Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Names New Board Chair, Elects Seven New Trustees, and Appoints New National Scientific Advisory Committee Chair

Contact: Rachel Peifer
[email protected]

NEW YORK, NY – The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation announced that Amber Backhaus has been appointed Chair of its National Board of Trustees, Peter Higgins, MD, PhD has been named Chair of the National Scientific Advisory Committee, and seven new trustees have been elected to the Board - Noël Brown; Rocio Castrillon; Becky Flaherty; Sandra Kim, MD; Megan Riehl, PsyD; Andrew Stern; and Douglas Wolf, MD.

Amber has more than 20 years of experience in government relations, specializing in representing clients before the Minnesota Legislature and state agencies. She is the Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs for United Strategies, LLC, where she works with business and non-profit clients to tell their stories to policymakers and promote public policy initiatives. She previously led advocacy efforts for the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association (MADA). Her involvement with the Foundation started in 2011 as a Team Challenge participant, where she ran her first half-marathon in memory of her brother Phil. Since then, she has completed 12 more Team Challenge races and served as president for the Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter board from 2014 to 2016.

"Amber has been a valued and trusted board member and advisor to the Foundation, and I am excited to work with her in his new leadership role,” said Michael Osso, President & CEO of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. “This is an exciting time for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and I know with Amber’s guidance, we will make great strides toward realizing our vision of a future free from Crohn’s and colitis.”

Dr. Higgins is a dedicated member of the Crohn’s and Colitis community, actively involved for many years. He has contributed locally by supporting the Michigan chapter and delivering presentations at various patient and professional education programs across Michigan and nationwide. Additionally, Dr. Higgins has played a key role on the Foundation’s National Scientific Advisory Committee. Notably, he has spearheaded the Crohn’s & Colitis Congress, the premier IBD professional education event jointly organized by the Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), for the past two years.

Joining Amber on the Board are seven new trustees:

• Noël Brown, Managing Director, and U.S. Head of Biotechnology Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets
• Rocio Castrillon, Multilingual Strategic Marketing Professional
• Becky Flaherty, Regional Vice President of Satell Institute, a nonprofit think tank dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility
• Sandra Kim, MD, Chair of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic
• Megan Riehl, PsyD, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Michigan
• Andrew Stern, Global Co-Leader of the Securities and Shareholder Litigation team at Sidley Austin
• Douglas Wolf, MD, Director of IBD Research and Medical Director, Center for Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis, Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates

Read more about our Board of Trustees here.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization focused on both research and patient support for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the mission of curing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and improving the quality of life for the millions of Americans living with IBD. The Foundation’s work is dramatically accelerating the research process, while also providing extensive educational and support resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public.