U2FP Leadership Team
Board of Directors
President: David Zacks
is from Erie, Pennsylvania, where he joined his family’s manufacturing business in 1993. Quickly learning about all facets of running a successful small business, his passion and energy soon translated into strong leadership skills that helped fuel the company’s growth and eventual international expansion. Married and the father of 3 children, David’s flourishing life was rudely interrupted in January 2005 when a snowmobile accident left him with a C5/6 complete spinal cord injury. Determined to take action rather than wait for curative therapies, David visited the Keck Center at Rutgers University to learn about the current state of research science. Convinced that the future could be much brighter than the picture painted in the SCI community, he asked himself, “What can I do”? With U2FP, that question is answered.
Executive Director: Marilyn Smith
of Hood River, Oregon, is a graduate of the University of Michigan and brings a wide variety of skills to her work with Unite 2 Fight Paralysis. She has many years of experience as a fundraiser, event planner, and volunteer coordinator for nonprofit organizations. She has also worked as a tax consultant, webmaster, and office manager in the for-profit world. When her son was paralyzed in 2002 by a wheel that flew off of an oncoming vehicle, she immediately went to work to help him make the best of his situation. Marilyn is one of the co-founders of U2FP, and has served as Executive Director since 2009.
Secretary: Donna Sullivan
of Dublin, Ohio, joined the paralysis community in 2005 when her son sustained a spinal cord injury. Over the last four years Donna has played an important role in the success of the U2FP organization. She believes whether you're advocating for specific research or legislation to support it, you must first understand a SCI is more than a chronic condition - it's complications are life threatening. She took on the toughest opponents of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, recruited legislators to sponsor the bill and helped others advocate for the bill by compiling a series of letters for them to send to their legislators. As a result, she was affectionately named "Bulldog". Her role at U2FP has grown over the last several years and includes most importantly, following the research and developing the W2W program. In recent years W2W has become an international gathering of some of the top researchers and advocates. Previously, she was the Operations Manager for GTE/Sylvania Hospital Products Division and worked as an Enrichment Coordinator at an elementary school. She believes recovery is possible, and looks forward to therapies which will bring about opportunities for further recovery and independence to individuals surviving a spinal cord injury. Donna was recently appointed to the position of Special Projects Director.
Susan Maus
of Burnsville, Minnesota, sustained a C4 spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the shoulders down when the Ford Explorer she was riding in with her family was hit from the side and rolled over. Inspired by a visit with Dr. Wise Young in 2004, and galvanized by the subsequent passing of Christopher Reeve later that year, Susan knew she wanted to make a direct impact on advancing promising curative therapies for paralysis. She is a founding Board member of Unite 2 Fight Paralysis (U2FP), an informal peer counselor and public speaker on paralysis care and cure issues, and serves on the board for MN Works! Susan is a graduate of Winona State University with a BS in Business Administration. She is a highly experienced professional in the healthcare industry with a 20+ year career in operations, finance, and information technology. Currently, she is an Information Technology Solution Strategist for Fairview Health Services.
Chris Powell
of Alliance, Nebraska owns and operates a residential real estate business and works on the family farm. She is married and has two children. Chris and her son entered the paralysis community after her son sustained a spinal cord injury in 2005. They met other members of the community in Washington D.C. at the Working 2 Walk conference in 2008. They began holding local fundraisers and advocating for research on a national level. Prior to her sons injury, she worked as a Front Desk Manager for Heartland Pointe, LLC. Chris believes anyone advocating for spinal cord injury legislation, research and funding can make a difference in bringing regenerative medicine to the clinic as soon as possible. Chris is deeply honored to serve on a national level for Unite 2 Fight Paralysis.