Board of Directors
Stephen Maier, CPA – President
Stephen is a certified public accountant and partner at Ernst & Young LLP. He has a BS in Accounting from Santa Clara University. He was diagnosed in 1990 with KLS, two years after his first episode and has been episode free since September 2001. Email: steve@klsfoundation.org
DANI FARBER – Vice president
Dani is a hedge fund manager in New York City. He has an MBA from Columbia University and a BS in Finance and Marketing from the University of Maryland. He was diagnosed with KLS in 1995 at the age of 15 and suffered 17 episodes over ten years. Inspired by his parents dedication to the KLS Foundation, Dani joined the board of the KLS Foundation in 2006. Email: dani@klsfoundation.org
Richard B. Maier, CPA – CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Richard has a BS in Accounting from San Jose State University. He has been a CPA for over 25 years as a sole practitioner. Richard is a QuickBooks Pro Advisor and has taught QuickBooks classes in many locations. He was active in youth sports when his children were in school. Email: richard@klsfoundation.org
Arielle Poleg – Communications Chairperson
Arielle is a writer and communications strategist in Washington, DC. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor’s in religion and earned a Masters in the International Affairs of the Middle East from the George Washington University. She was diagnosed with KLS in 1995 and suffered 23 episodes over 12 years. Arielle has been healthy for almost 15 years and has three children and a very full life.Email: arielle@klsfoundation.org
Caron Krieger – United Kingdom
Caron is the mother of Ben who was diagnosed with KLS in 2010. She has a BA in law from the University of Cambridge and worked as a media lawyer. She is a governor of Fairley House, a school for specific learning difficulties. Together with other parents she set up KLS Support UK in 2011. Email: caron@klsfoundation.org
Gaylene Grossman, RN, BSN, CNOR – MEDICAL AWARENESS LIAISON
Gaylene is a Registered Nurse and the Mother of Brian Sabul who had his first episode in April of 2006. It is because of the Foundation’s presence that Brian was diagnosed within weeks of his illness which is a testament to the need for the awareness and outreach that the KLS Foundation promotes. Gaylene has partnered with Board of Directors member Lori Haller to present KLS information to Pediatric, Neurology, Psychiatrics and Sleep Disorder Specialists at major medical centers. Email: gaylene@klsfoundation.org
Jenny Grossman – FUNDRAISING CHAIRPERSON
Jenny is the proud mom of Cooper Grossman, who in March of 2017 at age 15 was diagnosed with KLS. His diagnosis of KLS was very quick, due to the amazing information and contacts provided by the KLS foundation’s website. Since receiving Cooper’s KLS diagnosis, Jenny and her husband Gary have made it their mission to raise awareness and funds for KLS research. The Grossmans turned their feelings of helplessness and hopelessness into positive change and won’t stop until a cure is found.
Board Emeriti
LUCINDA MAIER – FOUNDER
Lucinda is the mother of Stephen Maier. In an effort to contact others with KLS, she put up the first website on Kleine-Levin Syndrome when Stephen was diagnosed with KLS. Lucinda and her husband Richard incorporated the KLS Foundation as a non-profit organization in 1999.
NEAL FARBER, PHD – FOUNDER
Neal is the father of Dani Farber and Arielle Poleg. He is a molecular biologist and has over 40 years’ experience in the biotech industry in research, product development, and company building. Neal is the CEO of NeuroHealing Pharmaceuticals, whose mission is to improve the neuro-rehabilitation process and functional outcome for patients with brain injuries. Neal was a Helen Hay Whitney Research Fellow at Harvard University, received his PhD (Hammett Award) from Columbia University, and a BSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and has served on multiple corporate and non-profit boards. Neal established and led the KLS Foundation’s international research program and has contributed to numerous key scientific publications on KLS.
VARDA FARBER – FOUNDER
Varda is the mother of Dani Farber and Arielle Poleg. She is a veteran teacher and educator. She holds a BA in psychology and education and pursued graduate studies in religious education. Varda has held many leadership roles in local and national non-profit organizations. She led the first KLS Foundation fundraising drives and spearheaded many of the awareness initiatives.