The Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI), an international leader in structural biology located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, announced that four new members were recently elected to three-year terms on the organization’s Board of Directors.
The new directors are: Lavonne E. Ansari, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director, Community Health Center of Buffalo; Tricia Barrett, Senior Vice President, Managing Director, Crowley Webb; Artem G. Evdokimov, Ph.D., Vice President of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Enko Chem, Inc.; and Jeffrey F. Renzoni, Vice President & Human Resources Business Partner, M&T Bank.
“From its front-line role in the battle against COVID-19 to its innovative research on countless other diseases, the work being done by HWI’s team of researchers and scientists to develop therapies that promote and protect public health has never been more important,” said John G. Horn, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We are excited to welcome Lavonne, Tricia, Artem and Jeff to our board, as we work to support and guide the Institute’s all-important mission.”
Ansari is a longtime leader in the field of community health. Since joining Community Health Center of Buffalo, she has overseen the organization’s expansion from one site to five sites across two counties. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to human rights, community involvement and education. Ansari serves on several local and national boards, including the Mayor’s Citizens’ Rights and Community Relations Commission and Mosque Cares Board of Education. In addition, she is a member of the Niagara County Coalition for RACE and serves as the Coordinator of the Masjid Nu’Man Education department. Ansari earned a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies in Recreational Therapy from Brockport State College, a Certificate in Career Development and Management in Women’s Studies from Cornell University, a Master’s Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from Buffalo State College and a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education from the University at Buffalo.
At Crowley Webb, Barrett manages the operations at one of Western New York’s leading advertising agencies. In addition, she is responsible for the agency’s healthcare/patient recruitment division, Praxis, where she oversees all aspects of operations for the agency’s pharmaceutical and biotech clients. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of patient centricity and the role insights can play in developing effective marketing strategies for clinical research. Barrett currently serves as board chair for Leadership Buffalo, co-chair of Elmwood Franklin School’s alumni council, and an advisory council member for the Tim Russert Department of Communication at John Carroll University, from which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree.
Evdokimov leads a diverse scientific team responsible for all target discovery, validation, and implementation work. His career has included roles at Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer, where he used structural biology as a tool to assist in the development of potential new treatments for infectious diseases, CNS ailments, cardiovascular conditions and cancer. He also led the Structure and Design team at Monsanto, where his work enabled the development of novel traits to protect plants against insect predation, to elicit herbicide tolerance, or to enhance yield. Evdokimov was previously the Chief Scientific Officer and CEO at HarkerBio, a contract research company formerly located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. He holds a dual Ph.D. in Chemistry and Structural Biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
In 24 years at M&T, Renzoni has served numerous roles in multiple divisions of Western New York’s largest bank. In his current role, he supports talent development and employee engagement efforts for the bank’s Retail Banking and Business Banking Divisions. He has also held several nonprofit board positions throughout the community, most recently at Buffalo Niagara Choirs, Inc. and Westminster Presbyterian Church. Renzoni received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Boston University and a Master of Business Administration from the University at Buffalo.