Board of Directors
Stuart C. Apfel, M.D.
President of Parallax Clinical Research
Associate Professor of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Dr. Apfel received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and then received his MD degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He completed his residency at Albert Einstein as well and for 10 years served as a full time faculty member before moving into the pharmaceutical industry. He maintains his faculty position and continues to teach residents on a weekly basis. His research interests focused on the development of neurotrophic factors for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and disorders of the peripheral nervous system. His bench work led to the clinical development of nerve growth factor for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, and he played a major role in the ensuing clinical trials conducted by Genentech, Inc.
After spending several years as Director of CNS Drug Development at Purdue Pharma, and Director of Clinical Research and Development at DOV Pharmaceutical, Dr. Apfel founded Parallax Clinical Research, a consulting firm that works closely with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry to accelerate the development of new drugs. He is also the founder of the Bristol Haven Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides counseling and assistance to patients with serious or terminal illnesses who have run out of therapeutic options.
Maria T. Crocitto
Chief Executive Officer, Advantage Communications, LLC
Maria T. Crocitto is CEO and founder of Advantage Communications, LLC, a medical education company in New York City. Dedicated to a quest for improved medical communications and education, Ms. Crocitto has been implementing global education plans for medical societies, research centers, and the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years. Her hands-on experience ranges from clinical research to journalism to the development of strategic medical education programs. Her academic degrees include a B.S. in biology, the Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program at Columbia University, a masters of arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a Certificate in Science and Environmental Reporting from New York University. She began her career in immunoclinical research at the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopaedic Institute in New York City. As a science writer at Medical Tribune, her articles were also syndicated in Asian Medical News and in the series of Japanese hospital posters Medical Bulletins. Ms. Crocitto also worked for six years in the United States Bureau of La Repubblica, one of the largest daily newspapers in Europe. She is fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish. Prior to founding Advantage Communications, Ms. Crocitto was simultaneously Vice President at AMM-Adelphi and Executive Editor at AM Medica Communications, in New York City, where she led the editorial and creative departments in comprehensive publication planning and multimedia projects. Throughout her career, Ms. Crocitto has been committed to making a difference by improving healthcare through groundbreaking medical education, publications, and clinical research programs. Outside the office, she has devoted her time to improving quality of life in communities through projects such as overnight homeless shelters and fundraising for hospitals.
Joel Koral
Financial Representative
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
Joel Koral and his wife Marci, have been involved with fund raising for the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation since its inception in Sept 2005. Due to Joel's very close relationship with Steve and Marlene Portnoy, he shared their frustrations over the lack of
information that was available when Steve was initially diagnosed with a Desmoid tumor.
Joel graduated from Albany State University in 1979 with a BS degree in accounting ... Since 1983 he has been a Financial Representative within the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. Joel has received his Chartered Life Underwriter ( CLU) designation along with the Chartered Financial Consultant designation ( ChFC).He is a licensed Financial Representative and has passed the series 6, 7, 8 ,24 and series 63 exams. He has consistently been a sales leader within the Northwestern Mutual Financial
Network system. Joel currently has over $150 million dollars under investment management .. Joel also consults with over 200 small business owners in the New York New Jersey and Connecticut area helping them with their group benefits for their employees.
Over the past 15 years, Joel has worked with numerous non-profit organizations helping them with their fund raising and capital campaign efforts Joel has served on the board and executive board of various community and non-profit organizations.
Joel and his wife currently reside in Suffern, New York and they have 2 sons, Neal and Michael.
Bruce Larson
Managing Director, Goldman, Sachs & Co
Bruce Larson joined Goldman Sachs in 1987 following his graduation from the University of Chicago, where he received his MBA. Among other roles, Mr. Larson has been head of Asia-Pacific Mergers and Acquisitions (while stationed in Hong Kong) and spent three years providing mergers and acquisitions advisory to clients in Japan. Mr. Larson served for one year as the chief of staff to the CFO of Goldman Sachs before becoming the global head of human resources, which he did for five years (1995-2000). Following his role as head of HR, he became the Chief Operating Officer of the Communications, Media and Entertainment group within the Investment Banking division - a role he played for over two years. During his time at Goldman Sachs Mr. Larson has been a member of a number of the firm's important operating committees, including the Compensation Committee, the Retirement Committee, the Recruiting Committee, the Diversity Committee, the Wellness Advisory group and the IPO team which was involved in taking Goldman Sachs public in 1999. He was also invited by Goldman Sachs to participate in a two day executive seminar at Harvard Business School focused on developing leaders in the non-profit world.
Mr. Larson’s involvement in the non-profit world includes serving for the past seven years on the board of trustees of New York Downtown hospital in New York City. In that capacity he was an active member of the hospital's "turn-around" committee, focused on improving the financial performance of the hospital, and was a member of the Executive Committee of the hospital. Additionally Bruce oversaw the hospital's "Kress Vision Fund", an endowed fund established to provide free eye care screening and treatment in economically challenged areas of New York city. Mr. Larson has held several other leadership positions in other community and non-profit organizations, including the University of Utah College of Humanities advisory board and the University of Utah School of Business New York Advisory board, the Boy Scouts of America and the New Canaan Basketball Association.
Mr. Larson graduated with a B.A. in Finance and Japanese from the University of Utah and with his MBA from the University of Chicago. He resides in Connecticut with his wife, Gayle and their five children
Mary Love
Board of Directors
The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation
Mary Love is a two-time desmoid tumor survivor, with an initial diagnosis of an extra-abdominal desmoid in 2005 and a recurrence in 2006. With the founding of DTRF in 2005, she found her first real support of the survivorship experience and hope for a cure. To give back to DTRF, in 2010 she shared her love of circus arts by founding Cirque du Survivor, a fundraiser to bring the joy, wonder, magic and wonder to our community and benefit the work of DTRF.
After graduating with honors from Northwestern University with a BS in Education and Social Policy, Mary was an active volunteer and worked in the health care and nonprofit arenas, including professional fundraising for a breast cancer watchdog organization. She is currently tumor free and enjoying life in San Francisco where she works for The Gap headquarters and is able to continue her passion for aerial dance and building the DTRF community on the West Coast.
Marlene Portnoy
Co-founder and Executive Director,
The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation
Marlene Portnoy, co-founded The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation with Jeanne Whiting because
of the frustration she felt with the lack of information and lack of research on this rare sarcoma. Her husband, Steve, was diagnosed in August 2004
with a retroperitoneal desmoid and has since been treated
with surgery and radiation.
After graduating magna cum laude from Albany State University in 1981, Ms. Portnoy pursued a career in sales, which she started at Corning Glass Works from 1982-1985 in Chicago, Illinois. She then moved to New York and worked for Playskool Toys, a division of Hasbro Toys, first as a sales representative and then as a District Sales Manager for the Middle Atlantic territory from 1986-1993. She then took time out to raise her two young children and became active in community service which has included activities such as running various social action programs, participating in the local soup kitchen, and working on golf outings and walkathons for local community interests. Currently Ms. Portnoy is employed by Innisbrook Wraps, a fundraising company. She resides in Suffern, New York with her husband, Steve, and two daughters Brittany and Danielle.
Sera F. Snyder
Back on My Feet
Sera F. Snyder was diagnosed with a desmoid tumor in her abdominal wall in November 2008. Experiencing the frustration, first hand, of the lack of information available on desmoids, as well as the lingering fear of reoccurrence, Sera turned to DTRF to help her through her journey. After surgery and a clear MRI, 6 months post diagnosis, Sera set off to run a half-marathon to raise money for DTRF and has not looked back since.
After graduating magna cum laude from West Chester University in West Chester, PA with a degree in Business Management, Sera worked for Lincoln Financial in a variety of sales and analytic roles from 2004 - 2010 in the Philadelphia area. Following her desmoid diagnoses Sera chose to re-evaluate her career and follow a new passion in her life outside of finance, her passion for running, and turned it into a career. She currently works for Back on My Feet. Launched in July 2007, Back on My Feet is a non-profit organization, based in Philadelphia that promotes the self-sufficiency of the homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.
Sera resides in Philadelphia, PA.
Gerald E. Starr
Founder and Advisor, Lexar LLC
Gerald E. Starr is Founder and Advisor of Lexar
LLC, a privately funded company which was
founded in 2003 by a group of financial industry, telecommunications professionals focused on developing the first true alternative to traditional “hard-wired” voice private lines used by financial traders. Lexar utilizes the Internet and Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP) technology to provide Virtual Private Lines anywhere in the world, thus expanding the reach of their customers in the global financial and emerging markets.
Mr. Starr, who has over 25 years experience in the global telecom and financial service markets, is responsible for Lexar’s overall mission and global business strategy. Prior to founding Lexar, he served as President and CEO of IPC Information Systems from 1998 to 2000. During his tenure as CEO, Mr. Starr successfully leveraged IPC’s product and service strengths in North America, to grow the firm into the current worldwide leader of trading floor systems and service. Prior to his role as CEO, Mr. Starr was responsible for IPC’s engineering, operations and manufacturing departments.
In 1987, Mr. Starr founded Bridge Electronics which successfully grew into the leading provider of digital open line speaker systems for the foreign exchange markets in U.S., UK and Asia. Desiring a stronger product offering for the global Forex markets, IPC Information Systems purchased Bridge Electronics in April of 1995.
In 1980, Mr. Starr founded Turret Equipment Corporation (TEC) which became a major provider of trading floor systems. The popularity of TECs products and successful global market penetration attracted Tie Communications to acquire the company in 1984. Mr. Starr continued his executive responsibilities with Tie Communications until 1987.
Mr. Starr currently resides in Suffern, New York with his wife and 3 children.
Jeanne Whiting
President and Co-founder, CEO
The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation
In September of 2005, Jeanne Whiting co-founded the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation with Marlene Portnoy to facilitate and fund desmoid research and support patients with access to information. Through personal experience, she is keenly aware of the needs of the desmoid community, and is motivated to accelerate the search for a cure.
Ms. Whiting spent most of her career as an attorney. After attending University of Michigan Law School and J. Reuben Clark Law School, she received a Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, in 1980. She clerked for the Michigan Court of Appeals in Detroit, Michigan (1980-81), and in succeeding years practiced with Sidley & Austin in Cairo, Egypt (advising companies who were establishing operations in Egypt, 1981-82); with Sidley & Austin in Washington, D.C. (litigation practice, 1983); with Shearman & Sterling in New York, New York (real estate practice, 1983-1986); with Stern, Dubrow & Marcus, Maplewood, NJ (general practice,1986-1989); and as a sole practitioner (1989-1994).
Since her retirement from the practice of law in 1994, Ms. Whiting has been involved in various nonprofit and community organizations as she has raised her family. She was Northeast Director for Choice Humanitarian, 1997-1998, which organizes humanitarian expeditions taking professionals and lay people into Asia, Africa, and Latin America. She served as Executive Director of FamilyCares (in 2000), an online resource whose mission is to promote the development of compassion and the spirit of charity in children through hands-on family projects that help others in need in the local and global communities. After Ms. Whiting’s year with FamilyCares, the organization, along with its sister organization Kids Care Clubs, were taken over by the Points of Light Foundation where they continue to be an integral part of their national outreach.
Ms. Whiting resides in New Canaan, Connecticut with her husband Steve. They are the parents of four sons and a daughter.
