Established in 2020, FasterCures LeadersLink Program is a capacity-building program to support the personal development of an emerging cadre of leaders of nonprofit organizations that fund or conduct biomedical research. LeadersLink focuses on building participants’ leadership skills and professional network and addressing their top priorities through mentorship, a capstone project, a series of convenings, virtual collaboration, and access to Milken Institute events and networks.  

“Being new to rare disease work and the rare disease foundation world, I had the great privilege of being paired with brilliant and accomplished mentors who helped me think through different strategies to fund direct development.I hope to be able to give back in some small way by providing support and mentorship to the next group of mentees.”
 
Melissa Kennedy is the Executive Director of the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (ISRF), where she leads efforts to maximize research investments that accelerate the development of curative therapies for Rett Syndrome. As part of her capstone, Kennedy sought to re-structure the Foundation’s grant award mechanism to include an opportunity for pay-back for investments that become commercialized for purposes of Rett Syndrome. Kennedy successfully re-designed the Foundation’s research engagements to ensure the recouperation of investments and allow the Foundation to continually reinvest in new, potentially curative therapies.