Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ph.D. is President of The Rockefeller University, where he is also Carson Family Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Brain Development and Repair. Prior to joining Rockefeller, he served as Executive Vice President for Research and Chief Scientific Officer at Genentech. Originally from Trenton, Ontario, Canada, he holds degrees from McGill and Oxford Universities and a Ph.D. from University College London (UCL). A Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Tessier-Lavigne is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Medicine. He is also a member of the corporate boards of Pfizer Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Agios Pharmaceuticals and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Jennifer (J.J.) Buchanan grew up in the California Bay Area, where competitive swimming was a big part of her life. After receiving her Fine Arts degree in Art History from Arizona State University, she studied in Italy and pursued a career in global logistics specializing in the Italian trade lanes. She is passionate about travel and physical fitness, and is currently a certified fitness coach and travel concierge. In her commitment to her husband’s full recovery, J.J. is an example of grace and strength to all caregivers in the face of adversity.

Stephen Buchanan, who grew up in Valhalla, attended Archbishop Stepinac High School and College of the Holy Cross. He graduated from Holy Cross with a B.A. in Political Science and, in 2012, was elected to the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame for his achievements as a running back. After college, he was drafted by and played briefly for the Denver Broncos. He then attended Columbia University for his M.B.A., and his career on Wall Street spanned many disciplines, from research to sales. He currently resides in Stamford with his wife, J.J.

Laurane Magliari strategically led both human resources and marketing organizations at multinational companies that included JPMorgan Chase, Gartner, and A & P. After retiring in 2004, Magliari founded ethiKids, inc., a company dedicated to building character in children. Magliari holds a B.A. from Pace University and continued her education at Stanford University, Harvard University and the Center for Creative Leadership.

Harry Carson played as a linebacker for the New York Giants for his entire 13-year pro-football career. He was inducted into the National Football League’s Hall of Fame in 2006. Carson played in nine Pro Bowls, led the Giants in tackles for six seasons and was captain of the 1986 Giants who went on to win the Super Bowl in 1987. Carson is now a spokesperson on concussions in sports, an advisor to brain injury groups and an advocate for athletes and veterans who live with the aftermath of traumatic brain injuries.

Marc Tesler is a retired technology investor and venture capitalist. Over the course of his career, Tesler was able to grow two separate private equity firms from startup to more than $2 billion in assets, first at Citicorp Investment Management (later known as Chancellor Capital Management), and then at Technology Crossover Ventures, which is now a leading provider of growth capital to information technology companies. Tesler now serves as board member of Capital Access Network, the largest, non-bank alternative capital provider to small businesses in the U.S. Tesler is also currently chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Restorative Neurology Clinic at Burke, a new and innovative program offering robotic-assisted therapy to those with paralysis caused by neurological disease.

George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., is founding scientist and president Regeneron Laboratories and chief scientific officer of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He joined the company in 1989 and was the 11thmost highly cited scientist in the world in the 1990s. In 2004 Dr. Yancopoulos was elected to the National Academy of Sciences whose members serve as advisors to the nation on science, engineering and medicine. Dr. Yancopoulos is a principle inventor and developer of Regeneron’s FDA-approved drugs, which are primarily used for people who have visual and metabolic disorders, as well as cancer. Dr. Yancopoulos works with Burke Medical Research Institute to investigate new therapeutic approaches to treat macular degeneration.

David Carmel is co-founder of Carmel Asset Management, a private investment partnership in New York City. Previously, he worked on the California Stem Cell and Cure Initiative that was approved by voters for $3 billion in research funds. Subsequently, he advised Governors Spitzer and Paterson on the creation of the $600 million Empire State Stem Cell Trust which supports leading stem cell researchers in New York State. He is a founding board member of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, a former board member of the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board, and a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. In 2002, Carmel was one of 13 non-partisan White House Fellows appointed by President George W. Bush and was awarded the Secretary's Honor Award, the Treasury Department's highest honor. He has been named one of Esquire magazine's "Best and Brightest."

Ron Cohen, M.D., is the founder, president and CEO of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., a company dedicated to the development of therapies that could restore neurological function and improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and other neurological damage. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of the Biotechnology Industry Organization and chairman of its Emerging Company Section. Dr. Cohen has received numerous awards for his work including the NeuroInvestment's CEO of the Year Award, and has been inducted to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association's Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame. Last year, he was recognized by the New York Biotechnology Association as "The Cure Starts Here" Business Leader of the Year.

Lauren Manning is a 9/11 survivor who completed her rehabilitation at Burke after suffering catastrophic burns on more than 80 percent of her body during the Sept. 11 attacks. The story of her strength and battle for survival has been chronicled in the media and in her New York Times bestselling memoir, Unmeasured Strength, published in September 2011. Manning was chosen as one of Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year for 2002. She was selected as one of 15 Extraordinary Women of 2003 by Biography Magazine, and CNN named her one of the most intriguing newsmakers of the past 25 years.