Alan Leshner
Chief Executive Officer,
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Executive Publisher, "Science"
Dr. Leshner has been chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the journal "
Science"
since December 2001. AAAS was founded in 1848 and is the world's largest, multidisciplinary scientific and engineering society.
Before coming to AAAS, Dr. Leshner was director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) from 1994-2001. One of the scientific institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIDA supports over 85% of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction.
Before becoming director of NIDA, Dr. Leshner served as deputy director and acting director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He went to NIMH from the National Science Foundation (NSF), where he held a variety of senior positions focusing on basic research in the biological, behavioral, and social sciences; science policy; and science education.
Dr. Leshner went to NSF after ten years at Bucknell University, where he was professor of Psychology. He has also held long-term appointments at the Postgraduate Medical School in Budapest, Hungary; at the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center; and as a Fulbright scholar at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. The author of a major textbook on the relationship between hormones and behavior, Dr. Leshner has published more than 150 papers for both the scientific and lay communities on the biology of behavior, science and technology policy, science education, and public engagement with science.
Dr. Leshner received an undergraduate degree in psychology from Franklin and Marshall College and MS and PhD degrees in physiological psychology from Rutgers University. He also has been awarded six honorary Doctor of Science degrees. Dr. Leshner is an elected fellow of AAAS, the National Academy of Public Administration, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and many other professional societies. He is a member (and on the governing Council) of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science and a member of the Advisory Committee to the director of NIH. President Bush appointed Dr. Leshner to the National Science Board in 2004.
William D. Novelli
Professor, McDonough School of Business
Georgetown University
Bill Novelli is a professor in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. In addition to teaching in the MBA program, he is working to establish a center for social enterprise at the School. From 2001 to 2009, he was CEO of AARP, a membership organization of over 40 million people 50 and older. During his tenure, the organization achieved important policy successes at national and state levels in health, financial security, good government and other areas. It also doubled its budget, added five million new members, and expanded internationally.
Prior to joining AARP, Mr. Novelli was president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, whose mandate is to change public policies and the social environment, limit tobacco companies’ marketing and sales practices to children and serve as a counterforce to the tobacco industry and its special interests. He now serves as chairman of the board.
Previously, he was executive vice president of CARE, the world’s largest private relief and development organization. He was responsible for all operations in the U.S. and abroad. CARE helps impoverished people in Africa, Asia and Latin America through programs in health, agriculture, environmental protection and small business support. CARE also provides emergency relief to people in need.
Earlier, Mr. Novelli co-founded and was president of Porter Novelli, now one of the world’s largest public relations agencies and part of the Omnicom Group, an international marketing communications corporation. He directed numerous corporate accounts as well as the management and development of the firm. Porter Novelli was founded to apply marketing to social and health issues, and grew into an international marketing/public relations agency with corporate, not-for-profit, and government clients. He retired from the firm in 1990 to pursue a second career in public service. He was named one of the 100 most influential public relations professionals of the 20th century by the industry’s leading publication.
Mr. Novelli is a recognized leader in social marketing and social change and serves on a number of boards and advisory committees. He has managed programs in cancer control, diet and nutrition, cardiovascular health, reproductive health, infant survival, pay increases for educators, charitable giving and other programs in the U.S. and the developing world.
He began his career at Unilever, a worldwide-packaged goods marketing company, moved to a major ad agency, and then served as director of Advertising and Creative Services for the Peace Corps. In this role, Mr. Novelli helped direct recruitment efforts for the Peace Corps, VISTA, and social involvement programs for older Americans.
He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA from Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication, and pursued doctoral studies at New York University. He taught marketing management for 10 years in the University of Maryland’s MBA program and also taught health communications there. He has lectured at many other institutions. He has written numerous articles and chapters on marketing management, marketing communications, and social marketing in journals, periodicals and textbooks. His book, "50+: Give Meaning and Purpose to the Best Time of Your Life," was updated in 2008.
Lawrence A. Tabak, DDS, PhD
Principal Deputy Director, National Institutes of HealthLawrence A. Tabak was appointed Principal Deputy Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on August 23, 2010. Previously Dr. Tabak served as the acting principal deputy director of the NIH from November 13, 2008 through August 14, 2009. Named as the director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) in September 2000, he held that post through August 2010, also serving as acting director of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives from May 2010 through September 2010.
Dr. Tabak has served as co-chair of several trans-NIH activities including the Research Teams of the Future component of the NIH Roadmap that emphasizes new ways of conducting team science; the NIH-wide initiative to enhance peer-review; and the NIH-wide Pain Consortium. While serving as the NIH acting deputy director in 2009, Dr. Tabak helped coordinate the agency’s response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Prior to joining NIH, Dr. Tabak was the senior associate dean for research and professor of dentistry and biochemistry and biophysics in the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester in New York. A former NIH MERIT recipient, Dr. Tabak's major research focus has been on the structure, biosynthesis, and function of glycoproteins. He continues work in this area, maintaining an active research laboratory within the NIH intramural program in addition to his administrative duties.
Dr. Tabak has received several honors for his work, including being elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he received his undergraduate degree from City College of the City University of New York, his DDS from Columbia University, and a PhD from the University of Buffalo.
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