Meet the Board

Julie Britti

Julie Britti was a policy advisor and communications director in Washington D.C., serving the chairman of the US Senate Appropriations Committee for more than a dozen years. She was later the Director of Communications for the New Mexico Department of Human Services while historic welfare and Medicaid reforms were taking place. She currently sits on boards and committees as a community volunteer in Colorado. Julie is a friend of the Maniatis family and has joined the board at WillStrong to help support efforts to make a difference for young cancer patients and their families.

Ed Davis

After more than 25 years of working in the IT/Business consulting world Ed decided to make a change. His promise to his family and to himself was no more flying to work, no more chasing the money and, instead, to follow his passion. Ed now owns a local insurance agency and his motto is “Protect What You Love” – for Ed, that means his family, friends and community.

Ed has a beautiful wife and two daughters who believe in standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. His amigos are the type who put their friends ahead of themselves and who never look back. Ed has been involved in Special Olympics, Hats for the Needy, a Jr. Cycling team and numerous youth programs that give him energy to live life to the fullest. Ed enjoys being a part of the community and working on causes that are greater than himself and was moved to join WillStrong after being inspired by Will’s battle with cancer and the mission at WillStrong.

Kay Dry

Kay is proud to serve on the WillStrong Cancer Foundation board to foster education on the realities of childhood cancer and develop ways to provide financial support for research for pediatric cancer. Kay has known Will since he was three years old and was inspired by Will and his family’s amazing perseverance and strength through their journey with this unimaginable disease.

Kay is an experienced senior civil engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the civil/environmental engineering consulting industry. She brings strong program and project management experience to her role with WillStrong as Treasurer and Secretary.

Evyan Maniatis

As one of Will’s many “aunts” by distant relation from the big fat Greek side of his family, Evyan remembers first setting eyes on Will as a rosy cheeked, round-headed, bubbly baby boy in denim overalls. Throughout Will’s AML journey, Evyan, like many, witnessed the fierce fight Will gave juxtaposed with the unfair advantage this cancer had over him. Taken by Claudia’s incredible determination and call to action, Evyan is honored to be a part of this crucial effort that is the WillStrong mission.

Mom to four children, she and her husband George stay busy with attending kids’ sports and activities, and together love skiing in the winter and travel and pool time in the summer. Evyan is an active volunteer at her kid’s schools, her church and a Brownie troop leader. With a background in performing arts, Evyan manages to bring song and dance into just about every family dinner and will bring that same energy and creativity to her work with WillStrong.

Duncan McPherson

Duncan is a seasoned business executive and an original partner in the launch of the WillStrong Cancer Foundation. He is a longtime friend of Claudia’s family, as well as has experienced the loss of a beloved family member to cancer.

Duncan created a foundation in 1997 to support his late wife’s mission and to honor her legacy and is now uniquely positioned to support the development of Claudia’s vision for WillStrong in honor of her son, Will.  Duncan’s background allows him to lend his many years of business experience to help guide strategy and operations in order to fulfill the mission at WillStrong.

Robert Schultz

Will’s “Grandaddy” is a retired business executive with extensive experience managing large information technology firms, providing services to corporate and governmental organizations across the U.S. In addition to a post-business life of family, hobbies and recreational pursuits, Robert has been active with non-profits such as American Red Cross, National Public Radio and Trout Unlimited through volunteer work, Board membership and fund-raising. One of Robert’s honored accomplishments was serving as Will’s “fishing guide”.

David Sharp, PhD.

Dr. David Sharp is Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Neuroscience at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

His career-long research focus has been on the roles and regulation of the microtubule cytoskeleton in cell migration, division, and morphogenesis, as well as harnessing these mechanisms for tissue repair. He has co-authored over 60 papers on this topic to date and has received multiple research grants from federal and state government agencies and private foundations. Dr. Sharp’s research has led to the identification of enzymes that can be targeted in vivo to predictably alter cellular motility in a variety of clinical contexts related to tissue repair and regeneration, for which he has been issued seven U.S. patents.

Dr. Sharp has been the recipient of numerous research awards from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. He also has received the LaDonne H. Schulman Excellence in Teaching Award and is a scholar of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Dr. Sharp holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin.

David is a long-time friend of Claudia’s and his involvement in WillStrong ranges from advisor to strategist.

Kim Smith

Kim is a mom, Real Estate Broker and self-described fitness junkie! She is a long-time friend and colleague of Claudia’s in the yoga world. Kim’s guiding force for getting involved with the WillStrong Cancer Foundation is her sister Debbie. After a year-long battle with stage four brain cancer her beautiful sister passed away in 2003. Kim always knew she wanted to get involved with helping to fight cancer and when Will was diagnosed she knew that moment had arrived. Kim has a passion for bringing people together to raise money AND awareness for this terrible disease and is also leading the junior board at WillStrong.