Former Pfizer Executive Appointed to Hope in Focus Board

David Schulz has been appointed to our Board of Directors. He began his career at Pfizer Central Research as a Research Scientist in 1989 and was promoted to Executive Director of Central Nervous System Discovery Biology, where he led a group of more than 80 scientists focused on identifying and developing potential treatments for psychiatric and neurological diseases. He also led the Project Team targeting Smoking Cessation, culminating in the launch of Chantix.

Board Chair and Co-Founder Laura Manfre welcomed Schulz to Hope in Focus.

“We are thrilled that Dave has joined our Board of Directors,” said Manfre, who works with the Advisory and Professional Services Group at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. “We are grateful for the scientific and research experience he brings to Hope in Focus and to our mission to transform the lives of those affected by blindness caused by Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and other rare inherited retinal diseases (IRDs).

Schulz has given numerous presentations, including to audiences from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Drug Information Association, Pfizer’s Psychiatric Advisory Board, and various medical school departments.

Among his previous Board responsibilities, he recently served as Board Chair of The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut. He lives in Mystic with his wife, Karen, and dog Coco.

Schulz joins Vice-Chair Elizabeth Borysewicz, Education Consultant for the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disabilities, Bureau of Education Services for the Blind; Daniel King, Esq., Secretary, Attorney, The Law Office of P. Michael Lahan; Stephanie F. Brown, Treasurer, Manager, Hoyt, Filippetti & Malaghan, LLC; George Adrian, O.D., Owner Groton Eye Center; Annette Tonti, Managing Director, RIHub; Charles Priebe, Co-Founder, former Construction Manager; Thomas Robarge, Retirement Advisor, Optimum Retirement Solutions; Jeffrey Finman, PhD, Independent Consultant, Jupiter Point Pharma Consulting, LLC; Billie Jo Abbiati, Senior Associate Business Planning, Pfizer, Inc.; Alice Soscia, Development Officer, Yale New Haven/Lawrence+Memorial Hospital; and Adam Milne, Chief Operating Officer, BioLabs.