Ryan Jacob Assumes Board Chair Role At Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics
Outgoing Board Chair John Schlueter Will Become Chair Emeritus
NEW YORK - The Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST) announced that Ryan Jacob, chief executive officer of CAE, a global software and information-driven trading firm addressing the semiconductor market, will take over as chair of its board of directors. Jacob has served in leadership positions on the FAST Board for approximately three years.
In addition to his role at FAST, Ryan serves on the board of directors of Sourceability, a global semiconductor chip trading firm; the board of PrimeBank of Texas; and serves as Chairman of Jacob Family Holdings, an investment company that oversees investing on behalf of the Jacob Family. Ryan is an advocate for the neurodiverse community and also serves on the board of the Rise School of Austin, a specialty for neurotypical and neurodiverse children.
The announcement comes at an important time for FAST and at a critical time in Angelman syndrome research. This season, FAST made two landscape-changing announcements. First, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a $40m grant for a gene editing platform to Yale University, FAST and RUSH University Medical Center. This was soon followed by the news that FAST had entered into an exclusive global collaborative research and development agreement with the University of Pennsylvania to develop an investigational adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy for Angelman syndrome (AS), led by Dr. Jim Wilson.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for FAST, and in the world of Angelman research,” said Jacob. “And we’re on the cusp of making huge strides toward meeting our goal of curing this disorder. We are going to grow, invest in research, and unearth the treatments of tomorrow.”
Jacob succeeds John Schlueter, owner of Frontline Commercial Real Estate, LLC, which develops, acquires, finances, and leases retail and industrial commercial real estate. Schlueter will become chair emeritus of FAST.
“It has been an honor serving as FAST’s chair of the board of directors, and I’m thrilled to be passing the baton to my friend Ryan,” said Schlueter. “I look forward to working with him and FAST for years to come.”
About FAST
FAST is the patient advocacy organization working to cure Angelman syndrome. As the largest funder of Angelman syndrome research in the world, our goal is to bring safe and effective treatment into current medical practice as quickly as possible.