About Us

Ron currently resides in Manchester, VT, and serves as the Owner of RJ Consulting LLC. He has been involved in the medical industry since 1998 as owner of an imaging company which did joint ventures with academic medical institutions. From that time, Ron worked for several nationally recognized imaging and medical device companies. Prior to 1998, Ron was a practicing CPA in both New York City and New Jersey.

Prior to moving to Vermont, Ron lived in New York City for 35 years where he was very active in the philanthropic community as a board member of both The Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Bronx, NY) and the All Star Projects, Inc (New York City). In addition, he was on numerous fundraising committees for Montefiore (Bronx, NY), Lombardi Cancer Center (Washington, DC) and others.

He is a graduate of both Syracuse University (BS) and Harvard Business School (OPM Executive Management Program). Ron has had idiopathic peripheral neuropathy for many years.

Kristy Townsend holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and has been investigating the brain and nervous system in the regulation of energy balance and metabolism for the past 20 years. Townsend is now Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at The Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center. Research in the Townsend Lab for Neurobiology & Energy Balance (ktownsendlab.com) at The Ohio State University focuses on neural plasticity (or, remodeling and regeneration) and how the brain and nervous system impact appetite, metabolism, and energy expenditure (or, calorie burning). Townsend is involved in neuropathy research in three ways: 1) the laboratory investigates how nerve endings can die back into the adipose tissue (or, fat tissue) under the skin in conditions of small fiber neuropathy and how this impacts metabolic health; 2) the laboratory researches mechanisms of neuropathy and potential treatments in cases of diabetes or aging; and 3) Townsend and colleagues are working on a medical device for the functional diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy through an academic spin-out company called Neuright, Inc.

Adam is a Director on the Corporate Strategy team at Anthem, a Fortune 50 healthcare company. He previously served on the Social Innovation & Sustainable Finance team at the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), where he leveraged innovative financing models to drive investment in evidence-based interventions that address the social determinants of health.

Before joining GHHI, Adam served as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company where he advised clients in the healthcare, high tech and basic materials industries. Prior to joining McKinsey, Adam earned a JD from the University of Michigan Law School and an MBA from Oxford where he served as a portfolio manager for the business school’s venture fund.

Adam is deeply committed to improving the lives of PN patients around the world through better treatment options and greater awareness of current best practices in managing PN.

Dr. Smith is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to this role, he served as Vice Chair for Research, Chief of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine and Director of the Jack H. Petajan EMG Laboratory at the University of Utah. Smith is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Mayo Medical School. He completed his neurology residency and a neuromuscular fellowship at the University of Michigan.

Smith’s NIH funded research team focuses on peripheral neuropathy in diabetes and obesity. He has a particular interest in biomarker development and novel clinical trial design in peripheral neuropathy. He was principal investigator of the Utah Regional site in the NINDS-funded Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials (NeuroNEXT), and sits on the NeuroNEXT Executive Committee. Dr. Smith is PI of the Topiramate as a Disease Modifying Therapy for Cryptogenic Sensory Peripheral Neuropathy (TopCSPN) trial being performed by NeuroNEXT. TopCSPN is the first large scale randomized trial of a treatment to alter the natural history of CSPN, which is one of the most common neurological disorders. He is also PI of the Activity for Diabetic Neuropathy (ADAPT) Trial. Dr. Smith has led or participated in numerous clinical trials in neuromuscular disorders including the Impaired Glucose Tolerance Neuropathy Study (IGTN) and the Utah Diabetic Neuropathy Study (UDNS).

Smith also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Neurology and is Chair of the Education Committee. Smith is active in the Peripheral Nerve Society, where he is a former member of the board of directors. He currently serves as the Secretary on the American Brain Foundation Board of Directors.

Lou resides in Arlington, VA, and has practiced law his entire career with Groom Law Group, Chartered in Washington, DC. Groom is the largest employee benefit law specialty firm in the country and Lou has more than 50 years of experience with the firm, working on a wide variety of matters related to the tax aspects of employee benefits — including pension, 401k and health and life insurance plans — for Fortune 200, tax-exempt, institutional and state and local governmental clients.

Lou grew up in Northern New Jersey and graduated from New York University before attending law school. He continues to be involved with NYU – including participation on the Steering Committee to establish a NYU-DC campus in Washington DC opened in 2012. Lou graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington DC in 1974. He taught on the Adjunct Faculty there for five years in his field of practice and is an active alumnus.

In 2003, Lou was first affected with PN (of the relatively rare autoimmune variety, often referred to as “anti-MAG” or “monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance”). He was fortunate to become a patient of Dr. David Cornblath, who practiced in the neurology department at Johns Hopkins and had helped Lou manage his illness for many years. Lou provided seed funding for the Imagine study, focusing on PN patients with anti-MAG (which FPN now supports) with a goal of developing better information on effective treatment strategies.

Mr. Hirsch is the Chief Financial Officer of The Benida Group, responsible for accounting and tax functions for the real estate, investment and family office operations at The Benida Group. Previously, Mr. Hirsch held the position of Tax Manager at Miami Corporation and Deloitte & Touche LLP. Scott received his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois and holds CPA and CFP® certifications.

Van Salmans serves as a consultant to Salmans & Associates, a cheese marketing and sales company, which he founded and sold after 40 plus years in the dairy industry. Van received his B.A. in economics from Stanford University and his M.B.A from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Van resides in the Greater Chicago area.

Van first noticed a nerve condition in 1998 and has coped with the progression of peripheral neuropathy ever since. He is committed to increasing the awareness of, raising funds for and helping find cures for PN. He hopes FPN is able to assist in reaching a new level of national commitment to a disease affecting approximately 30 million Americans and countless more around the world. As a lifelong competitive golfer, Van believes that staying as active as one can along with continued exercise is one of the best ways to cope with and manage PN.

Peltier is an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she serves as the Fellowship Director for the neuromuscular program. She is also an active member of the Vanderbilt Autonomic Disorders Center and the Vanderbilt Amyloid Multidisciplinary Program.

Peltier earned her medical degree from The Ohio State University before completing her Neurology residency at the University of Michigan. She pursued advanced training with a neuromuscular fellowship under the mentorship of Eva Feldman, MD, PhD, where she gained expertise in EMG, skin biopsy techniques, and autonomic testing. Complementing her clinical focus, Peltier holds a master’s degree in clinical research design and statistical analysis, enabling her to lead groundbreaking research initiatives.

Patterson currently serves as the Site Chair of the Department of Neurology for Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside Operations, as well as the Director for Special Projects in System-wide Neurology Clinical Operations at Mount Sinai. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Patterson completed her residency training in Neurology and a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology at Columbia University, with a focus on EMG and neuromuscular disorders. She holds subspecialty certifications from the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine and Clinical Neurophysiology.

Her professional affiliations include the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine and the American Academy of Neurology. As a dedicated clinician and educator, Dr. Patterson specializes in general outpatient neurology with a focus on peripheral neuromuscular disease and electrodiagnostic testing. She has also authored chapters on EEG monitoring in the intensive care unit, the phrenic nerve, and neuromuscular junction disorders, further establishing herself as a thought leader in her field.

Jennie Starr is a biotech leader with a background in law and technology and pharma product commercialization. At Nestlé Health Science, she leads Market Insights and Brand Planning for the pharma portfolio and leads the NHSc biobank marketing and recruitment for clinical studies. Jennie joined NHSc from Seres Therapeutics, where she built the marketing and donor recruitment program that supports an FDA-approved microbiome therapy. Jennie previously practiced law, and led product management teams at MedUnite, Lexis-Nexis, Gateway, and Musicmatch. 

Jennie founded a nonprofit serving as its Executive Director and a Board member. She has a deep commitment to mentorship of women in the life sciences and serves as a Board member for Women in Bio (WIB) where she founded mentorship and Executive programs and has held chapter leadership roles. Jennie also Chairs an industry to academia bridge program for the Microbiome Center Consortium.

Jennie received her BA from Northwestern University, an MS in Information Sciences from the University of Illinois and her JD from Washington University School of Law.

Jennie learned about the Foundation after her mother’s diagnosis and plans to leverage her experience to support expansion of the reach of the Foundation and to support efforts to identify future treatments.

George has extensive experience as a chief financial officer at both private-equity backed and publicly traded medical technology companies in the US and UK.  This includes group and divisional operating experience at Smiths Group plc where he was Chief Operating Officer of Smiths Medical, and Medtronic plc where he was responsible for finance, strategy and business development for Medtronic’s Restorative Therapies and Diabetes groups.  George holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a chartered financial analyst and certified public accountant.

George serves on the board of Signature Theatre in Arlington and previously served on the board of Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis for over a decade, including stints as Vice Chair, Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair.  He also served on the boards of Breakthrough T1D’s regional chapters in Southern California and Minnesota.

George first learned about peripheral neuropathy as a child when he saw family members confront it.  As a professional, he worked with several companies that serve patients affected by peripheral neuropathy, and through FPN he continues striving to help them.

Jack established our charity foundation to support the funding of collaborative research with the goal of improved treatments and an eventual cure for Peripheral Neuropathy. A prominent Chicago entrepreneur and philanthropist, he was the founder and former President/CEO of Quill Corporation. In addition to being Chairman of the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy, his other endeavors include being co-chairman of Millbrook Real Estate and Chairman of the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America’s Founding Principles and History. He and his wife, Goldie, also support Jewish and community efforts through the Jack and Goldie Wolfe Miller Fund.

Dr. Nathan Staff is a neurologist, professor, and research chair at Mayo Clinic Rochester who cares for patients with neuromuscular diseases such as peripheral neuropathy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease). He received his medical degree and Ph.D. in neuroscience from Northwestern University. He then was a resident and chief resident at Mayo Clinic Rochester, with subsequent sub-specialization training in clinical neurophysiology and peripheral nerve disorders.

Dr. Staff is highly involved in patient care, education, and research at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Staff’s research efforts employ regenerative medicine strategies in both laboratory-based model systems and human clinical trials to study disorders that damage the neuromuscular system. His emphasis has been primarily on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and ALS, two diseases with high clinical morbidity.

Dr. David Bennett is Professor of neurology and neurobiology at the University of Oxford and consultant neurologist at Oxford University Hospitals in the UK. He is head of the Division of Clinical Neurology at the University of Oxford and a senior research fellow of Green Templeton College. His research focus is to understand the pathogenesis of neural injury and neuropathic pain and ultimately improve the clinical management of this debilitating condition. He takes a translational approach ranging from cell based models to human psychophysics and clinical cohorts. He administers a specialist neuropathic pain clinic based at Oxford University hospitals. He has led the identification of novel clinical neuropathies and inherited pain channelopathies. He leads major international and national consortia including DOLORisk and PAINSTORM investigating risk factors and determinants of neuropathic pain. He received the PD Wall medal from the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 2016 and became an honorary Skou professor of Aarhus University in 2019. He was appointed to Fellowship if the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020 for excellence in pain research.

Eva L. Feldman MD, PhD, James W. Albers Distinguished University Professor, and the Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology at Michigan Medicine is a renowned neurologist and neuroscientist who has devoted her career towards understanding the etiology of neurological disorders and developing new treatments. Dr. Feldman is Director of the University of Michigan (UM) ALS Center of Excellence and the NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies. She is annually listed in Best Doctors in America, a Past President of the Peripheral Nerve Society and American Neurological Association (ANA)—when elected President of the ANA, she was the third woman to hold this position in 130 years. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) where she chairs the Neurology and Psychiatry section, the Association of American Physicians, and a Fellow of the AAAS.

Dr. Feldman has been continuously NIH funded since 1989, with a strong track record of successful collaborations, as she oversees an established lab with 25 exceptional scientists. Her research group develops novel cellular, gene, and growth factor therapies for neurologic disorders.

Following appointment to neurology faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1999, he rose through the ranks and became Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience in 2009. Currently he is the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Professor of Neuroimmunology, Director of the Daniel B. Drachman Division of Neuromuscular Diseases and Director of the Merkin Peripheral Neuropathy and Nerve Regeneration Center at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dr. Höke’s clinical practice and his clinical research focuses on idiopathic, toxic, and inflammatory neuropathies. He is the principal investigator of several natural history studies aimed at developing biomarkers and understanding genetic underpinnings of peripheral neuropathies. His laboratory research focuses on biology of peripheral axons and Schwann cells and disorders affecting the peripheral nervous system. His discoveries have led to the identification and validation of novel therapeutic targets to prevent axon degeneration in peripheral neuropathies.

He is the recipient of several awards including Derek Denny Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award (2005) and Wolfe Neuropathy Research prize (2018) given by the American Neurological Association (ANA). He is an Ex-Officio member of the Board of Directors of the ANA, a Director on the Board of Directors of PNS and Vice-President of the Toxic Neuropathy Consortium. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.

Dr. Rieger is an associate professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Miami and affiliated with the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Rieger’s research focuses on understanding the underlying mechanisms responsible for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Specifically, her investigations center around the identification of key pathways involved in this condition.

One significant finding from her team’s work is the activation of a crucial pathway in the skin following treatment with paclitaxel, a chemotherapeutic agent known to induce CIPN. Dr. Rieger’s research has revealed that the mechanisms involved in CIPN share similarities with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Therefore, the drug treatments currently developed by Dr. Rieger’s team for CIPN could potentially have broader applications for individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Lindsay serves as the Executive Director for our foundation, focusing on raising awareness and support for individuals living with peripheral neuropathy. She is excited to turn the board’s enthusiasm into successful outcomes for the Foundation and its members.

Prior to Lindsay’s joining the team in April 2017, she gained a decade of experience in fund development, strategic planning, and marketing at Chicago-based non-profits, including Northwestern University and Rotary International. She holds a M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her free time, Lindsay enjoys traveling, cycling, and watching baseball.

Jane serves as the Marketing and Communications Specialist for FPN. With decades of experience working with large and small nonprofits, in sectors such as education and human services, Jane is excited to bring her expertise to the FPN team to continue the important work of reversing the irreversible.

Jane holds a MA and BFA in graphic design from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. She’s a curious, analytical, problem-solving visual communicator with experience in branding, creative direction, design and integrated marketing. In her free time, Jane enjoys experiencing life via travel, tacos, type and books.

Katie serves as the Director of Development and External Affairs at FPN, leading the Foundation’s fundraising efforts to enable investments in research and educational resources that support patients living with peripheral neuropathy. Katie brings over a decade of comprehensive fundraising experience from education and nonprofit organizations including The University of Chicago and Big Shoulders Fund. She holds an M.A. in Counseling from Lakeland University.

As someone living with an autoimmune disease, Katie is deeply committed to raising awareness, advocating for cures, and empowering communities affected by invisible conditions. In her free time, Katie enjoys baking, curating her vinyl record collection, and film photography.

Melvin serves as the Senior Administrative Coordinator at the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy, where he provides high-level administrative and executive support to help advance the Foundation’s mission of improving the lives of those living with peripheral neuropathy.

He brings over six years of experience in administration and office management, with a background supporting nonprofit, legal, and corporate teams. Melvin holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University and a certificate in Grant Writing from DePaul University. He is currently pursuing his Master of Science in Nonprofit Administration from LSU Shreveport.

Outside of work, he serves on the Associate Board of All Chicago, where he advocates for the unhoused, and as a member of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Chicago. In his free time, Melvin enjoys reading, creative writing, and exploring Chicago’s diverse food scene.

Amanda is the Program Manager for the Foundation, where she helps lead our work across three of our areas of focus: Research, Advocacy, and Education. She works closely with patients, physicians and researchers, and other key players to maintain and advance the programs and to build strong, lasting relationships. Amanda is excited to be part of a mission that makes a real difference in people’s lives.

Before joining the Foundation, Amanda spent more than a decade in the learning and development field. She focused on designing, delivering, and evaluating engaging training programs for a wide range of audiences. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Education from Illinois State University. When she’s not working, you can find her running races, exploring new countries to practice her language skills, or getting lost in a good book as she chases her annual reading goal.

Lauren serves as the Associate Director of Development, Strategic Partnerships at the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy, where she leads efforts to grow and diversify the Foundation’s corporate and institutional partnerships in support of research, education, and advocacy. Lauren brings over a decade of experience across the nonprofit, healthcare, and technology sectors, with a strong background in securing mission-aligned support through strategic sponsorships, grants, and collaborative partnerships.

She is passionate about advancing healthcare advocacy and building meaningful relationships that create measurable impact. Lauren holds dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wyoming. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking with her dog and exploring local coffee shops.