The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is welcoming seven new members of its National Board of Trustees to oversee the management of the organization’s policies, practices, principles, affairs, funds and property.
“We are proud and fortunate to welcome this extraordinary group of men and women to the Foundation’s leadership,” Vance Gibbs, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s National Board chair and partner at Kean Miller in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said in a press release. “By contributing their diverse experience and expertise, they will enhance our mission capabilities and help us to advance the goals laid out in our ambitious new three-year strategic plan.”
Trustees of the Foundation’s National Board are elected for three-year terms and may serve for two consecutive terms. The people serving as National Trustees through 2020 are:
- Amber Backhaus – with over 20 years’ experience as a government relations professional, Backhaus advocates for clients before the Minnesota Legislature and state agencies. She’s participated in Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Team Challenges fundraising events from 2014 to 2016.
- Noël Brown – is managing director in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Cantor Fitzgerald. There, he advises biopharmaceutical companies on equity and debt capital markets, initial public offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. He has advised on numerous transactions over the years, worth more than $15 million in total.
- Ander Crenshaw – a retired Florida congressman, Crenshaw was known in Washington, D.C., as an advocate for job creation and economic prosperity, and a sponsor of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. The act enabled pre-tax, health savings accounts for people with disabilities.
- Alessandro (Sandro) DiNello – president, chief executive officer and director of Flagstar Bank and Flagstar Bancorp, he has held a series of roles at the bank, including head of retail banking, retail banking, among others. Alessandro has played a critical role in strengthening the bank’s risk management, compliance and quality control. He is a long-time supporter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
- Alex Funderburg – managing director with Bank of America, Funderburg has business expertise in lending, leasing, and financial modeling, among other areas. For the past five years, he served as president of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Carolinas Chapter.
- Michele Kissous-Hunt – a physician assistant with more than 20 years’ experience in treating gastrointestinal disease’s patients, Kissous-Hunt is an active member of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s National Nurses and Advanced Practice Committee. She is also an expert on the panel of the Foundation’s IBD Circle with the American College of Gastroenterology.
- Joel R. Rosh, MD – the director of pediatric gastroenterology and vice chairman of clinical development and research affairs at Goryeb Children’s Hospital/Atlantic Health, Dr. Rosh has served as national chair of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Pediatric Education Committee. He has also been honored as the New Jersey Chapter’s Physician of the Year.
“Each of our new National Trustees … brings vital passion and unique skills to further strengthen the organization,” said Michael Osso, president and chief executive officer of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. “As we celebrate the Foundation’s 50th Anniversary this year, they will play a critical role leading us to better care for patients and accelerating to cures for IBD.”
The foundation is a non-profit and volunteer-driven organization, dedicated to finding the cures for Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improving the quality of life of children and adults affected by these and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).