He is on the boards of the Los Angeles Lakers, Flexjet, PayActiv, CAIS, Chelsea Football Club, Cain, and Vivid Seats. Mr. Boehly was formerly on the boards of Truebill, which was sold to Rocket Mortgage, DraftKings, and Kennedy Wilson.
Prior to founding Eldridge Industries, Mr. Boehly was President of Guggenheim Partners and founded the credit business at Guggenheim.
He received his BBA from The College of William & Mary, where he later founded The Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance, and studied at the London School of Economics. Mr. Boehly supports epilepsy research, Focused Ultrasound Foundation, Prostate Cancer Foundation, Brunswick School, The College of William & Mary, and The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream.
How did you first hear about the Foundation?
The journey began with our eldest son, Nick. Nick has epilepsy, and a few years ago we started studying surgeries. When we were exploring options for him, Mike Milken told us we should connect with Neal Kassell given his background, experience, and perspective. Neal was a great sounding board as we developed our plan to address Nick’s epilepsy.
As a result of our discussion with Neal, we learned about the incredible work the Focused Ultrasound Foundation is undertaking. Meeting Neal started what ultimately became the collaboration of Nick’s brain surgery, our interest in learning about and understanding the brain, and getting involved with the Foundation.
What moved you to get involved?
After meeting Neal, we learned that Howard and Fredricka Stevenson, who we’ve known for many years, were involved with the Foundation as well. We spent some time getting to know other donors, including Jane Batten, who is an absolute force and has been involved with the Foundation since inception. The work the Batten family, the Stevenson family, and all the other donors have done for the Foundation inspired our family to become more engaged.
What excites you most about the Foundation?
When speaking with Howard, he commented that instead of non-targeted chemotherapy, focused ultrasound has found a way to target unhealthy tissue in a really productive way. That idea got us pretty excited because the technology has the ability to treat people noninvasively.
What impact do you hope to have?
Having gone through this experience with our son Nick, we understand firsthand the importance of funding and researching alternative therapies. If the Foundation can continue to make focused ultrasound more widespread and accessible, it can improve the lives of both patients and their families.