Board of Directors

The Foundation’s Board of Directors is comprised of highly successful thought leaders with extensive experience in science, biomedical research, healthcare, medical device and pharmaceutical industries, finance, education, and government and regulatory agencies. It is the enthusiasm and energy of this group that propels the Foundation forward.

Chairman

Neal F. Kassell, MD

Dr. Kassell is the founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and former Co-Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia. He has published more than 500 scientific papers and book chapters, and his research has been supported by over $30 million in NIH and industry grants and contracts. A member of numerous medical societies in the United States and abroad, he has served on many standing and ad hoc committees of the National Institutes of Health and in an editorial capacity for a variety of academic journals. In April 2016, he was named to the Blue Ribbon Panel of Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Dr. Kassell is a founder of numerous private ventures including Interax, Inc.; the Virginia Neurological Institute; Multimedia Medical Systems, Inc.; the Neuroclinical Trials Center; the NeuroVenture Fund; and MedSpecialists.net. He has served on a number of corporate and not-for-profit boards, including Eclypsis Corporation; INC Research; the Prostate Cancer Foundation; InSightec, Ltd.; the Expedition Trust Company; Tuesday Evening Concert Series and Virginia National Bank, and is currently a director of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. He is a shareholder in Insightec, Ltd., where he also served on the board until 2012. Dr. Kassell received his undergraduate and medical education at the University of Pennsylvania.

Lead Director

John Grisham

Mr. Grisham is an internationally acclaimed author of nearly fifty consecutive No. 1 bestsellers. Nine of his books have been made into successful motion pictures. Mr. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. Prior to his career as a writer, he practiced law for nearly 10 years, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. He served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1984 until 1990. Mr. Grisham serves on the Board of Directors for the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. He was closely involved with establishing the “Rebuild the Coast” Fund for Gulf Coast relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Grisham received his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University and his JD from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Board of Directors

Scott Beardsley, PhD

Dr. Beardsley is Dean of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. During his tenure, the School has reached new heights in diversity, student and faculty excellence, rankings and fundraising, and he has been reappointed to another term as dean through 2025. Dr. Beardsley is also the Charles C. Abbott Professor of Business Administration and teaches graduate courses in strategy, leadership, global business, and general management. Prior to Darden, Dr. Beardsley was most recently Global Leader of Learning and Leadership Development at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm that serves 70 percent of the Fortune 1000 companies. As a senior partner at McKinsey, he was based in Brussels, Belgium, and held multiple leadership roles over his 26-year career including as an elected member of McKinsey’s global board of directors and leader of McKinsey’s strategy practice. He served clients in more than 40 countries.

Dr. Beardsley grew up in New England and Alaska and completed his undergraduate education in Electrical Engineering at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. He then attended MIT Sloan School of Management where he received his MS in Management and earned his doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania. He is bilingual and a citizen of the USA and France.

William A. Hawkins, III

Mr. Hawkins is retired Chairman and CEO of Medtronic and currently a corporate director serving on several public, private, and nonprofit boards, including, Biogen, Cirtec,BioVentus,Mimedx,Virtue Labs,Babies and Immucor . He is currently Chairman of the Board of the Duke University Health System and on th Executive Committee of the Duke Board of Trustees. Hawkins is the co-founder of the Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC), and past-president of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AMIBE). He was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering  in 2017 and is an AIMBE Fellow. Hawkins received his bachelor’s degree in electrical and biomedical engineering from Duke University, where he also conducted medical research in pathology. He also earned an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Daniel P. Jordan, PhD

Dr. Jordan is a founding partner of Bryan and Jordan Consulting, LLC and President Emeritus of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which owns and operates Monticello. He is a former scholar in residence at the University of Virginia and a former professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2009, Dr. Jordan was the James Marston Fitch Resident for Historic Preservation at the American Academy in Rome. Dr. Jordan has published three books and more than 70 articles, essays, and reviews. He is a member of the governing board of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, a former Vice Chairman of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a former Chairman of The National Park Service Advisory Board and has served on planning groups for Independence Hall, the White House, and the United States Capitol. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi and his PhD from the University of Virginia, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Freda Lewis-Hall, MD, DFAPA, MFPM

Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall is a pioneer in medicine, having spent more than 40 years on the frontlines of healthcare as a clinician, researcher, and leader in the biopharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Most recently, at Pfizer, Inc, she served more than ten years on the executive leadership team as executive vice president, chief medical officer, and later chief patient officer. Her tenure at Pfizer was devoted to ensuring the safe, effective, and appropriate use of medicines and vaccines produced by the pharmaceutical giant, from the first clinical trial to its last use. Prior to joining Pfizer, Dr. Lewis-Hall held senior leadership roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pharmacia Corporation, and Eli Lilly and Company. She has also held positions in the National Institute of Mental Health and the Department of Psychiatry at her alma mater Howard University College of Medicine and recently completed a decade of service on the inaugural Board of Governors for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Dr. Lewis-Hall serves on the Boards of the Foundation of the National Institutes of Health, The Milken Institute’s FasterCures Center, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, and the Dalio Center for Health Justice at NewYork-Presbyterian. She also serves on the corporate boards of Milliken and Company, a global diversified industrial manufacturer; 1Life Healthcare, Inc., a health services company; Exact Sciences, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company; and SpringWorks Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company. She is a member of the Board of Fellows of The Harvard Medical School, and the Board of Advisors of the Dell Medical School.

Syaru Shirley Lin, PhD

Professor Syaru Shirley Lin is Research Professor at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia and a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Program of Brookings Institution. Prof. Lin is an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and chairs the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation. Prof. Lin’s present board service includes TE Connectivity, Goldman Sachs Asia Bank and Langham Hospitality Investments. Prof. Lin retired as a partner at Goldman Sachs, where she spearheaded the firm’s investments in many technology start-ups and was a founding board member of Alibaba Group and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation. Prior to her work in private equity and venture capital, she specialized in the privatization of state-owned enterprises in mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Prof. Lin graduated cum laude from Harvard College and earned her masters and PhD from the department of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.

Mike Lincoln

Mr. Lincoln is Vice Chairman of the international law firm Cooley LLP and the former head of the business department at the firm. His practice focuses on emerging growth companies and venture capital. In his current role, Mr. Lincoln helps to oversee the firm’s strategic direction. In 1999, Mr. Lincoln co-founded Cooley’s first East Coast office, and today the firm boasts 17 offices across the US, Asia, and Europe. Mr. Lincoln is also an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, teaching a course on emerging growth companies and venture capital. He serves or has served on numerous boards including Mindshare, the Shenandoah National Park Foundation, the Federal City Council, the Medical Care for Children Partnership Foundation, the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association, and the University of Virginia School of Law Alumni Council. Mr. Lincoln attended Southeast Missouri State University, where he studied Business Administration, and earned his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Michael Milken, MBA

Mr. Milken is Chairman of the Milken Institute and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation. Widely recognized for his half-century of leadership in medical research and public health—Fortune magazine called him “The Man Who Changed Medicine”—he is currently focused on global efforts to speed solutions for the Covid-19 crisis.

Beginning in 1969, Mr. Milken financed thousands of companies that collectively created millions of jobs. His philanthropy began in the early 1970s and initially focused in such areas as childhood neurological disorders, breast cancer, melanoma and a range of public health programs. When the coronavirus pandemic swept the world in 2020, Mr. Milken redirected the efforts of his medical foundations, the Milken Institute’s 10 centers and the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University to address the crisis. This includes connecting industry, public health schools and government agencies to expedite treatments and address shortages; providing policy recommendations; and disseminating accurate information.

Mr. Milken graduated from Berkeley with highest honors and earned his MBA at the Wharton School, where he was a Joseph Wharton Fellow. He and his wife, Lori, who are members of the Giving Pledge, have been married since 1968. They have three children and 10 grandchildren.

Frederic H. Moll, MD

Dr. Moll is a pre-eminent leader in the development and commercialization of innovative medical devices. His start-up ventures have included Intuitive Surgical, Inc., manufacturer of the highly successful da Vinci Surgical System, Restoration Robotics, Inc., dedicated to transforming the field of robotic hair restoration and Hansen Medical. He also started Origin Medsystems, Inc., a laparoscopic instruments and devices company, and Endotherapeutics Corporation, manufacturer of the safety trocar, which Dr. Moll invented while training as a surgeon. In 2011, he founded Auris Health, Inc., a medical robotics company, and sold it to Johnson & Johnson in 2019. He is currently serving as the Chief Development Officer of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies.

Dr. Moll received his MD from the University of Washington and trained in surgery at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California at Berkeley and a master’s degree in management from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. He is a distinguished and prolific medical device entrepreneur and a surgical robotics visionary.

Charles W. “Wick” Moorman, IV

The entire career of Mr. Charles W. “Wick” Moorman, IV, has been in the railway industry, first at the Southern Railway Company, and later at Norfolk Southern, where he rose through the ranks from various vice president positions to ultimately become chairman and CEO. After a brief retirement from Norfolk Southern, he accepted the post of interim CEO at Amtrak with the goal of leading the organization through a transition, focusing on improving operations, streamlining the organizational structure, and leading the search for his successor as CEO. In December 2017, Mr. Moorman officially stepped down from his leadership position at Amtrak, moving into the role of senior advisor. He serves on the Board of Directors of Chevron Corporation, Duke Energy Corporation, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Oracle Corporation, and The Nature Conservancy of Virginia. Mr. Moorman is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Smithsonian National Board. He earned his undergraduate degree in engineering from Georgia Tech and received an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Stephen H. Rusckowski

Mr. Rusckowski is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Quest Diagnostics. Since joining Quest Diagnostics as President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2012, Mr. Rusckowski has focused on transforming the company, based on its compelling vision of “Empowering better health with diagnostic insights.” Under his leadership, the company has refocused on its core diagnostic information services business, sold non-core assets, delivered disciplined deployment, including share repurchases and acquisitions, and simplified its organization structure to better serve customers by removing complexity, speeding decision making and empowering employees. He was elected Chairman of the Board in December 2016.

Prior to joining Quest Diagnostics, Mr. Rusckowski was CEO of Philips Healthcare, which became the largest unit of Royal Philips Electronics under his leadership. He joined Philips in 2001 when it acquired the Healthcare Solutions Group he was leading at Hewlett-Packard/Agilent Technologies. Mr. Rusckowski is a member of the Board of Directors of Project Hope, a global health education and humanitarian assistance organization. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the American Clinical Laboratory Association, and served as its Chairman from 2014-2017.

Mr. Rusckowski earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science degree in Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.

Thomas O. Ryder

Mr. Ryder is the former Chairman and CEO of the Reader’s Digest Association and President of American Express’s Travel Related Services International, Merchant Services Worldwide, and American Express Publishing Worldwide divisions. He has experience in the publishing industry, having worked at Time Inc., CBS, and Education Today Company, Inc. where he was co-founder and CEO. Mr. Ryder has also served on numerous boards, including at Amazon for 20 years, during which time he was audit committee chairman and the first lead independent director. Other previous board appointments have included Starwood Hotels, RPX Corporation, Startek Corp, American Express International Bank, and Virgin Mobile – where he was Chairman. He is also a prolific writer on the subjects of food and wine.

Gary Shapiro

Mr. Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), North America’s largest technology trade association. CTA owns and produces CES® – the most influential technology event in the world. He is a vocal advocate for innovation and technology in Washington, DC, having testified before Congress dozens of times. Mr. Shapiro has been named a top lobbyist by The Hill, one of the 100 most influential people in Washington by Washington Life magazine, and a Tech Titan by Washingtonian magazine. He is a New York Times bestselling author whose books focus on innovation and technology. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a double major in economics and psychology from Binghamton University.

The Foundation would also like to recognize the following deceased members of its Board:
David Heller
Charles Steger, PhD 

For more information, see our Board of Directors Governance Details and review our CEO Compensation Determination policy.