Our Team

Marilyn G. Geller is Chief Executive Officer of the Celiac Disease Foundation and founding leader of the Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund, the Foundation’s venture philanthropy platform focused on accelerating diagnostics, therapeutics, prevention, and quality-of-life innovations for celiac disease and related disorders.

Marilyn is a healthcare, policy, and technology leader with extensive experience building research infrastructure and advancing translational science through public–private collaboration. She holds a Master of Science in Public Health in Health Policy, Planning and Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Applied Computing from UCLA. She began her career at the RAND Corporation, contributing to the landmark Medical Outcomes Study that helped establish global standards for patient-reported outcomes measurement.

She later held leadership roles in hospital administration at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (in affiliation with UCLA) and at Health Net, and spent more than a decade at Medversant Technologies, where she served as lead inventor on three U.S. patents in healthcare technology and supported venture capital fundraising to scale the company.

Since joining the Celiac Disease Foundation in 2012, Marilyn has led its growth into a globally recognized catalyst for patient advocacy and translational research. Through the Impact Fund, she leverages this experience to deploy catalytic capital informed by scientific rigor and disciplined investment practices to advance the most promising opportunities in celiac disease.

Brett Spitale is Chief of Staff for the Celiac Disease Foundation and a nonprofit executive with more than 25 years of experience advancing healthcare causes, with a particular focus on leveraging venture philanthropy to accelerate cures.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Brett served as Vice President of Advancement at the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF), where he led development, communications, marketing, and stakeholder relations. In that role, he was instrumental in the launch of Pathway to Cures (P2C), NBDF’s venture philanthropy fund, helping raise significant capital, support early investments, and position the fund as a catalyst for innovation in the bleeding disorders space.

A proven leader in building mission-driven revenue streams, Brett brings deep expertise across fundraising disciplines—including major gifts, corporate and foundation partnerships, annual giving, capital campaigns, and planned giving—as well as experience in communications strategy, governance, and stakeholder engagement.

Brett’s career also includes leadership roles at Autism Speaks, the Alzheimer’s Association, The Arc, and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. He is active in professional associations including the American Society of Association Executives, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, and BoardSource. Brett earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in communications and nonprofit management from George Mason University.

Dr. Robert “Bob” Anderson is a world-leading gastroenterologist, immunologist, and biotechnology innovator whose work has transformed the scientific and clinical landscape of celiac disease. With deep expertise spanning discovery research, clinical translation, and commercial development, he brings a uniquely global and multidisciplinary perspective to the Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund’s scientific leadership.

Originally from New Zealand, Dr. Anderson completed his medical and doctoral training there before undertaking gastroenterology specialization in Melbourne, Australia, and post-doctoral research at Oxford University, where he pioneered studies into gluten-specific T cells. His subsequent work at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research defined the immune mechanisms of celiac disease, identifying the key gluten epitopes that activate pathogenic T cells and helping establish celiac disease as a systemic autoimmune condition. As scientific founder and executive of several biotech ventures—including Nexpep, ImmusanT, and now Novoviah Pharmaceuticals and JM Clinical, where he serves as Co-Founder and Director, and as Co-Founder and Chief Medical Director, respectively—Dr. Anderson has guided programs translating immunology into tangible patient applications. He led the development of Nexvax2, the first antigen-specific immunotherapy for celiac disease, advancing it through global clinical trials. Currently, through Novoviah Pharmaceuticals, he is advancing next-generation T-cell–based diagnostics aimed at earlier and more accurate disease detection and monitoring.

Dr. Anderson serves as Past President of the International Society for the Study of Celiac Disease (ISSCD) and as the Principal Science & Innovation Advisor to the Celiac Disease Foundation. His scientific leadership has been recognized worldwide, including the Celiac Disease Foundation Prize for Excellence in Celiac Disease Research and the Mäki Celiac Disease Tampere Prize for outstanding contributions to the field of gluten-related disorders.

As Chair of the Scientific Advisory Group, Dr. Anderson guides the Fund’s strategic scientific vision—identifying transformative opportunities, mentoring emerging investigators, and helping ensure that each investment drives measurable impact from the laboratory to the lives of those with celiac disease.

Dr. Daniel C. Adelman is a clinician-scientist, immunologist, and biotechnology leader whose career spans academic medicine and executive leadership in drug development. With more than three decades of experience advancing therapies for immune-mediated diseases, he brings to the Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund deep expertise in translational science, clinical strategy, and regulatory development, with a consistent focus on meaningful patient outcomes.

Dr. Adelman the advancement of novel immune-based therapeutic programs. Over the course of his industry career, he has held senior leadership roles including Chief Medical Officer at Aimmune Therapeutics, Alvine Pharmaceuticals, and Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, guiding global clinical development strategies across allergy, autoimmunity, inflammatory diseases, and oncology. At Aimmune Therapeutics, he led clinical development efforts culminating in the FDA approval of Palforzia®, the first approved therapy for peanut allergy, marking a milestone in immune tolerance–based treatment. His work has also included programs relevant to celiac disease and food allergy, emphasizing rigorous clinical endpoints and patient-centered benefit. Earlier in his career, he served as a Clinical Scientist at Genentech and as Vice President of Clinical Operations and Biometrics at Pharmacyclics, contributing to the development of pioneering biologic and targeted therapies.

Dr. Adelman served for more than three decades on the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine in the Division of Allergy and Immunology and as Director of Clinical Allergy and Immunology, and he continues as an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at UCSF. He has published extensively in allergy and clinical immunology and has served on the editorial boards of Clinical Immunology and the Journal of Clinical Immunology. He earned his B.A. in Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and his M.D. from the University of California, Davis. As a member of the Scientific Advisory Group, Dr. Adelman evaluates emerging scientific opportunities with an emphasis on translational potential, clinical feasibility, and the capacity to advance new standards of care for individuals living with celiac disease.

Dr Ciarán P Kelly is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the J Thomas Lamont Professor of Gastroenterology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Boston, Massachusetts USA. Dr Kelly has engaged in patient care and research in Celiac disease for more than 30 years. In 2004 he was a founder of the Celiac Center at BIDMC and continues to serve as its Medical Director. In 2013 he co-founded the Celiac Education and Research Program at Harvard Medical School which brings together Celiac disease educators and researchers from Harvard teaching hospitals including Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and BIDMC. He is a founding member and past President of the Society for the Study of Celiac Disease.

Dr Kelly is an internationally recognized expert in the diagnosis and management of celiac disease. He also leads research programs on the pathogenesis of celiac disease, its diagnosis and new approaches to treatment. He is the author of more than 300 clinical and basic research book chapters, invited reviews, and original research articles appearing in medical and scientific journals including Gastroenterology, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Daniel A. Leffler is a globally respected gastroenterologist, clinical researcher, and thought leader in celiac disease whose work spans academic medicine, translational science, clinical innovation, and global biopharmaceutical development. He is recognized for advancing standards of diagnosis, improving disease management, and shaping clinical strategy for novel therapies, bringing a comprehensive and patient-centered perspective to the Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund’s scientific leadership.

Dr. Leffler currently serves as Executive Medical Director and Global Program Lead for Celiac Disease at Chugai Pharmaceuticals, where he guides the clinical development strategy for immune-mediated disorders, with a focus on creating better diagnostic tools, treatment paradigms, and outcomes for people with celiac disease. Prior to Chugai, he was Global Clinical Lead for Celiac Disease at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where he helped drive the company’s clinical strategy in celiac disease and increased awareness of disease burden and unmet needs. His industry leadership has helped bridge clinical expertise and therapeutic innovation at scale.

A dedicated clinician-scientist, Dr. Leffler is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and has held key roles at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Celiac Center, including Director of Research. His clinical work informs his research and policy contributions, and he remains actively involved in care delivery. He has published extensively — more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, guidelines, and consensus statements on celiac disease, including on topics such as diagnosis strategies, patient outcomes, and real-world management — and his work is widely cited in the field.

Dr. Leffler is frequently invited to speak internationally on celiac disease diagnosis and management, including how to improve recognition and care pathways. His contributions extend to public and professional education, helping raise awareness of the true burden of celiac disease and practical approaches to care.

As a member of the Scientific Advisory Group, Dr. Leffler provides expert clinical and scientific review of prospective investments, evaluating translational promise, clinical feasibility, and the potential to meaningfully advance the standard of care for individuals living with celiac disease.

William Thurston serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Celiac Disease Foundation and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund.

Under his strategic leadership as Board Chair, the Foundation launched the Impact Fund, establishing a venture philanthropy platform that applies disciplined capital deployment and scientific rigor to accelerate diagnostics, therapeutics, prevention approaches, and quality-of-life innovations for celiac disease.

William is a seasoned technology executive and operator with a track record of leading high-performance engineering organizations and building reliable global-scale systems.

He is currently a senior engineering leader at Google, where he provides technical leadership for teams responsible for foundational infrastructure and the operational reliability of core products used worldwide.

Prior to Google, William held senior technical roles at Facebook (Meta), Netflix, and Amazon, where he contributed to the design and delivery of cloud infrastructure and services that underpin mission-critical applications and platforms.

William’s professional expertise in scaling complex systems, driving cross-functional execution, and stewarding long-range technical strategy complements his governance leadership at the Foundation and Impact Fund, reinforcing confidence and discipline in oversight, risk governance, and strategic investment prioritization.

William and his partner have both lived with celiac disease for nearly 15 years, reinforcing his focus on accelerating better tools, treatments, and outcomes for patients and families globally.

John A. Wagner is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Celiac Disease Foundation Impact Fund and a senior public-sector executive with more than 30 years of leadership in health and human services, including senior advisory roles to seven gubernatorial administrations across Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and California. He brings deep experience in capital stewardship, governance, and outcomes-driven oversight across large, complex systems.

In California, John served as Director of the California Department of Social Services, the nation’s largest child welfare agency, overseeing an annual budget of more than $20 billion. He also led the California Department of Community Services and Development. In Massachusetts, he headed the Department of Transitional Assistance, overseeing statewide programs delivering food, shelter, and economic support, and advancing innovation across the state’s safety-net programs.

Most recently, John served as Executive Vice President at First 5 Los Angeles, an early childhood advocacy and public grantmaking organization, where he led administrative and programmatic investment functions over more than a decade—bringing a disciplined approach to funding decisions, accountability, and system-level impact.

John has celiac disease, reinforcing his commitment to accelerating better diagnostics, treatments, and patient outcomes. He also chairs the Celiac Disease Foundation Advocacy Council and, in that capacity, serves on the Foundation’s Executive Committee.

Blakely Braniff is a venture philanthropist and nonprofit leader whose professional career spans entrepreneurial ventures, education, and biotechnology. She brings to the Celiac Disease Foundation experience in organizational growth, capital development, and mission-driven strategy, with a focus on scaling impact-oriented initiatives.

Blakely spent nearly twenty years with Blue Man Group, where she served as a production manager overseeing live theatrical productions, television appearances, and international special events. She later helped launch Blue School—a creativity-centered playgroup founded by the Blue Man Group creators—into a New York State-certified 501(c)(3) preschool in lower Manhattan. As Director of Development, she led capital campaigns, structured public-private partnerships, and supported major facility expansions as the school grew into an elementary and middle school.

Continuing in the start-up spirit, Blakely spent ten years supporting the growth of Avaden BioSciences, Inc., contributing to its expansion as a leader in tissue procurement and assay development within the biotechnology sector. She has also developed innovative partnership models within public education systems to strengthen arts programming and community engagement.

A graduate of Boston University, Blakely brings an entrepreneurial perspective, disciplined development expertise, and a venture-oriented approach to governance and capital stewardship in support of the Foundation’s long-term impact.

Jordan Ramer is a technology entrepreneur, investor, and sustainability leader with a proven track record of founding, scaling, and successfully exiting high-growth companies. He is the Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of EV Connect, a leading electric vehicle charging management platform that expanded nationally under his leadership and was acquired by Schneider Electric, a global energy management and automation company. Following the acquisition, Jordan continued to support strategic growth and integration efforts, demonstrating disciplined execution from startup formation through exit and scale within a global enterprise.

Over the course of his career, Jordan has held senior leadership roles in clean technology, infrastructure, and venture-backed enterprises, guiding business development, capital strategy, and operational expansion. He is also Founder and Managing Partner of Spark Studios, where he partners with founders to build and grow mission-driven consumer and technology companies, combining strategic capital deployment with brand positioning and operational expertise.

Jordan holds a B.S. from Skidmore College and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. His professional experience in venture growth, strategic transactions, and governance complements the Foundation’s focus on disciplined oversight, innovation acceleration, and long-term value creation. His personal connection to celiac disease reinforces his commitment to expanding access to better diagnostics, treatments, and quality-of-life solutions for patients and families worldwide.