Council
The Foundation’s Council is a group of passionate, enthusiastic advocates who connect us to the greater community, share our story, and promote our mission.
These goodwill ambassadors work closely with the Foundation’s Chairman, Board of Directors and team to provide counsel and advice and assist with raising funds and awareness.
Co-Chairs
John B. Adams, Jr.
Jay Adams is President and CEO of Bowman Companies in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Virginia FREE. He earned his undergraduate degree from Virginia Military Institute in 1966, and his JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1969. He is the former Director on the Board of Universal Corporation in Richmond and is Vice-Chairman of Virginia National Bank. He is a former Director and Chairman of the Board of Virginia Power and a former Director of Dominion Resources and of the National Association of Manufacturers. Mr. Adams is involved in many charitable and civic organizations, including his current service as Chairman of the Outstanding Virginian Committee, Chairman Emeritus of The National Theatre Corporation, past Chairman of The George C. Marshall Foundation, and past Chairman of the Virginia State Fair. He serves as a Trustee Emeritus of the Museum of the American Revolution and is an Emeritus Trustee of the Virginia Commonwealth University Foundation and the University of Mary Washington Foundation. He is a member of the Board of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, a past Trustee of the Virginia Historical Society, and a former Trustee of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation. He is an Honorary Trustee of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges and a former Trustee of Woodlawn and of Oatlands, both National Historic Trust Sites.
Jane Metcalfe
Jane Metcalfe is an entrepreneur, editor, and advisor. She currently serves as the chair of the Human Immunome Project, a global nonprofit whose mission is to build quantitative and predictive models of the human immune system based on data collected from people on 6 continents, from 5 different socio-economic backgrounds, across all stages of life.
She is also the founder and CEO of proto.life, a media and events company tracking the radical changes taking place in humans as we harness advanced biological and digital tools to engineer our own biology. She is the co-editor of the book, NEO.LIFE: 25 Visions for the Future of Our Species, featuring scientists, investors, artists, and science fiction writers on the topic of the “neobiological revolution,” a phrase she coined to describe the extraordinary discoveries and inventions that are transforming our bodies, our minds, and our food systems.
Prior to proto.life, Ms. Metcalfe was the cofounder and former president of WIRED, whose businesses then included the magazine (US, UK, and Japanese editions), a suite of internet sites (including HotBot and WebMonkey), books, and TV. She was also president of TCHO Chocolate, a premium American chocolate brand whose TCHOSource program transforms the lives of cacao farmers.
In addition to her role with the FUSF Council, Ms. Metcalfe’s past and present board seats and advisory roles include the Berggruen Institute for Transformation of the Human, The Stone Research Foundation, UC Berkeley Foundation, the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, One Economy, Expressions Center for New Media, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Council Members
Carol Atkinson
Ms. Carol Atkinson is a resident of New York City and Vero Beach, Florida. She is a philanthropist and volunteer with a long history of supporting education, healthcare, mental health, conservation, and vibrant communities. Today, she serves on the board of The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, a global non-profit committed to alleviating the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research. Having previously been a member of the Massachusetts General Hospital Council, Ms. Atkinson now serves on McLean Hospital’s National Council (focusing on mental illness). She earlier served on the board of City Harvest for 20 years. An alumna of Ohio University and New York School of Design, Ms. Atkinson founded an interior design business and lived in Japan for eight years. She has two children and three grandchildren.
Jane P. Batten
Mrs. Jane Batten is a civic leader and community volunteer residing in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She has served on numerous philanthropic boards and is currently on the board of E-3 Elevate Early Education, a statewide initiative to promote early childhood development; past Vice-Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; past board member of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation; past Chair and trustee of Virginia Wesleyan College; past trustee of the George Washington Foundation; and emeritus trustee of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. She was a founding partner of The First Tee South Hampton Roads. Mrs. Batten and her late husband, Frank Batten, Sr., have a long history of support for educational institutions, including the University of Virginia where they established the Batten Institute at the Darden School of Business and the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Mrs. Batten attended Hollins University. She has three children and six grandchildren.
Ellen H. Block
Ellen Block is a registered occupational therapist, business owner, and an active philanthropist with a passion for addressing critical issues that affect children and families nationally and globally. She currently serves as a Trustee of the University of Chicago Medical Center; a founding Board member of the Center for Applied Technologies for School Security; Immediate past Chair of the Board of Advisors at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy; member of the Executive Committee of the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYULMC; and a founding member of the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute at Brown University. She is also a member of the Board of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, the Board of the American Friends of the Israel Museum, and a member of the global philanthropic leadership organization, Women Moving Millions. Additional leadership posts past and present include: Chairman of the Hasbro Children’s Foundation; Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the September 11th Children’s Fund; Chair of the International Development Program Committee for Disaster Relief of the JDC; and Vice Chair of Meyers Brookdale Institute. She is a graduate of Tufts University and the recipient of the Children’s Aid Society Charles Loring Brace Award; the National Hannah Solomon Award; the TAGIE Humanitarian Award; and the Dean’s Medal, Tufts University, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Amanda Brown
Amanda Brown was a Vice President in Corporate Finance at Lehman Brothers, where she worked for six years. After investment banking, she did interior design work in New York before moving to Charlottesville, Virginia. She has served on numerous non-profit boards, including the Brearley School, St. Anne’s-Belfield School, Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge, CASA, and the Music Resource Center. Mrs. Brown received her undergraduate degree from Trinity College and her MBA from Columbia University.
Jessica Che-yi Chao
Jessica Che-yi Chao was born and raised in Taipei. She received her Bachelor’s degree from National Taiwan University and her M.B.A from Columbia University. Jessica has worked in different capacities in the financial industry for 15 years, across banking, equity research and strategic investment. Most recently she was an Executive Director of Firmwide Strategy at Goldman Sachs (Asia) based in Hong Kong. She now resides in Taipei.
Garry Choy, MD, MBA
Dr. Garry Choy is Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Clinical Systems in the Office of Medical Affairs at UnitedHealth Group, a multinational managed healthcare and insurance company based in Minnesota. In this role, he focuses on advancing the application of clinically focused technology for the enterprise. Dr. Choy has led innovations in clinical quality improvement and decision support, provider data management, credentialing, population health, analytics, and machine learning at organizations including Massachusetts General Hospital and CredSimple/Andros. He previously served as faculty at Harvard Medical School and completed his clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Choy received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University, MS in Operations Research and Economic-Engineering Systems from Stanford University, and MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
Senator Thomas A. Daschle
Senator Daschle is the Founder and CEO of The Daschle Group, a Public Policy Advisory of Baker Donelson. The Daschle Group is a full-service strategic advisory firm that advises clients on a broad array of economic, policy and political issues. Senator Daschle has participated in the development and debate of almost every major public policy issue of the last three decades. In 1978, he was elected to the US House of Representatives, where he served for eight years. In 1986, he was elected to the US Senate and was chosen as Senate Democratic Leader in 1994. Senator Daschle is Chair of the board of directors at the Center for American Progress, the National Democratic Institute, and the National Institute for Civil Discourse. He serves on the boards of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute and the LBJ Foundation and is a member of the Health Policy and Management Executive Council at the Harvard School of Public Health, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, and the Council of Foreign Relations. After graduating from South Dakota State University in 1969, he served as an intelligence officer in the US Air Force Strategic Command for three years.
Marguerite Davis
Marguerite Davis is owner of Davis, Uniquely Beautiful Jewelry, a fine jewelry boutique in Richmond, Virginia. She has served on the Foundation Board for the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering, the Board of the Virginia Engineering Foundation at The University of Virginia and the Board of Trustees for Hampden Sydney College. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Gemological Institute of America.
Norwood H. Davis, Jr.
Norwood Davis is Managing Director of CMD Management, LLC. He is the former Chairman and CEO of Trigon Healthcare and a former director of a number of other public and privately held companies. Mr. Davis has held leadership positions with numerous nonprofit boards, including Hampden-Sydney College, the Commonwealth Foundation for Cancer Research, the Miller Center of Public Affairs, the Metropolitan Richmond Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Richmond Business Hall of Fame. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Virginia School of Law, and the Executive Program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel is a musician who founded the band Genesis with a group of friends from school. Since leaving the band in 1975, he has pursued a solo career releasing many albums and film scores, his latest being ‘i/o’ released in 2023. In 1980, he founded WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance), which has presented more than 200 festivals in over 30 countries. In 1992, Peter founded Witness.org, pioneering the use of cameras and technology in human rights work. He also founded theElders.org with Nelson Mandela and Richard Branson in 2001 to bring together a respected group of world leaders whose influence stems not from political, economic, or military power, but from experience, integrity, and wisdom. He also co-founded the Interspecies Internet, a global thinktank to develop communication with non-human intelligence, alongside Dr. Vint Cerf, Dr. Diana Reiss, and Dr. Neil Gershenfeld. Peter’s other work interests have been in innovative technology, especially in digital media, audio, music, visual language, and more recently, healthcare.
Alicia García Herrero, PhD
Alicia García Herrero is the Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at French investment bank Natixis, based in Hong Kong and is an independent Board Member of AGEAS insurance group. Alicia also serves as Senior Fellow at the European think-tank BRUEGEL and as a non-resident Senior Follow at the East Asian Institute (EAI) of the National University Singapore (NUS). Alicia is also Adjunct Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Finally, Alicia is and an advisor to the Spanish government on economic affairs, a Member of the Board of the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation (CAPRI), a member of the Advisory Board of the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), an advisor to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s research arm (HKIMR) and a Member of the Council of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation (FUSF). In previous years, Alicia held the following positions: Chief Economist for Emerging Markets at Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Member of the Asian Research Program at the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), Head of the International Economy Division of the Bank of Spain, Member of the Counsel to the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, Head of Emerging Economies at the Research Department at Banco Santander, and Economist at the International Monetary Fund. As regards her academic career, Alicia has served as visiting Professor at John Hopkins University (SAIS program), China-Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and Carlos III University. Alicia holds a PhD in Economics from George Washington University and has published extensively in refereed journals and books (see her publications in ResearchGate, Google Scholar, SSRN or REPEC). Alicia is very active in international media (such as BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC and CNN) as well as social media (LinkedIn and Twitter). As a recognition of her thought leadership, Alicia was included in the TOP Voices in Economy and Finance by LinkedIn in 2017 and #6 Top Social Media leader by Refinitiv in 2020.
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is one of a very elite group of artists who have won the Grammy, the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, the Emmy, and a Tony. She is also a prolific producer, entrepreneur, and is well-known around the world for her many humanitarian endeavors.
David R. Goode
David R. Goode retired from Norfolk Southern after 13 years as Chairman and CEO. In addition to the railroad, he served as director for several companies, including Caterpillar, Delta Air Lines, Texas Instruments and Georgia Pacific. Mr. Goode has been an advocate for the arts and was national chair for the Business Committee for the Arts. He is an Emeritus Trustee of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and of Monticello, which owns and operates Monticello, where he was Vice Chairman for several years. Mr. Goode lives in Norfolk and Key West with his wife, Susan, who is herself well-known as an advocate for the arts and history. The Goodes have two daughters and three grandchildren. Mr. Goode received degrees from Duke University and Harvard Law School.
Molly Hardie
Molly Hardie is co-chairman of H7 Holdings, LLC, a private family investment company that takes significant positions in various asset classes. She is involved in a variety of investments, most notably Keswick Hall in Keswick, Virginia, and The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. She also oversees H7 Holdings ownership of Clover Hill, LLC, a working cattle farm in Keswick. Ms. Hardie has served on the board of several local organizations, including the Virginia Discovery Museum, The University of Virginia (UVA) Health Foundation, and the Peabody School. She currently serves on the board of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and is a member of the Albemarle Garden Club. She is an alumna of Dartmouth College and the UVA Medical School.
Diane Heller
Diane Heller lives in Chicago, where she is involved in the beautification efforts of the City as well as many foundations including Yale Cancer Center, under the direction of Dr. Roy Herbst, and the Global Health Initiative Fund of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Mrs. Heller and her late husband David, who died in 2012, generously supported the building of the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Diane and David B. Heller Charitable Foundation is a major supporter and early co-sponsor of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. Mrs. Heller attended the Art Institute of Chicago, majoring in art history.
Robert J. Hugin
Bob Hugin is a leading biopharmaceutical executive and the former Chairman and CEO of Celgene Corporation. He is currently a Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and Chair of The Darden School Foundation at the University of Virginia, and a Charter Trustee of Princeton University. Bob also serves as a Director of Chubb Ltd., and Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd., and on the Boards of the nonprofit Garden State Initiative and Family Promise. Prior to joining Celgene, Bob was a Managing Director with J.P. Morgan & Co. Inc. The first in his family to attend college, Bob received an AB degree from Princeton University in 1976 and an MBA from the University of Virginia in 1985. He served as a Marine Corps infantry officer during the intervening period. Bob and his family reside in New Jersey.
Rowland Illing, DM, MRCS, FRCR
Dr. Rowland Illing is the Chief Medical Officer and Director of Global Healthcare and Non-Profits for Amazon Web Services (AWS). He has responsibility for healthcare and non-profit go-to-market strategy and engagement. This encompasses healthcare providers, payors and health technology companies. He is particularly focused on new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and image guided intervention.
Rowland is an Academic Interventional Radiologist, trained at University College Hospitals London, where he was Director of the Interventional Oncology Service. He undertook research into focused ultrasound ablation of solid tumours in Oxford and remains Honorary Associate Professor at University College London, in the Division of Surgery and Interventional Science. He is a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Fellow of the Royal College of Radiologists and Senior Fellow of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management in the UK. He continues to present and publish in the academic literature, is a member of the Digital Health Roster of Experts for the WHO and member of the European AI Alliance for the European Commission.
Mary Lou Jepsen, PhD
Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen is Founder and Chair of the Board of Openwater, a San Francisco-based medical laser imaging device technology company. She also serves as a Director on both the Board of Lear Corporation, a Fortune 150 automotive components supplier, and Luminar Technologies a pioneer in LiDAR and autonomous driving. As a prolific inventor and entrepreneur, Dr. Jepsen has been named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine (“Time 100”), in addition to CNN’s top 10 thinkers in science and technology. She has over 200 patents published or issued to her name. Previously, Dr. Jepsen served as the Executive Director of Engineering at Facebook, Inc. and Head of Display Technologies at Oculus, and she has also held similar roles at Google, Inc. and X (formerly Google[x]). Prior to this, Dr. Jepsen was a professor at MIT and co-founded the nonprofit organization “One Laptop per Child,” for which she served as CTO and lead architect on design, cost-down, and scale components for the $100 laptops that were successfully shipped to millions of children in the developing world. Dr. Jepsen received her PhD in Optical Physics as well as her ScB in Electrical Engineering and Studio Art from Brown University.
Dean Kamen
Dean Kamen is an inventor, entrepreneur and a tireless advocate for science and technology. He holds more than 1000 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for innovative medical devices that have expanded the frontiers of health care worldwide. In 1976, he founded his first medical device company, AutoSyringe, Inc., to manufacture and market the world’s first wearable infusion pump, which he had invented while still a college undergraduate. He later founded DEKA Research & Development Corporation to develop internally-generated inventions as well as to provide research and development for major corporate clients. Kamen led DEKA’s development of such devices as the HomeChoice™ peritoneal dialysis system, the iBOT™ mobility device, and the Segway® Human Transporter. One of Dean’s proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use, and enjoy science and technology. Founded in 1989, this year FIRST® will serve more than 2.5 million young people, ages 6 to 18, in more than 100 countries around the globe. Kamen has received many awards, including the National Medal of Technology in 2000 and the 2002 Lemelson-MIT Prize, and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005.
Mary Harrison Keevil
Mary Harrison Keevil has been involved with education and medicine organizations for many years. She has served on the boards of the University of Virginia Health Foundation, the Harrison Foundation, the Boca Grande Health Clinic, the Island School, and Episcopal High School. She resides in Manakin Sabot, Virginia, where she owns and operates Applegarth Farm, an equestrian facility. She is also involved with the Deep Run Hunt Club and owned a local retail store for 20 years.
Ann Kingston
Ann Kingston is an artist manager and head of philanthropic initiatives for Red Light Management, where she works with the company’s clients to form strategic partnerships with non-profits on local and national levels, assists bands in using their voices to effect positive change, and helps produce large-scale benefit concerts. In addition to her philanthropic role, Mrs. Kingston also manages South African folksinger, poet-activist Vusi Mahlasela, and is a part of the management team for Dave Matthews Band. A graduate of the University of Virginia, she and her husband live in Charlottesville with their two young boys.
Jonna Hiestand Mendez
Jonna Mendez is a retired CIA intelligence officer with 27 years of service. She joined the CIA’s Office of Technical Service (OTS) in early 1970, providing the agency with the technical wherewithal to facilitate its operations around the globe. A specialist in clandestine photography, her duties included training the CIA’s most highly placed foreign assets in the use of spy cameras, and processing the intelligence they gathered. Upon her retirement in 1993, she had risen to the position of Chief of Disguise and earned the CIA’s Intelligence Commendation Medal. Jonna has since continued her career as a fine art photographer, a consultant/lecturer, and an author. Today she works in her photo studio at the family gallery in Maryland. She and her late husband, Antonio J. Mendez, collaborated on the book Spy Dust about their work against the Soviets in Moscow during the Cold War. She also worked closely with her husband in the writing of ARGO. Jonna is a founding board member at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. and also served as Vice President of the La Gesse Foundation, under the auspices of the Princess Cecilia de Medici, presenting American pianists in Europe and at Carnegie Hall in partnership with Catholic University. Jonna’s most recent book, “In True Face: A Woman’s Life in the CIA, Unmasked,” was published in March 2024.
Paula F. Newcomb
Mrs. Paula Newcomb is the President of Expedition Trust Company, a South Dakota chartered private trust company with an office in Charlottesville. She was formerly the President of VNB Trust, N.A., having joined Virginia National Bank in February 2006 in anticipation of the formation of the Trust Bank. From 1993 to 2004 she served as Director of Development and Public Affairs for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the private nonprofit organization that owns and operates Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. She was Vice President for Development and University Relations at the University of Redlands from 1986 until the end of 1991. Mrs. Newcomb spent the first nine years of her development career at St. Lawrence University. Mrs. Newcomb was a founding director of Charlottesville Tomorrow, and has also served as a director and chairman of Piedmont CASA. She is currently a Big Sister volunteer. A native of Denver, Colorado, she received the AB from Franklin and Marshall College in 1977.
Kevin Passarello
Kevin Passarello is a shareholder of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Washington, DC, where he focuses on corporate finance and emerging technology companies. He leads the Firm’s university technology transfer initiatives and co-chairs its Advanced Technologies Group. Mr. Passarello also recently completed a five-year appointment as the Director of Translational Programs and Development at the Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative at the University of Virginia. After practicing law for 12 years, he went into business in 1999 and has become a serial entrepreneur. He co-founded venture-backed technology companies in the areas of enterprise software, mobile hardware, and artificial intelligence in health care. He served in various capacities in these companies, including as CEO, COO, and general counsel. Mr. Passarello also co-founded a private equity management and advisory firm. He has been an entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Commonwealth University. He also served for three years as an Innovation Fellow in Biocomplexity at Virginia Tech.
Mo KC Pritzker
Mo KC Pritzker is a serial entrepreneur and futurist with a knack for discovering emerging social movements. In 1998, she co-founded Ammo Marketing, a pioneer in influencer marketing that served a roster of Fortune 500 clients, including Levi’s, Nike, Method Home, and Pepsi UK. She is also successful in the food and dining entrepreneurial space, having launched Seed + Salt, one of the first vegan/plant-based fast casual dining concepts in the US, and Five Suns Food to introduce chocho globally. She is also co-founder of re-origin, an online neuroplasticity program and coaching community created to help people overcome chronic conditions such as depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, food/chemical sensitivities, and more. Ms. Pritzker and her companies have been featured in top media outlets, including Fortune, Elle, SF Chronicle, Well + Good, New York Magazine, Vogue, goop, Bon Appetit, The Food Network, ABC, WebMD, Healthline, and PBS Worldwide. She was named by Origin. Magazine as one of the top 100 people changing the world. She serves on the Board of Inploration.
Thomas A. Scully
Tom Scully is a General Partner with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a private equity firm in New York, which is the most active US PE investor in healthcare. Tom joined the firm in 2004. Mr. Scully was the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), from 2001 to 2004. CMS administers Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, and is the largest agency in the U.S. Government, controlling more than $1.4 trillion a year. At CMS, Mr. Scully had an instrumental role in designing and passing Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage legislation. He initiated the first public reporting and disclosure for comparative quality among hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies and dialysis centers. Before joining CMS, Tom served as President and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals from 1995 to 2001. The FAH represents 1500 privately owned hospitals. Mr. Scully was a Senior Counsel with Alston & Bird 2004 – 2017; Deputy Assistant to President George H.W. Bush, 1992-93; and an Associate Director of OMB, 1989-92. Tom worked on the Bush for President campaign in 1988; practiced law with Akin Gump from 1985-1988; Patton Boggs, LLP 1993-95 and served with US Senator Slade Gorton (WA), 1980-1985.
Charles H. Seilheimer, Jr.
Charlie Seilheimer was founder, President, and CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty Corporation, the largest marketer of luxury residential estate and farm property in the world. He is a graduate of Middlebury College and The George Washington University Law School. He and his wife, Mary Lou, are collectors of American paintings and furniture of the 18th and 19th centuries and reside at Mount Sharon Farm, outside Orange, where they have created extensive gardens, open by invitation to groups and the public. Mr. Seilheimer has served on numerous business and charitable boards reflecting a broad range of interests in the arts, banking, historic preservation, land conservation, medicine, education, history, and the sport of steeplechasing.
Mary Lou Seilheimer
Mary Lou Seilheimer lives in Orange, Virginia, at Mount Sharon Farm, where she manages her extensive gardens, which are opened on a limited basis to groups from throughout the world. Mrs. Seilheimer is the past President and remains on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Orange. She serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia. Mrs. Seilheimer has also been active with the Garden Club of Virginia, serving in a number of capacities including as Co-Chairman of a $2,000,000 campaign for the restoration and expansion of its Headquarters in Richmond; Chairman of the Finance Committee; Vice President; and Chairman of the Restoration Committee, which designates the recipients of Historic Garden Week in Virginia proceeds. For 10 years, she served as Chairman of the board of the Highland School, Warrenton, Virginia, and she served on the Board of the Jack Morton Company, now a division of the Interpublic Group of Companies. Mrs. Seilheimer is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Sweet Briar College with a degree in mathematics. She and her husband Charlie have two children and four grandchildren.
Nora Seilheimer
Nora Seilheimer is Director of Advancement at the Piedmont Environmental Council. She served as the Foundation’s Chief Advancement Officer from 2015 to 2021 and oversaw all fundraising activities for the organization, including major gifts, special events, and donor communication. She previously worked in development at the Montpelier Foundation, her alma mater St. Anne’s-Belfield School, and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Nora serves on the Board of Managers for the Foxfield Races. She is a 1999 graduate of the University of Richmond where she majored in English Literature with a minor in Art History.
Alice H. Siegel
Alice Siegel is a philanthropic and community leader living in Richmond, Virginia. She has served on numerous school and nonprofit boards, including “Access Now,” connected with the Richmond Academy of Medicine; Old St. John’s Church Restoration in King William, Virginia; and The National Council of Stratford Hall. She is the founder of The Bizarre Bazaar, which supports Richmond-area nonprofits by hosting twice-yearly retail gift shows featuring high-quality artisan products. After graduating with a BA in Biology from Hollins University, she became a research assistant first at Sloan Kettering in New York, then in pediatric immunology at the University of Virginia, and finally with the heart transplant team at The Medical College of Virginia. Alice is the widow of John Tyler Siegel, the founder of Thompson, Siegel and Walmsley LLC, an investment firm in Richmond, Virginia. She and her husband have restored several homes, farms and gardens in Virginia. Chericoke, in King William, VA has been open for Historic Garden Week in Virginia and other fundraising events. She has three children and nine grandchildren.
Lorraine Spurge
Lorraine Spurge has more than 40 years of business and financial experience and is the Senior Managing Partner of Hamilton Wealth Group, LLC (HWG), a multi-family office that invests in growth companies. In the 1980s and 1990s, she rose to be one of the most successful women on Wall Street, raising more than $200 billion as a senior member of the capital markets group for Drexel Burnham Lambert. She helped finance MCI Communications, McCaw Cellular, Newscorp, AOL/TimeWarner, Lorimar-Telepictures, Healthtrust, Charter Medical, Safeway Stores, and RJR Nabisco. Ms. Spurge has been a serial entrepreneur and CEO at International Capital Access, Knowledge Exchange, Spurge Ink!, and Maplestone Capital Advisors. She and her husband helped build the asset management business for several investment firms, including Metropolitan West Financial, Post Advisory Group, and Guggenheim Partners. She is an active motivational speaker, an author, and a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Business Journal. Ms. Spurge currently serves on the boards of EEM, Involvy, Nupulse, and Working Nation, and is a mentor for Women in America. She is an emeritus board member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation and has served on the Board of the Geffen Playhouse as well as the Board of Advisors for George Washington University.
Allan C. Stam, PhD
Allan C. Stam, PhD, is the former Dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Previously, he was Director of the International Policy Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science and Senior Research Scientist at the University of Michigan. Prior to moving to Michigan in 2007, he was the Daniel Webster Professor at Dartmouth College (2000-2007), Visiting Professor at Harvard University (2004) and Assistant Professor at Yale University (1996-2000). Before completing his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in 1988 where he earned a varsity letter in heavyweight crew, he served as a communications specialist on an ‘A’ detachment in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He served later as an armor officer in the US Army Reserves. He holds an MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the dynamics of armed conflict and political leadership. His work on war outcomes, war durations, mediation, and alliance politics appears in numerous political science journals, including the American Political Science Review, International Security, and International Organization. He has received several grants supporting his work, including five from the National Science Foundation. His books include Democracies at War (Princeton University Press, 2002) and Why Leaders Fight (Cambridge University Press, 2015). He is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and recipient of the 2004 Karl Deutsch award, given annually by the International Studies Association to the scholar under the age of 40 who has made the greatest contribution to the study of international politics.
Fredericka Stevenson
Fredi Stevenson is chair emeritus and cofounder of Summer Search Boston—an organization whose mission is to identify low-income high school youth who demonstrate resiliency in overcoming hardship and the desire to help others. She is a member of the National Summer Search Board, Smithsonian Institution National Board, NPR Foundation Board, WBUR Board of Overseers, and on the boards of The Cambridge Center for Adult Education and the Fellows of the Harvard Art Museums. She is married to Howard Stevenson. She has four daughters and three stepsons.
Howard H. Stevenson
Howard Stevenson is the Sarofim-Rock Baker Foundation Professor and Senior Associate Dean at Harvard Business School, and Director of Publishing and Chair of the board for Harvard Business Publishing Company. He has served in various leadership positions at Harvard during the last 35 years, including as the Vice Provost for Harvard University Resources and Planning. Stevenson has been involved with a number of public and privately held companies, including the Baupost Group, Inc.; Camp Dresser & McKee Inc.; Preco Corporation; and Simmons Associates. He has authored, edited or co-authored 11 books and 42 articles. He has served in leadership positions on several nonprofit boards including the Boston Ballet, Sudbury Valley Trustees, National Public Radio, Mount Auburn Hospital, and the Nature Conservancy. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard University.
Bernice Szeto
Bernice Szeto has worked in the finance industry for 20 years in various capacities across family office, private equity and investment banking. Bernice currently heads the strategic development efforts at Olympus Capital Asia, a Pan Asian private equity and private credit investment firm. She is also a consultant to a few single family offices in Asia. Her previous roles include being a Managing Director at Peace Field Ltd., where she headed Peace Field’s placement team and led deal sourcing efforts, and also as the Chief of Staff and Head of Fundraising at FountainVest, a Greater China private equity firm. Prior to that, Bernice was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs and an investment professional at Sun Hung Kai Properties family office as well at PAMA, a Pan-Asian private equity firm. Bernice graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics, and graduated with distinction from the University of Hong Kong with a master’s degree in International and Public Affairs. In her spare time, Bernice enjoys pursuing personal growth opportunities and doing life coaching and meditation. She also took a sabbatical from finance to teach at Diocesan Girls’ School in Hong Kong. Bernice currently resides in Hong Kong.
Marjorie Harrison Webb
Marjorie Harrison Webb is the president of the Harrison Foundation and has been extensively involved with the University of Virginia. She has served on the university’s Capital Campaign Executive Committee and was the co-president of the Non Alumni Parents Board and a member of the Jefferson Scholars Board of Trustees. She and her daughter Marjorie Childress are the current chairs of the capital campaign to benefit the UVA Library system with the renovation of the former Alderman Library. In Boca Grande, Florida, where she resides, Marjorie is a trustee of the Boca Grande Health Clinic and has formerly served as President of the Boca Grande Woman’s Club, trustee of the Island School Foundation, and President of the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association. Marjorie spent 31 years working for Gourmet Magazine in New York and retired as the style director. She travels extensively and has passport stamps from nearly 70 countries.
Stefan Vilsmeier
Stefan Vilsmeier is founder and CEO of Brainlab, a global medical software and hardware company dedicated to improving access to and consistency of medical treatments to improve patient outcomes. A self-taught computer programmer, Vilsmeier wrote a book on 3D Graphics at age 17, and it became a bestseller in its category. In 1989, while enrolled at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, Vilsmeier used the proceeds from the book to establish Brainlab GmbH. Today, Brainlab focuses on treatments that are more precise, less invasive, and less expensive than traditional methods. The company offers technology in the fields of radiotherapy and radiosurgery; image-guided craniomaxillofacial, ENT, orthopedic, spine, trauma, and neurosurgery; intraoperative imaging; integrated operating room solutions; and planning as well as medical image sharing and enhancement. Vilsmeier has been recognized as an entrepreneur and for his contributions to economic growth. He was selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s ‘Global Leaders for Tomorrow 2003’ and World Entrepreneur of the Year 2002 by Ernst & Young. In 2018, Vilsmeier was appointed to the advisory board for SME of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy and the German Chancellor’s Innovation Dialogue.
Andrew von Eschenbach, MD
Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach currently serves as President of Samaritan Health Initiatives, Inc., and as an Adjunct Professor at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is the former Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration and former Director of National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. He is the former President-Elect of the American Cancer Society and was a founding member of the National Dialogue on Cancer. In 2006, TIME Magazine named him one of the “100 most influential people to shape the world,” and he was selected in both 2007 and 2008 as one of the Modern Healthcare/Modern Physician’s “50 Most Powerful Physician Executives in Healthcare.” He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA and Bausch & Lomb. Dr. von Eschenbach received his undergraduate degree from St. Joseph’s University and his MD from Georgetown University.
Claude Wasserstein
Claude Wasserstein is the founder and CEO of Fine Day Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in innovative and impactful technology, specifically fintech, medtech, aerospace, cybersecurity, AI, and energy. Born in France, Ms. Wasserstein is a graduate of Sweet Briar College’s class of 1982 and attended graduate school at the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre in Paris. She began her career as a journalist for Newsweek, working out of the publication’s Paris bureau. Prior to her investment career, Ms. Wasserstein was a producer for CBS News, where she worked in the network’s Dubai, Belfast, London, and Paris bureaus. During her time at CBS News, she won an Emmy for an investigative series. Ms. Wasserstein is a trustee of the King Hussein Cancer Center Foundation and the American Hospital in Paris Foundation; a member of the Metropolitan Museum International Council and the Brookings Institution; and a life trustee at WNET Channel 13. She is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and Harvard’s Global Advisory Council and was recently awarded France’s Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. She resides in New York City.
Carolyn Yeh
Carolyn Yeh worked mainly in finance, at Permira Advisers, a global private equity firm headquartered in London, at the Global Special Situations Group at Citigroup Global Markets Asia, and in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs Asia. She was also a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. Carolyn is now the vice president of the Yale Club of Hong Kong, volunteers her time with several institutions, and serves on the board of a couple of non-profit organizations. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
The Foundation would also like to recognize the following deceased members of its Council:
Edgar M. Bronfman
Alice W. Handy
Antonio J. Mendez
Aaron Stern MD, PhD
Jane Tolleson