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CEOs & Business Leaders
FOR-PROFIT COMPANIES
Leonard Schleifer
Founder, President & CEO
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
In 1988, Leonard S. Schleifer, MD, PhD, founded biotech giant Regeneron and has held a position as a director and the company’s president and CEO since its inception. He graduated from Cornell University and earned his MD and PhD in pharmacology from the University of Virginia. Dr. Schleifer
also served as chairman of the board for Regeneron from 1990 through 1994.
Together with business partner and sci- entific founder Dr. George Yancopoulos, Dr. Schleifer has grown Regeneron from a tiny, scrappy startup into a roughly $50 bil- lion market-cap company, with a unique,
NONPROFIT — GENERAL
science-driven culture, triumphant drug discovery and development engine, and nine FDA-approved medicines to date. The company was also one of the first to begin trials for a COVID-19 treatment
drug when the pandemic broke out in the early months of 2020. Dr. Schleifer has been recog- nized as one of Barron’s Best CEOs and as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. A licensed physician certified in neurol- ogy by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Dr. Schleifer worked as a practicing neurologist before founding
Regeneron. —CC
Anahaita Kotval
Executive Director
Lifting Up Westchester
The poor and unhoused living in Westchester County could not have a better friend or advocate than Anahaita Kotval. Since becoming the CEO of Lifting Up Westchester (LUW) in 2017, she has addressed numerous crises, including guiding the organization and the people it serves through a pandemic. On top of growing LUW’s board of directors, Kotval has built productive working relationships throughout county and city governments.
Her most recent endeavor has been refining the organization’s mission and scope of work, which in turn has inspired the board to honor her persistence by giving generously and networking on behalf of the organization. She has recruited and retained a highly com- petent staff, improving working conditions and staff remuneration while spearheading in- spirational, goal-focused development campaigns.
Kotval is a tireless generator for good. Colleagues describe her as “brilliant,” “personable,” “determined,” and obviously passionate about Lifting Up Westchester. As CEO, she has grown the organization to reach more people affected by poverty, elevating the voice and standing of LUW both within Westchester County and Albany. She generously gives her time and expertise to other nonprofit and volunteer organizations. —CC
NONPROFIT — HEALTHCARE
Michael Israel
President & CEO
WMCHealth
Innovation is a way of life for Michael Israel. As president and CEO of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), pioneering cutting-edge solutions for his network of hospitals is all in a day’s work. Israel has overseen the creation of the medical group’s virtual-medicine program, which works to provide care for patients in desperate need of remote options during a lengthy pandemic. In addition, Israel also spearheaded WMCHealth’s rollout of one of the country’s first post-COVID recovery programs and helped coordinate the distribution of more than 2.5 million doses to area vaccine sites. Made up of 10 Hudson Valley hospitals, WMCHealth benefits each day from Israel’s calm, confident, and forward-thinking leadership. —PA
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TOP TO BOTTOM: COURTESY OF REGENERON; BY JILL SINGER GRAPHICS; COURTESY OF WMCHEALTH