LSRO's Directors are active in the organization,  meeting on a monthly basis to provide guidance in selecting new projects and expert panels,  and reviewing LSRO's progress in meeting our strategic goals.

The current members of the LSRO Board are:

Taffy Williams,  Ph.D. (Chair,  2006-2008, Director 2003-2011) is President and Chief Executive Officer of Colonial Technology Development Co.   and the company founder.   Dr.   Williams holds a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame,  a Ph.D.   in Biochemistry from the University of South Carolina,  and did postdoctoral training at the University of South Carolina and the University of Michigan.

Prior to founding Colonial Technology,  Dr. Williams served as president and Chief Executive Officer of Photogen Technologies Inc.,  IMCOR Pharmaceutical Co.   and he was president of InKine Pharmaceutical Company.   Prior to that,  he was president,  CEO and Chairman of Panax.

In addition to executive management skills,  the ability to grow companies and his new business development experience,  Dr.   Williams is the author of eight patents,  one invention registration,  seven patent applications and 53 published articles.   He also has been the recipient of several prestigious awards,  including a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health,  “Most Significant Scientific Publication” awards from the Naval Medical Research Institute in 1985 and 1986,  and the Civil Service Special Achievement Award for restructuring research activities in 1986.

Terry Quill,  M.S.,  J.D.,  (Vice Chair,  2001-2010) is an attorney at Quill Law Group.   He specializes in environmental law and product liability litigation,  and focuses on the legal and technical matters associated with potential human and environmental exposures to toxic substances.   He is experienced in environmental and toxic tort litigation,  administrative hearings and appellate challenges to EPA rulemakings.

Mr.   Quill,  who is also Past President of the International Society of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology (ISRTP),  has held research positions in molecular and development genetics,  immunochemistry and tumor immunology and holds advanced degrees in both biology and toxicology.   A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School,  he chairs the American Bar Association's Special Committee on Science and Technology.

Rita Colwell,  Ph.D.,  (Director,  2005-2010) is Distinguished University Professor both at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Chairman of Canon US Life Sciences,  Inc.   Dr.   Colwell holds a B.S.   in Bacteriology and an M.S.   in Genetics,  from Purdue University,  and a Ph.D.   in Oceanography from the University of Washington.   Her interests are focused on global infectious diseases,  water,  and health,  and she is currently developing an international network to address emerging infectious diseases and water issues,  including safe drinking water for both the developed and developing world.

Dr.   Colwell served as the 11th Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF),  1998-2004.   In her capacity as NSF Director,  she served as Co-chair of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council.   She has held many advisory positions in the U.S.   Government,  nonprofit science policy organizations,  and private foundations,  as well as in the international scientific research community.   She is a nationally-respected scientist and educator,  and has authored or co-authored 16 books and more than 700 scientific publications.   She produced the award-winning film,  Invisible Seas,  and has served on editorial boards of numerous scientific journals.

Before joining the NSF,  Dr.   Colwell was President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and Professor of Microbiology and Biotechnology at the University of Maryland.   She was also a member of the National Science Board from 1984 to 1990.   She has previously served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology and also as President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,  the Washington Academy of Sciences,  the American Society for Microbiology,  the Sigma Xi National Science Honorary Society,  and the International Union of Microbiological Societies.   Dr.   Colwell is a member of the National Academy of Sciences,  the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences,  Stockholm,  the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,  and the American Philosophical Society.

Dr.   Colwell has also been awarded 46 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education,  including her Alma Mater,  Purdue University.   Dr.   Colwell is an honorary member of the microbiological societies of the UK,  Australia,  France,  Israel,  Bangladesh,  and the U.S.   and has held several honorary professorships,  including the University of Queensland,  Australia.   A geological site in Antarctica,  Colwell Massif,  has been named in recognition of her work in the polar regions.

Michael C.   Falk,  Ph.D.,  (Secretary,  ex officio) is the Executive Director of the Life Sciences Research Organization,  a position he has held since 1998.   Before joining LSRO,  Dr.   Falk worked at the Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI),  the division of the U.S.   Navy that seeks scientific advances in a variety of cross-disciplinary fields of research and development.   During his tenure he was a Principal Investigator,  Director of Biochemistry and Cell Biology,  and the Director of the Septic Shock Research Program.

Dr.   Falk received his Ph.D.   in Biochemistry from Cornell University and has published over 80 publications,  presentations,  and technical articles and has served as a reviewer for scientific journals in the fields of biochemistry,  shock,  and clinical research.   He is a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,  the American Association for the Advancement of Science,  the American Society for Nutritional Sciences,  and the Institute for Food Technologists.

Susan Finn,  Ph.D.,  (Director,  2007-2010) serves as chair of the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition.   She guides the organization's educational efforts to uncover and support programs and research aimed at finding long-term solutions to the growing problem of overweight and obesity.   Dr.   Finn received her Ph.D.   from the Ohio State University (Columbus,  Ohio) and her B.S.   degree from Bowling Green State University.

Dr.   Finn is a past president of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).   She has been active in many leadership roles with the ADA,  from creating a presence for nutrition professionals in health care reform legislation to developing multifaceted campaigns to advance nutrition support and women's nutritional health.

Dr.   Finn is also the Director of Industry Communications and Research in the Department of Nutrition at the Ohio State University,  and she holds clinical professorships in the College of Medicine.   Previously employed by Ross Products,  a division of Abbott Laboratories,  Dr.   Finn served as Director in Nutrition at Whittier College in California,  a special lecturer at California State University at Los Angeles,  and assistant professor in medical dietetics in the School of Allied Medicine at the Ohio State University.

Dr.   Finn is the co-author of two books and has participated in more that 500 radio and television interviews.   She also has produced public education programs for the electronic and print media.   Dr.   Finn's articles have appeared in numerous consumer magazines including New Choices,  American Baby,  Family Circle,  Mother Today,  Working Parents,  and Healthy Kids.   Dr.   Finn is widely published in professional publications including the Journal of the American Dietetic Association,  the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,  and the Journal of Nutrition Education.

William C.   MacLean,  Jr.,  MD,  CM,  FAAP,  (Director,  2005-2011) is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Ohio State University,  and a member of the Infant Formula Subcommittee,  Food Advisory Committee,  for the U.S.   Food and Drug Administration (FDA).   He is also a pediatrician specializing in issues related to infant nutrition and malnutrition.

Dr.   MacLean has served in for-profit and non-profit environments,  having been vice president of medical and regulatory affairs for Ross Products Division,  a division of Abbott Laboratories,  and as the field director for the Instituto de Investigation Nutricional (Nutritional Research Institute) in Peru.

He has been an editorial board member of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics,  North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and the American Society for Nutritional Sciences.

Thomas P.   Stagnaro,  MBA,  (Treasurer,  2005-2011) is President and Chief Executive Officer of Americas Biotech Distributor (ABD),  a position he assumed after leaving Agile Therapeutics,  a privately held company focused on the development of novel products for transdermal delivery of pharmaceutical agents.

Mr.   Stagnaro specializes in the pharmaceutical industry.   He serves on the Board of Directors of both InKine Pharmaceuticals,  a publicly traded company focusing on the development and sale of pharmaceutical products to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal disorders,  and Protalex,  Inc.,  a biotechnology company engaged in developing new classes of drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.   In the last 12 years he has raised over $200 million for development stage companies involved in the pharmaceutical industry.

Jacob J.   Steinberg,  M.D.,  (Director,  2002-2009) is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Montefiore Medical Center,  Albert Einstein College of Medicine,  New York.   His primary interest is in cancer,  DNA toxicology and environmental medicine.

Dr.   Steinberg is a member of the Board of Directors of the Intersociety Committee on Pathology Information,  national chair of the Pathology Program Directors Association,  and a member of the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP).   He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Public Health Association of New York City and is a member of the Advisory Panel for the U.S.   Environmental Protection Agency.