Board of Advisors:

Lawrence V. Manes
In his 17 years working in biotechnology, including most recently as Director of Chemical Manufacturing at Gilead Sciences(GILD;NASDAQ), Mr. Manes has displayed stellar leadership abilities at successful companies . In 2000, Mr. Manes brought his experience and ability to inspire to the ALS Therapy Development Foundation (ALS-TDF), an nonprofit biotechnology company dedicated to finding a treatment for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. As the Chief of Scientific Operations at ALS-TDF, Mr. Manes helped develop the mission of the organization and was primarily responsible for executing its scientific goals. In addition, Mr. Manes helped grow ALS-TDF from $1.5 million in 2001 to $4.3 million in revenues by the end of his tenure as CSO in 2002.

Art Mellor
President & CEO, Co-Founder, Director of Boston Cure Project
Art Mellor was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in June 2000. After expressing frustration to his doctor, Tim Vartanian, at how little solid information was available about Multiple Sclerosis, he and Tim began discussing ideas on how they thought things should be done. In early 2001 they decided to start the Boston Cure Project to address the problems they saw in the lack of definite direction in the current medical research system, particularly as it applies to Multiple Sclerosis.

Art has founded three technology companies during his career and is a noted technology visionary and entrepreneur. Before co-founding the Boston Cure Project, he co-founded Gold Wire Technology (www.goldwiretech.com) where he helped raise $29M in venture funding. Before that he co-founded Midnight Networks (www.midnight.com) which was acquired by Teradyne (www.teradyne.com) in 1996. Prior to that he co-founded Think Consulting as a partner. Mellor has held engineering and engineering management positions with M/A Com Linkabit, BBN, and Cayman Systems. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from MIT.

Art has served on the boards of directors and advisors of ten other organizations and is a co-founder of and advisor to the Entrepreneurs' Dinner (www.edinner.org) , an organization that supports high-tech entrepreneurship in New England. In addition, Art is a lay member of the Institutional Review Board at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Billy Starr
Executive Director of the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge
Billy Starr founded the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, New England's first bike-athon, in 1980. By 1984, the PMC had established itself as the largest grossing fundraising event for the Jimmy Fund, the region's most popular charity. By 1990, the PMC had become the most successful cycling fundraiser in the world. Today the PMC raises and contributes more money to charity than any other althetic fundraising event in the nation. Since 1980, the PMC has donated over $102 million to cancer research. This year, the PMC expects to contribute $17 million to the Jimmy Fund, representing more than 45 percent of the charity's annual revenue. In 1993, the Jimmy Fund honored Starr, representing the PMC, at Fenway Park. He was awarded the Tom & Jean Yawkey Memorial Award for outstanding service. In 1995, Starr was chosen one of twelve profiled in the original PBS Visionaries series. In 1997, the bridge connecting the Jimmy Fund Clinic to the new Smith Research Labs was named the Pan-Massachusetts Bridge to Progress. In 1998, Starr was the commencement speaker at Babson College’s graduate commencement and received an honorary degree for “entrepreneurial vision and leadership.”

Starr has founded a unique organization that performs at a level of proficiency rarely found in the corporate or non-profit world. Over the last ten years, the PMC has contributed at least 93 percent of funds raised directly to the Jimmy Fund. The PMC infrastructure consists of a management staff of 5 individuals who are engaged full time, a 10-person volunteer coordinating staff, an 8-person Board of Trustees, nearly 4,000 cyclists, 1,900 volunteers, 46 communities, 200 companies who donate $1 million worth of merchandise, and over 120,000 people who sponsor the riders.

Starr also serves as a consultant for other charity events. Before starting the PMC, he was a reporter for newspapers in Massachusetts and Colorado, worked in public relations with Hill & Knowlton and was the squash coach at Babson College. He received his BA from the University of Denver in 1973, a Masters in Education from Northeastern University in 1978, and an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Babson College in 1998. An avid cyclist, skier, and racquets player, Starr has ridden in his own event for all 24 years. Starr lives with his wife, Meredith, and daughters Hannah and Sophia, in Wellesley, Mass.