Chairman of the Board of Managers - Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., F.A.P.A., F.A.P.S.
Dr. Dawson holds a dual role as DELSIA’s board chair and Autism Speaks’ chief science officer, providing overall leadership for Autism Speaks science programs and initiatives. Dr. Dawson is a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities. Prior to joining Autism Speaks, Dr. Dawson was a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Washington and founding director of the university’s Autism Center. There she led an NIH-funded, multi-disciplinary autism research program focusing on genetics, neuroimaging, diagnosis and treatment, as well as a diagnostic and treatment center for children from infancy through late adolescence.
President - Robert H. Ring, Ph.D.
Dr. Ring holds a dual role as DELSIA’s president and Autism Speaks’ vice president for translational research.. Prior to joining Autism Speaks in 2011, Dr. Ring served as senior director and head of the Autism Research Unit at Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, in Groton, Conn. Prior to Pfizer, Dr. Ring gained a decade experience in psychiatric drug discovery and development at Wyeth Research, in Princeton, N.J. Dr. Ring holds adjunct faculty appointments in psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and in pharmacology and physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine.
Treasurer - Daniel G. Smith, Ph.D.
Dr. Smith holds a dual role as DELSIA’s treasurer and Autism Speaks’ senior director of discovery neuroscience. In his dual roles, Dr. Smith oversees a portfolio of targeted projects and research grant programs that facilitate the discovery and development of treatments and diagnostic tools to address the unmet clinical needs of individuals living with autism. Prior to joining Autism Speaks, Dr. Smith served with Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development as senior principal scientist and laboratory head in the Autism Research Unit and acting head of autism and neurodevelopment. Prior to Pfizer, Dr. Smith served as principal scientist and laboratory head at Lundbeck Research USA, Inc.
Board of Managers Members
Gary W. Goldstein, M.D.
Dr. Goldstein is the president and chief executive officer of Kennedy Krieger Institute, in Baltimore, Md. He is also a professor of neurology and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a professor of environmental health sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. Dr. Goldstein is also a member of the Autism Speaks Board of Directors.
Adrian M. Jones
Mr. Jones is a managing director at Goldman Sachs, in New York, in the company's principal investment area. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1994 as an associate of the Investment Banking Division. He also served in the company's communications and media department on mobility assignments in equity capital markets and in the executive office of Goldman Sachs International, in London. Mr. Jones grew up in Ireland and served as a lieutenant in the Irish Army. In 1987 and 1988, he served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Southern Lebanon. Mr. Jones is a 1986 graduate of University College in Galway and earned his MBA from Harvard in 1994. He is the father of a child with autism. Mr. Jones is also a member of the Autism Speaks Board of Directors.
