Startups
CMT Research Foundation
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
CMT Research Foundation, Inc. is an Atlanta-based US public charity supporting drug development for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an inherited peripheral neuropathy. Founded in 2018 by Susan Ruediger and Patrick Livney, it partners with academic and industry researchers to advance therapeutic discovery, delivery technologies, biomarkers and translational studies. Its exact legal EIN is 82-5476655; the signed FY2024–2025 Form 990 and audited accounts identify the corporation and its 501(c)(3) public-charity status. The legal foundation is separate from the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association and from unrelated organisations sharing the CMT acronym. Its published address is 4062 Peachtree Road, Suite A209, Atlanta, Georgia 30319. The current staff directory names eight people, led by Laura MacNeill as CEO and Meghan Drummond as Chief Scientific Officer, alongside distinct volunteer governance, Research Advisory Council and Scientific Advisory Board rosters. Former executive and emeritus roles are retained with their dates or source period. William Skach’s January 2026 board appointment is explicitly sourced although the live main board roster omits him. The older financial webpage’s nine-salaried-employees statement is not used to invent an unnamed staff member. The foundation supports research on HDAC6 inhibitors, gene therapies, axon and Schwann-cell biology, inherited-neuropathy models and biomarker methods. Its publicly launched NODE resource provides a shared platform for peripheral-nerve research data; this scientific infrastructure does not establish a proprietary AI product or regulatory approval. Research funding is distinguished from equity investing: the accounts describe milestone-based grants whose agreements can include repayment, royalties or equity provisions. A supported research project is not automatically a priced venture round. Its own March 2025 retrospective reports USD683,000 invested in Augustine Therapeutics in 2023; the exact payment day and instrument are undisclosed. Augustine separately names the foundation in its 2024 first Series A closing and 2025 final Series A closing, which are preserved as their actual issuer events rather than assigning the research payment to the article’s 2025 publication date. The financial model is charitable donations and research funding, with no verified LP funds. The Velocity USD20M campaign is a fundraising goal, not an actual closed investment vehicle; future research commitments, donation receipts and asset balances are not venture fund cash closes.
Founded 2018
Team
 Adam KauffmanTreasurer of the Board |
 Afrooz RashnonejadScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 Amanda Haidet-PhillipsResearch Advisory Council member (external scientific adviser) |
 Ann FairchildBoard director |
 Anna CombesVice President of Philanthropy |
Arthur SuckowBoard director (FY2024–2025 Form 990; current tenure unverified) |
 Bipasha Mukherjee-ClavinScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 Brett McCrayScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 Bruce CarterScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 Cat LutzScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 Charles AbramsScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 Charlotte SumnerResearch Advisory Council member (external scientific adviser) |
 Cleary SimpsonVice Chair of the Board |
 Corey R. HopkinsScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 David KumbrochDirector of Public Relations and Communications |
 Elisabetta BabettoScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 Erich M. FasnachtChief Operations Officer |
 Grace PavlathResearch Advisory Council member (external scientific adviser) · Chief Scientific Officer (2019–2020, former) |
 Kate AndershScientific Portfolio Manager |
 Kleopas KleopaResearch Advisory Council member (external scientific adviser) |
 Laura M. MacNeillChief Executive Officer · Board director |
 Marina KennersonScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 Maximiliano BarrientosBoard director |
 Meghan DrummondChief Scientific Officer |
Michelle MoonBoard Member Emeritus |
Patrick LivneyCo-founder and Board Chair Emeritus |
 Peter J. deSilvaChair of the Board |
Riann EgusquizaDirector of Research (FY2024–2025 Form 990; current employment unverified) |
 Santo CaivanoBoard director |
 Susan CanavariSecretary of the Board |
 Susan RuedigerCo-founder & Chief Mission Officer · Board director · Founding Chief Executive Officer (2018–January 2022) |
Thomas SanderBoard director (FY2024–2025 Form 990; current tenure unverified) |
 Toby FergusonResearch Advisory Council member (external scientific adviser) |
 Vanessa SanchezDonor Acquisition and Operations Manager |
 William MotleyBoard director · Research Advisory Council member (external scientific adviser) · Scientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
 William SkachBoard director (appointment announced January 21, 2026; current directory omission qualified) |
 Yulia GrishchukScientific Advisory Board member (external scientific adviser) |
