COPD Foundation Leadership

Jean Wright, MD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer

Jean Wright, MD, MBA, COPD Foundation Chief Executive Officer (CEO), is an enthusiastic leader of innovation and change management and an experienced clinician and educator with a passion for communicating novel ideas.

Dr. Wright joined the COPD Foundation several years ago to follow her passion for driving change in the delivery of care to improve the health care for 30 million Americans with COPD and served on the COPD Foundation board of directors as Secretary. Additionally, she served on the Executive Committee, Advocacy and Public Policy Committee, and Strategy Planning Committee and Chaired the Board Governance Committee.

Her accomplishments include leading strategic partnerships in human-centered design and business model innovation focused on accelerating health care transformation. She was recognized as one of the Top 30 Chief Innovation Officers in America and nominated for the 25 Most Powerful Women in Health IT in the United States.

Dr. Wright received her medical degree from Wayne State University, her master's in business administration degree from Emory Goizueta School of Business, and her bachelor's in science degree from the University of Michigan. She previously held positions as a physician executive at Emory, Chair of Pediatrics for Mercer, Executive Director for Memorial Health's Children's and Women's Hospital in Savannah, and a chief medical officer for Atrium, now known as Advocate.

She was appointed CEO of the Foundation in December 2022.

The Invisible Epidemic of COPD | Jean Wright | TEDxCharlotte

Byron Thomashow, MD
Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer

Byron Thomashow, MD, is a Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and an Attending Physician at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He helped found the COPD Foundation in 2004 and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for ten years. In July 2018, he took on the role of Chief Medical Officer of the Foundation. He is the medical co-director of the Jo-Ann Le Buhn Center for Chest Disease on the Columbia campus and is medical director of the New York-Presbyterian Lung Volume Reduction program. He chaired the Respiratory Disease Council of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare Network for many years and co-chaired the New York-Presbyterian smoking cessation initiative leading to the campus going smoke free. He has served as co-chair for the NY State COPD Coalition, co-chaired the New York State COPD Summit in 2010, co-chaired COPD7USA in 2011, COPD8USA in 2013, COPD 9USA in 2015, COPD10USA in 2017, and co-chaired the COPD Foundation COPD Readmission Summits in October 2013 and March 2015.

The Byron M. Thomashow Professorship of Medicine Columbia University was established in 2006. Byron was awarded the 2013 American Thoracic Society Public Advisory Roundtable Excellence Award. In 2016, he received the Columbia University Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. In 2017 he received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018 he received the JW Walsh Visionary Award from the COPD Foundation. He was a member of the steering committee and the co-primary investigator at the Columbia site for the National Emphysema Treatment Trial and has been and remains actively involved in multiple national clinical research projects.

View Columbia Profile

Elisha Malanga, BS
Chief Corporate Relations Officer

In her role as Chief Corporate Relations Officer, Elisha works to define the corporate strategy of the Foundation, including expanding funding opportunities for the COPD Foundation. Elisha works closely with the Foundation's Executive team as well as corporate partners and collaborators. She also leads the Foundation's retail support and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts. Elisha continues to identify, nurture and expand Foundation partnerships with like-minded organizations. She is staff liaison to the Corporate Council and has extensive experience with Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded and other specialty grant submissions.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Elisha helped to establish the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Research Program and in 2007, she received the ATS Presidential Commendation award. Elisha has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Richmond.

Kaleo Curtis, CPA, MSA
Chief Financial Officer

Kaleo Curtis is the Foundation's Chief Financial Officer and leads the Foundation's accounting and finance functions. Kaleo is a licensed CPA with over 12 years of experience working with non-profits in both the public and private accounting sectors, nine years of which were spent leading financial and accounting departments of multiple non-profit organizations. Kaleo enjoys strategic planning and helping organizations better utilize resources to support and serve their communities and missions.

Following his passions for education and healthcare, Kaleo served on the board of directors of the Sunrise Children's Foundation, a non-profit focused on providing early childhood education and nutrition services for at-risk families in Nevada for six years, of which he served 4 years as Board Treasurer. Kaleo continues to serve as an active member of the Sunrise Children's Foundation Finance Committee.

Kaleo completed his studies at BYU Hawaii and Southern Utah University and completed his Master of Accountancy from Southern Utah University in 2009. He and his wife met while attending school in Hawaii. They have four children and enjoy spending time with family.

Vincent Malanga, BS, MCP
Chief Digital Information Officer

Vincent M. Malanga is the Chief Information Officer for the COPD Foundation. In this role Vincent serves as the senior technology strategist providing guidance and vision on emerging technologies, technology innovation, digital trends and infrastructure advances as well as defining, implementing, and evolving the technology solutions and procedures that comprise the 360 technology platform of which he is the chief architect.

Vincent has over 25 years of experience in full stack software architecture and development, database design, data and systems integration and enterprise architecture, and 15 years of experience in search engine optimization. Prior to joining the COPD Foundation, Vincent ran a successful technology consulting company and developed custom business solutions for many Fortune 500 companies including Ralph Lauren, Omnicom Group and Elsevier. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in numerous Microsoft programming languages and development tools, Azure Cloud Services, and Azure AI. He has been a guest blogger on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) and has spoken at industry conferences. Vincent is also a co-author on numerous abstracts and publications from various research studies. Vincent has a Bachelor of Science from Hofstra University, continuing education credits from MIT Professional Education in Digital Transformation: From AI and IoT to Cloud, Blockchain and Cybersecurity, and has a Series 7 NASD (FINRA) license - General Securities Representative.

Linda Walsh, BS
Chief Mission Officer

Linda Walsh is the Foundation’s Chief Mission Officer and leads the rebuilding of COPD360coach, the peer health coaching support arm of COPD360Net. Linda directed the C.O.P.D. Information Line from 2011 until 2019 and under her leadership the Information Line Associates were rigorously trained as peer health coaches, supplying integral support for many Foundation research initiatives. These included the CAPTURE Study, the COPD and Pneumonia Study, the iPArTNER Study, the O2Verlap Study, the PELICAN Study, the Patient-Powered Research Network, and the Pulmonary Education Program. Linda is passionate about educating, empowering, and engaging all stakeholders of the COPD community as many of Linda’s family members are directly affected by the disease.

Linda has over 25 years of experience in both the profit and not-for-profit sectors in strategic and financial planning, securing corporate funding and sponsorships, and enhancing operations and customer service.

Linda received a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park and is certified as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist.

Crystal Rothhaar, BS
VP of Communications and Marketing

As VP of Communications and Marketing, Crystal Rothhaar is responsible for creating and accelerating the company’s marketing strategy and brand recognition across the globe. She is focused on driving the COPD Foundation’s mission to help millions of people live longer and healthier lives by advancing research, advocacy, and awareness to stop COPD, bronchiectasis, and NTM lung disease.

Crystal drives strategic marketing development initiatives and is responsible for brand leadership and development, digital and traditional marketing, communications, and public relations. She leads a team of innovative and creative professionals who focus on media relations, integrated marketing campaigns, content development, and social media.

Crystal has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit marketing and a personal passion for empowering people to live well. Prior to joining the COPD Foundation, Crystal championed aging services across Florida as the Chief Marketing Officer at Senior Friendship Centers, and has worked with the YMCA, school districts, universities, and other nonprofits as an executive leader. She is currently a member of the board of directors for the CWC Florida Public Relations Association.

Arturo Rodriguez, PhD, MBA
Director of Business Administration and Scientific Strategy

As the Foundation's Director of Business Administration and Scientific Strategy, Arturo leads our research division and is responsible for managing and promoting innovative clinical research programs focused on COPD, with a strong emphasis on patient-centered approaches.

Prior to joining the COPD Foundation, he was the Assistant Dean of Administration and Finance at Tulane University, for seven years. In this role, Arturo was responsible for overseeing financial operations, strategic planning, and administrative functions, ensuring the effective management of the university's resources. He also served in a similar role at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California.

Arturo's career in academia began at Florida International University, where he served as the Associate Director of Research Programs. He was responsible for managing research initiatives and fostering an environment that supported novel academic research.

Arturo earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health from Florida International University, a Master of Business Administration from Claremont Graduate University, and a Master of Public Health in epidemiology and a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology, both from the University of Miami.

Timothy R. Aksamit, MD
Bronchiectasis and NTM Medical Director

Timothy R. Aksamit, MD serves as the Bronchiectasis and NTM Medical Director of the COPD Foundation. He oversees bronchiectasis and NTM projects and studies from a clinical perspective, serves as principal investigator, and advises on research strategy, partnership integration, and the development of grant proposals. He serves as author and subject matter expert to educate patients, health care professionals, caregivers, and media on the Foundation’s work and research findings on chronic lung conditions.

Dr. Aksamit is also a Consultant and Associate Professor in the Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine division of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, where he serves as the Mayo Mycobacterial and Bronchiectasis Clinic Director. Prior to accepting his position as Bronchiectasis and NTM Medical Director at the COPD Foundation, Dr. Aksamit served in a voluntary capacity as Chair of the U.S. Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry Consortium for several years. His service as Chair of the Consortium was critical to expanding the Registry and leveraging it to further research in the field, resulting in several published manuscripts and abstracts.

Dr. Aksamit received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL and his medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. He received his medical training in internal medicine, pulmonary, and critical care medicine at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, where he also served as Chief Resident. Before joining the staff at Mayo Clinic in 1998, Dr. Aksamit completed research at Hammersmith Hospital in London, U.K. He will continue his work with the Mayo Clinic while supporting the mission of the COPD Foundation and the Bronchiectasis and NTM Initiative.

Amanda Atkinson, MSN, RN
Manager of Patient and Professional Education

Amanda Atkinson, MSN, RN is the Manager of Patient and Professional Education for the COPD Foundation. In this role she designs educational resources for health care professionals, patients, and caregivers, improving awareness of and accessibility to the latest evidence-based research, innovation, and information.

Amanda comes from a diverse clinical background where she provided care to patients with a variety of health conditions. She has held educational roles over the course of her career in both the health care and corporate sectors, including serving as adjunct faculty for the community and technical college system. She also co-authored a curriculum for use in non-profit recovery homes. Amanda has a passion for empowering patients, caregivers, and providers by creating educational tools to improve quality of care, enabling patients to live their best lives.

Amanda is a registered nurse and holds a Master of Science with concentration in Nursing Education from Northern Kentucky University.

Courtney Crim, MD
COPD360 Medical Director

Courtney Crim, MD, is the COPD360 Medical Director for the Foundation. In this role he will support COPD360Net, the Foundation’s initiative to facilitate, review, and expedite clinical trials for new therapies and digital health tools while also providing support to the Foundation’s COPD360 Coach program.

In addition to his role with the Foundation, Dr. Crim is currently Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Most recently he served as Group Director in Clinical Development in Respiratory Clinical Sciences at GlaxoSmithKline. He has over 20 years of experience designing Phase 2–4 clinical trials that encompassed developing new medical entities. Earlier in his academic career, he was a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Pulmonary and Allergy Drug Advisory Committee and has also presented submissions for drug approval at U.S., European, and other country regulatory agencies.

Dr. Crim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed post-graduate training in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, with subspecialty training in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Michigan. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases, and critical care medicine. He serves as a mentor for minority medical students at the University of Michigan Medical School and is currently liaising with a local university and a philanthropic organization to develop a immersion program for underrepresented minorities at a local high school to foster interest in science and medicine.

Alan Hamilton, PhD
Senior Director of Research; PIVOT Lead

Alan Hamilton, PhD, joined the Foundation in January 2022 as Senior Director of Research. As lead of PIVOT (Patient-Inspired Validation of Outcome Tools), Alan has a major focus on activities related to the development and evaluation of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for COPD, Bronchiectasis, NTM, and other chronic lung diseases. Alan also provides subject matter expertise to the Foundation on topics related to Pulmonary Rehabilitation, including exercise training and testing, self-management, and behavior change; Alan is a member of the planning committee for the American Thoracic Society Pulmonary Rehabilitation Assembly.

Alan is a clinical scientist by training with extensive experience as a clinical program leader. Prior to joining the Foundation, he held several senior scientific positions with Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) (1997 - 2021), highlighted by his role as Global Clinical Program Lead for the once daily long-acting muscarinic antagonist / beta agonist combination, tiotropium/olodaterol (Stiolto) (2004 - 2015). Throughout his academic and industry career, Alan has shown a particular passion for the development and evaluation of interventions that target the alleviation of breathlessness and associated activity limitation in COPD. Between 2013-2021, Alan represented BI in the CBQC as Industry Co-Chair for the Constant Work Rate Exercise Working Group, and in 2020, he succeeded Ruth Tal-Singer as the Industry Co-Chair for the CBQC Steering Committee (2020/2021). Alan has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications in the area of respiratory research.

Alan has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Nottingham University in the United Kingdom, a Master of Science degree in sports science from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom and a PhD in physiology/pharmacology from McMaster University in Canada.

Michael W. Hess
Senior Director of Advocacy and Regulatory Affairs

Michael W. Hess is the Senior Director of Advocacy and Regulatory Affairs and leads the Oxygen360 project for the Foundation. The goal of the project is to facilitate oxygen equipment innovation and research, promote policy improvements surrounding oxygen reimbursement, and enhance clinician education on the appropriate use of this critical therapy. The Foundation aims to redesign the oxygen infrastructure into a robust, resilient system that works for all stakeholders, from manufacturers to equipment distributors to the patients at the heart of our mission.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Mike served in a unique position at WMed Health in Kalamazoo, Michigan. As Chronic Lung Disease Coordinator, he provided patient education, diagnostic testing, care coordination, and other respiratory care services as part of a primary care clinic while also designing and implementing community outreach programs to enhance respiratory health.

Mike is a registered respiratory therapist and has a Master of Public Health degree from Western Michigan University. In 2019 he received the Ambulatory and Post-Acute Care Specialty Practitioner of the Year from the American Association for Respiratory Care.

Christina Hunt
Director of Bronchiectasis and NTM Research and Education

Christina Hunt is the Director of Bronchiectasis and NTM Research and Education for the Foundation. In this role, Christina creates patient educational resources and assists with research projects that are part of the Bronchiectasis and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial (NTM) initiative, a program started by the Foundation several years ago because of the significant overlap between COPD and these two chronic lung diseases.

She is a registered respiratory therapist and has worked in the field of respiratory care for more than 20 years including in adult, pediatric, and neonatal intensive care units; critical care transport teams; and most recently, pulmonary rehabilitation. Christina has worked as a respiratory department clinical educator at a local hospital, and as both adjunct faculty and a clinical instructor for respiratory care students at a local community college. In 2018, she developed a successful blog, BreatheLiveFit.com, to help people with chronic lung conditions live happier, healthier lives. She also serves on the board of directors for Breath Matters Support Group of Virginia.

Christina holds a Bachelor of Science in human food, nutrition, and exercise degree from Virginia Tech.

Katie Keating
BronchandNTM360social Co-moderator

Katie Keating, RN, MS, is a BronchandNTM360social contributor for the Foundation and in this role she writes blog articles and responds to inquiries on BronchandNTM360social, providing information and educational resources to patients and caregivers.

As a nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease patient for many years, she has constantly gathered information on ongoing NTM and bronchiectasis research, exploring the best ways to manage NTM effectively. Considered one of the pioneers in NTM research advocacy, Katie was involved with the NTM Info and Research organization (Coral Gables, FL) since its infancy in 2002 and was an active member of the New York City NTM Support Group (2002–2016). She has lobbied and advocated to secure funding for research and new drug development and has made numerous professional presentations on NTM, including to the 2016 Food and Drug Administration panel to expedite NTM drug development.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Katie worked as a long-term care administrator, a health care business development professional, a charge nurse in a New York City emergency room, and a primary nurse planner for national continuing education programs. She has a Master of Science degree in health services administration from the New School for Social Research (NY, NY), and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from William Paterson University (Wayne, NJ). She completed a fellowship in health care advocacy from the American Nurses Association (Washington, DC).

David Mannino, MD
Co-Founder and Medical Director

David Mannino, MD, is the Medical Director and Co-Founder of the COPD Foundation. In 2004, at an airport meeting room in Denver, he was also part of the original team that launched the COPD Foundation and has served the Foundation in multiple roles, including chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee, Chief Scientific Officer, and as an Associate Editor of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPDF Foundation.

David is a Philadelphia native who went to Penn State and Jefferson Medical College before completing his medical residency (Lankenau Hospital, Philadelphia) and pulmonary fellowship (West Virginia University, Morgantown). After his fellowship, he took a position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where he helped to launch the National Asthma Program and worked on the epidemiology of COPD. In 2004, he retired from the U.S. Public Health Service and started his academic career at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where he was part of the international Burden of Lung Disease (BOLD) team, with the only U.S. site. Following a three-year stint as a U.S. Medical Expert at GlaxoSmithKline, with a focus on COPD, he returned to the Foundation as a Medical Director in November 2020.

Bruce E. Miller, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer

Bruce Miller, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer for the COPD Foundation. He also is Scientific Lead for COPD360Net, the Foundation's Digital Health and Therapeutics Development Accelerator and represents the Foundation on committees that oversee the COPDGene and SPIROMICS studies.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Bruce held senior scientific roles at several pharmaceutical firms including Sterling Winthrop Pharmaceuticals, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Johnson & Johnson, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). During his 15 years at GSK, Bruce led several COPD drug development projects and was a key participant in numerous public-private collaborations that significantly contributed to disease understanding in COPD. He was the industry co-chair for the CBQC's Fibrinogen Working Group, an effort that resulted in the first regulatory qualification with the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for a biomarker as a drug development tool to support COPD clinical trials.

Bruce has authored or co-authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of respiratory research and inflammation/immunology.

Bruce has a Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed post-doctoral training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and Glaxo.

Richard Mularski, MD, MSHS, MCR
Medical Director COPD PPRN

Richard Mularski, MD, MSHS, MCR, is the Medical Director for the Foundation’s Patient-Powered Research Network (PPRN). He was a co-founder of the PPRN with John W. Walsh (COPD Foundation founder) when they secured infrastructure funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) in 2014. He has continued as a co-principal investigator and has guided many of its studies as well as serving on its Governing Board and Proposal Review Committee. He also serves on the Foundation’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee and the COPD360Net Steering Committee.

In addition to his role with the Foundation, Dr. Mularski leads health services research as a Distinguished Investigator in the areas of obstructive lung disease, palliative care, and delivery science at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. He is a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Senior Scholar of Ethics at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Professor of Health Systems Science at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. He has served as the Director of Research and Evaluation for the northwest Kaiser region, Regional Clinical Quality Lead for COPD, and Medical Director of Inpatient Respiratory Care. Among his extensive research experience, he is a founding steering committee member of CONCERT, the COPD Outcomes-based Network for Clinical Effectiveness & Research Translation collaboration. He is a recent past president of the Oregon Thoracic Society.

Dr. Mularski is a Phoenix, Arizona native who completed undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, worked as a mechanical engineer for Motorola, and then completed medical school at the University of Arizona. He has advanced degrees in health services from the University of California-Los Angeles and clinical research from OHSU where he also completed his residency and fellowship. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine, palliative and hospice medicine, pulmonary diseases, and critical care medicine. He maintains a vigorous practice in pulmonary and critical care medicine as a Senior Physician for Northwest Permanente in Portland, Oregon

Kristen Szymonik
Assistant Director of Education

Kristen Szymonik is the Assistant Director of Education for the Foundation. In this role she develops and edits educational materials for patients and community outreach projects.

Kristen is a registered respiratory therapist, certified asthma educator, and medical writer. Prior to joining the Foundation, she designed and implemented one of the first comprehensive asthma education programs in the Chicago suburbs, providing inpatient, outpatient, and community-based education for patients and families. Kristen served a term on the National Asthma Educator Certification Board, where she collaborated with medical professionals from all disciplines and backgrounds. As a medical writer, she developed numerous continuing education classes for health care providers, wrote study guides for national level board exams, and has presented lectures for health care providers on the management of asthma and allergies. Kristen also serves as an author and faculty member on a web-based nursing education forum.

Kristen has Bachelor of Science degree in respiratory care from National-Louis University.

Nicholas Locantore
Senior Director of Digital Data Integration and Statistics

Nick has more than 20 years of experience in clinical research, statistical consulting, and digital data integration. At the Foundation, Nick is primarily engaged with the Patient Powered Research Network (PPRN).