(January 13, 2014) – The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation (DRIF), the nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to support the cure-focused work of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is pleased to announce that Marc S. Goldfarb (Short Hills, NJ) and Bruce A. Siegel (New York, NY) have been appointed to serve as co-chairmen of its recently-consolidated Northeast Region Board, according to National Chairman Harold G. Doran, Jr. Passionately committed to the cause, these gentlemen will stop at nothing to find a cure for their daughters who both have type 1 diabetes.
“It was a natural fit to have Bruce Siegel and Marc Goldfarb to lead our Northeast Region as co-chairmen. Their passion to find a cure and their commitment to this organization are undeniable. We are quite fortunate to have both of them on our team,” stated Doran.
Goldfarb currently serves as senior legal advisor to Kid Brands, Inc. (f/k/a Russ Berrie & Company), a NYSE-listed manufacturer of infant and juvenile products. He formerly served as its senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Prior to that, he was vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Journal Register Company, a NYSE-listed newspaper publishing company, managing director and general counsel of The Vertical Group, an international private equity firm, and a partner with a New York City law firm. A graduate of Cornell University, Goldfarb also received a J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Goldfarb has served on the DRIF’s Northeast Region Board of Directors since 2006 and as a member of its Executive Committee since 2012. He has also served as co-chair and/or a member of the event committee for the organization’s Carnival for a Cure event since 2006 and the 2008 Northeast Research Update.
“I am honored to help lead the newly-combined Northeast Region Board during a period of exciting and unprecedented research progress being achieved by DRI scientists. I look forward to working together with Bruce, the other Northeast Board members and everyone involved with the DRI to further develop and deliver the promise of the Northeast Region,” said Goldfarb. “Like so many others, my family and I concluded that the DRI represented the best hope to find a cure for our daughter and all those living with type 1 diabetes, and we remain passionately committed to supporting the DRI’s cure-focused efforts.”
Siegel is executive vice president and general counsel for First Long Island Investors, LLC (FLI), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a wealth management company in Jericho, NY. He also serves as a member of FLI’s Investment Committee and has worked for the company since 1989. His responsibilities include wealth management, estate planning, insurance evaluation and acquisition, and real estate advisory services. He began his career as an attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He worked in private practice with a New York City law firm, was assistant general counsel for a public company, and managed the Partnership Review Group for Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner and Smith. Siegel was a senior vice president of W.P. Stewart Asset Management (N.A.) from 1998 to 2003.
Siegel previously served on the DRIF’s Long Island Region Board and as a member of its Executive Committee, as well as the organization’s National Planned Giving Committee. Prior to that, he served as a volunteer in several capacities for more than 20 years for JDRF. He graduated from Cornell University in 1970 and received a J.D. degree from New York University Law School in 1974. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1975.
“I believe that the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation is our best hope to find a cure for diabetes for our daughter and the hundreds of millions worldwide suffering with diabetes,” said Siegel.
Special thanks are extended to National Board members William J. Fishlinger (Long Island, NY) and Marc S. Goodman (Greenwich, CT) for co-chairing the Northeast Region during the consolidation period.
The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation has two regional offices that operate as part of the Northeast Region. To contact the Manhattan office, located at 381 Park Avenue, South, Suite 1118, New York, NY, 10016, call 212.888.2217 or fax 212.888.2219. The Jericho office, located at 410 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 201, Jericho, NY, 11753, can be reached at 516.822.1700 or by fax 516.822.3570.
About the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation
The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation is the organization of choice for those who are serious, passionate and committed to curing diabetes. Its mission – to provide the Diabetes Research Institute with the funding necessary to cure diabetes now – is a testament to the belief that tomorrow is not soon enough to cure those living with diabetes.
The Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine leads the world in cure-focused research. As the largest and most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes, the DRI is aggressively working to develop a biological cure by restoring natural insulin production and normalizing blood sugar levels without imposing other risks. Researchers have already shown that diabetes can be reversed through islet transplantation, with some study patients living without the need for insulin injections for more than a decade. The Institute is now building upon these promising outcomes by developing the DRI BioHub, an integrated “mini organ” that mimics the native pancreas, containing thousands of insulin-producing cells that sense blood sugar levels and produce the precise amount of insulin needed in real time. The Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation were created for one reason – to cure diabetes – which is and will continue to be its singular focus until that goal is reached. For the millions of children and adults affected by diabetes, the Diabetes Research Institute is the best hope for a cure.
For more information, contact 1-800-321-3437, info@drif.org or visit DiabetesResearch.org.
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