about us

JDRF Senior Staff Biographies

Alan J. Lewis
President & CEO

Alan J. Lewis, Ph.D., joined the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as President and Chief Executive Officer in January 2009. Previously Dr. Lewis served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Novocell, Inc. since February 2006. Prior to Novocell, Dr. Lewis served as CEO and Director of Signal Pharmaceuticals before its acquisition in 2000 by Celgene, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule drugs for cancer and immunological diseases. He then served as President of the Signal Research Division at Celgene. Dr. Lewis previously held the position of Vice President of Research at Wyeth-Ayerst, where he spent 15 years leading research efforts in diabetes, CNS, cardiovascular, inflammatory, allergy, and bone metabolism diseases. Dr. Lewis currently serves as a Director of BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc., Cytochroma, Inc., Biotica and the Scottish Stem Cell Network. Dr. Lewis received a B.Sc. in Physiology and Biochemistry from Southampton University, Southampton, Hampshire, U.K., a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Wales, Cardiff, U.K. and completed his postdoctoral training at Yale University. He is also an Honorary Fellow and Chair of the Life Sciences Department at the University of Wales in Swansea, U.K.
 

Amy C. Franze
Executive Vice President, Development

Amy C. Franze is Executive Vice President, Development, for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where she oversees JDRF's Field Operations and the Major Donor, Communications, Outreach, and Marketing departments.

Ms. Franze joined JDRF in August 2002 as the Executive Director of the Illinois Chapter, where over five years she grew the chapter's revenues to more than $14 million annually - an increase of more than $5 million. She also spearheaded the launch of the chapter's $100 million, five-year local campaign in support of JDRF's global "Research to Reality" campaign. In 2007, she was promoted to Vice President of Major Donor Relations and Planned Giving, where she revamped the strategic plan and realigned her team to better serve chapters and donors.

Prior to joining JDRF, Ms. Franze was vice president of JAMI Charity Brands Marketing, where she was responsible for new business development. She has also held senior leadership positions with the Easter Seals and the Alzheimer's Association. She spent the early part of her career in the for-profit world at AMF Industries, where she was responsible for product launches in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. 

Ms. Franze has received several awards for her work in producing outstanding results in both the corporate and non-profit communities, including the JDRF "Staff Member of the Year" award in 2006. She volunteers for several local charities in Chicago, serves on the Board of Community Health Charities of Illinois, and is a member of the Economics Club of Chicago.

Ms. Franze has a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Gerontology from Slippery Rock University and a Certificate of Management from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business.

Robert A. Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Scientific Affairs

Robert A. Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., is Senior Vice President, Scientific Affairs, for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where he is responsible for guiding national and international research programs and strengthening JDRF's relationships with global institutions and with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He also helps to develop JDRF's government funding strategies.

Before joining JDRF in 1997, Dr. Goldstein was Director of the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation at the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Goldstein received his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University, his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, his Ph.D. (in microbiology/immunology) from George Washington University, and his MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 

Dr. Goldstein has authored more than 50 scientific publications and is a reviewer for a number of scientific journals, including the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Annals of Internal Medicine, the Journal of the American Medicine Association, and the New England Journal of Medicine. He has served on many advisory committees, including the U.K.'s National Institute for Health Research Advisory Board, the Science Board of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Agenxia Italiana del Farmaco.

Dr. Goldstein has participated in National Academy of Sciences workshops on embryonic stem cell research and served on the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine's advisory committees. He has represented JDRF at the International Stem Cell Forum since its inception in 2003.

Richard A. Insel, M.D.
Executive Vice President, Research

Richard A. Insel, M.D., is the Executive Vice President of Research for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where he has responsibility for heading up the strategic direction and oversight of all JDRF research projects.

Dr. Insel has had a distinguished medical and research career in pediatric immunology.  Prior to joining JDRF in 2003, he held various leadership positions at the University of Rochester Medical Center during a 26-year tenure there. Dr. Insel was the founding director of the Center for Human Genetics and Molecular Pediatric Disease and a member of the departments of pediatrics and microbiology & immunology. Among other responsibilities, Dr. Insel served as Acting Chair of Pediatrics; Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology & Immunology, and the Cancer Center; Associate Chair for Pediatric Research; Director of the Strong Children's Research Center; and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology.

Dr. Insel was the scientific co-founder of Praxis Biologics, a biotechnology company established in 1983 and subsequently acquired by Wyeth, the global pharmaceutical and health care products company. Praxis Biologics was responsible for bringing a new vaccine to market that resulted in the virtual elimination of the most common form of childhood meningitis among American infants and children.

Dr. Insel has served on the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council of the National Institutes of Health. He has been a Visiting Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, a fellow in pediatrics (research) at Harvard Medical School, and a fellow in medicine (immunology) at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston. He also served in the Laboratory of Parasitic Immunochemistry at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.   

Cynthia Rice
Vice President, Government Relations

Cynthia Rice is Vice President of Government Relations at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where she manages JDRF's legislative and grassroots programs as well as initiatives to accelerate access to new therapies.

Ms. Rice joined JDRF in September 2005 and was promoted to Director of New Technology Access in January 2006. She has been a major catalyst for accelerating JDRF's Artificial Pancreas Project, leading a cross-departmental staff team in implementing the program's research, government relations, communications, and development goals.

Ms. Rice has extensive experience leading complicated advocacy projects in both the government and nonprofit sectors. In President Clinton's White House from 1997 to 2000, she served as a Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, coordinating numerous high-profile policy initiatives involving experts from multiple agencies and employing various legislative, regulatory, and communications tactics.

In the mid 1990s, she served in the U.S. Senate as a Legislative Assistant to two senior members of the Finance Committee, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Senator John B. Breaux, helping to advance and amend a variety of budget, health, and domestic policy legislation.

From 2001-2005, Ms. Rice served as Vice President for Policy at the New Democrat Network, where she led efforts to promote the group's policy agenda to elected officials and the public. 

Ms. Rice received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a Master's in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley.

Claire E. Schultz
Senior Vice President, Marketing 

Claire E. Schultz is Senior Vice President, Marketing, for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, where she oversees the Foundation's marketing, communications, advertising, outreach, and stewardship areas.

Ms. Schultz came to JDRF with more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and communications at both not-for-profit organizations and major corporations. Prior to joining JDRF, she spent eight years at the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the international humanitarian aid organization, where she was Assistant Executive Vice President for Global Marketing and Communications. Her responsibilities included conceptualizing and building JDC's first marketing function and successfully overseeing global marketing strategies that aligned with the organization's mission, program, and funding priorities.

Previously, she served as a national marketing manager for Microsoft Corporation, with responsibilities for positioning and messaging for Microsoft's Consumer Commerce Group, and as a national marketing executive for ABC Television's first new media/internet division.

Ms. Schultz is a graduate of Tulane University and a member of the American Marketing Association, New York Women in Communications, the Council of Public Relations, and the New York New Media Association.

Lawrence A. Soler
Executive Vice President, Government Relations & Operations

Lawrence (Larry) A. Soler is Executive Vice President, Government Relations & Operations, for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Mr. Soler oversees JDRF's Government Relations and Information Technology departments as well as the JDRF Artificial Pancreas Project and the foundation's international development programs and legal affairs.

Mr. Soler joined JDRF in January 1998 as Senior Legislative Counsel, was promoted to Director of Government Relations in April 2000, and was named Vice President in October 2002. He has led JDRF's efforts over the past decade to enact four pieces of legislation that secured a total of $1.5 billion in federal research funding for type 1 diabetes. He is well known as one of Washington's leading advocates for stem cell research, having created and chaired the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, a group of 100 national organizations supporting embryonic stem cell research.

Prior to joining JDRF, he worked for eight years in federal relations positions at the Association of American Universities, focusing on education, health, and immigration issues. 

Mr. Soler received a B.A. with honors from Clark University and a J.D. from George Washington University. He is a member of the Maryland and Washington, D.C., bar associations.