Our Visionaries

CureDuchenne's board of directors is comprised of high-level executives in both business and creative fields. They contribute their wealth of experience and vision to lead the charge every day for CureDuchenne. Thanks to their tremendous experience, they are able to provide oversight and guidance to hold CureDuchenne accountable to the highest standards of best business practices and integrity. Our board of directors is committed to helping thousands of young boys affected with Duchenne through extending our research to find a cure, raising awareness of the disease, and improving patient outcomes.

Board of Directors 

JEFFREY GOFFMAN

Goffman is Chairman/CEO and Co-Founder of Integrated Oncology Network, LLC, an oncology management company and advisory firm that provides services to physician groups and hospitals and invests as a minority partner in outpatient cancer centers focused on radiation oncology.

Goffman also founded Goffman and Associated, Certified Public Accountants, New York (1988-1994); founder of U.S. Diagnostic, Inc. (1993-1997); founded OnCURE Medical Corp. Englewood, Colo., one of the largest providers of outpatient radiation oncology care in the United States (1998 until 2007); and co-founded and is an owner and member of the Board of Directors of Affiliated PET Systems, Silver Spring, Md. (current).

Goffman is an inactive Certified Public Accountant licensed in New York and Florida and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Cancer Society’s CEO’s Against Cancer, and the Orange County Regional Council.

 

JESSE DYLAN

Dylan is a prolific director at the forefront of the commercial production field. Combined with his career as a photographer, Dylan is an artist fluent in both the message and the medium. He began his career directing music videos for a diverse collection of groundbreaking artists. While working with the Black Eyed Peas, Dylan forged a bond with will.i.am, with whom he produced a song/video/speech, the Emmy Award winning “Yes We Can” song inspired by Obama’s historic run for president.

In 2007, he founded Lybba, a non-profit organization focused on the open source healthcare movement. The project combines the latest verified medical data with social networking to allow patients and healthcare professionals to make informed decisions. The goal is to create online environments and media campaigns that help people find the resources they need to care for themselves and one another.

Dylan is a fellow at Science Commons and serves on the board of Public Knowledge, a Washington, D.C. public interest group focused on citizen rights in our emerging digital culture. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and TED.

  

THOMAS LIU

Liu is a tax manager with Hall & Company in Irvine, Calif. He has over nine years of experience in public accounting primarily in the taxation area. His specialty is flow through entities such as S-Corporations, Partnerships, and LLCs, in addition to tax planning for high net worth individuals.

He has strong experience in the trust, gift and estate taxation areas. Prior to joining Hall & Company, Thomas was a tax manager for Wright, Ford & Young (formerly known as Wright Ford Young & Hall). In addition, he is fluent in both Mandarin and Hakka Chinese dialect.

His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from the University of California Los Angeles and a Masters of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University. Liu is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

 

DEBRA MILLER

Miller is co-founder and president of CureDuchenne. She and her husband started the organization in 2002 after their only son, Hawken, was diagnosed with Duchenne. Miller, a native Californian, graduated from Mariner’s High School in Huntington Beach and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of California Los Angeles.

Prior to CureDuchenne, Miller had a career in publishing with positions at IDG Communications, Cahners Publishing, Ziff-Davis Publishing, and Scholastic Publishing. She also worked in management at PC Magazine and was an independent stock trader.

Jeffrey GOFFMAN

Board Chair

  

jesse dylan

 

  

thomas liu

Treasurer

  

debra miller

Founder

PAUL MILLER

Miller was an equal force with his wife, Debra, in founding CureDuchenne in 2002 when their son, Hawken, was diagnosed with Duchenne. Originally from northern Minnesota, he was drafted by the National Hockey League’s Minnesota North Stars out of high school. He attended the University of Minnesota and after transferring schools, graduated from St. Cloud State University. After ending his pursuit of playing hockey in the NHL, he moved to Southern California and began his career in the food industry.

While working for the J.R. Simplot Company, Miller earned his Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. He continues to work in the food industry and is presently leading the consumer division at Sterling Foods, a specialty custom bakery, as the senior vice president and general manager.

 

MIKE ROSEN

Rosen is President of Investment and Activation for media agency Starcom Worldwide, overseeing over $9 Billion in advertising investments for the agency and its clients. Rosen has accrued extensive experience in media investment and activation over a 25+ year career, and has led the development of some of the most breakthrough branded entertainment projects in scripted and unscripted TV, including “Survivor”, “Glee”, “Hawaii Five-0”, “Desperate Housewives”, and “The Celebrity Apprentice”.

Before Starcom, Rosen was senior vice president/manager at GM Mediaworks where he handled all facets of the broadcast and cable network entertainment dayparts. Prior to that, he was the founder and principal of his own media buying boutique, Baker Hill Media Services. During his early career experience in the media departments of several major advertising agencies, including N.W. Ayer, Campbell-Mithun and J. Walter Thompson, he worked closely with national advertisers AT&T, U.S. Army, General Mills, Warner-Lambert and U.S. Sprint.

Rosen has been a member of the New York State Bar Association since 1991, after earning a J.D. law degree from Fordham University and a B.S. in communications from Cornell University.

 

TIM SANDEL

Sandel is senior vice president and regional manager of the Southern California Growth Technology Banking office, a part of the Technology Banking Division within Wells Fargo Commercial Banking. He oversees a team of commercial banking professionals who target pre-profit, venture-backed companies in the Technology and Life Science arenas. Based in Irvine, Calif., his geographic office covers Santa Barbara south to San Diego. Sandel began his career with Wells Fargo in 1991 and has served in various capacities. He was promoted to a regional vice president of the group in 2008.

Sandel received his B.A. degree in economics from the University of California-Irvine and his M.B.A. in finance from California State University Long Beach. Tim serves on the Advisory Board for the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center. He also is a board member for The Hewes Lacrosse Club and the Wells Fargo’s Orange County Volunteer Chapter.

 

KATHI SHARPE-ROSS

Sharpe-Ross is owner and founder of THE SHARPE ALLIANCE. She brings more than 20 years of industry experience to a well-rounded agency and diverse client base. From corporate brands to entertainment properties, Sharpe-Ross has extensive expertise building businesses and brands through corporate and entertainment marketing, sponsorship, branded entertainment, new media initiatives, strategic and tactical campaign development, event production, merchandise and licensing, retail promotion, and public relations. The client mix includes Fashion, Entertainment, Content, Brands, Sports, Music, Media & Digital, Cause Related, Film Festivals, and Grass Roots Events.

Previously, Sharpe-Ross spent a year as Sr. Vice President of Marketing, Public Relations, and Promotions for DIC Entertainment, one of the world’s leading children’s television animation companies.

Sharpe-Ross sits on the Advisory Board for This Next and Film Your Issue/What’s Your Issue.

paul miller

Founder

  

Mike Rosen

 

  

tim sandel

 

  

kathi sharpe-ross

 
 

Scientific Advisory Board 

Barry J. Byrne, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Chair of Pediatrics, Molecular Genetics & Microbiology
Director, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida School of Medicine


Kevin Campbell, Ph.D.
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Director, Senator Paul D. Wellstone MDCRC, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine


Jeffrey Chamberlain, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Chamberlain Lab, Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine.


Eric Hoffman, Ph.D.
Director, Research Center for Genetic Medicine, George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Children's National Medical Center, Washington DC

  

Edward Michael Kaye, M.D.
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
AVI Biopharma


Douglas Macdonald, Ph.D.
Director, Drug Discovery
CHDI Management, Inc.


M. Carrie Miceli, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of MIMG, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and UCLA College of Letters and Science


Kannebovina Nagaraju, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Pediatrics Research Center for Genetic Medicine
Children’s National Medical Center

  

Stanley F. Nelson, M.D.
Professor, Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA


Pier Lorenzo Puri, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Muscle Development Regeneration Program
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, CA


Thomas A. Rando, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
 

Sponsors