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Board of Trustees

Vital Strategies’ governing board

Bruce Mandell Elected Vital Strategies Board Chair

Bruce Mandell, Chairperson

Bruce Mandell, President of Data-Mail Inc. and Chairman and Majority Owner of Hartford Athletic, has been elected Chair of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Mandell steps into the role following the tenure of Louis James de Viel Castel, Managing Director, Quilvest, and Vital Strategies’ first Board Chair.

“It has been my honor to serve as Board Chair and uphold Vital Strategies’ mission of working towards a world where every person is protected by equitable and effective public health systems,” said Mr. de Viel Castel. “I am proud to have been part of Vital Strategies since its inception and honored to leave having served as Board Chair during a period of rapid growth and transformation. I believe that Vital Strategies has all the capacity and talent necessary to respond rapidly to today’s most pressing public health issues. At a time when the world so urgently needs public health leadership, I welcome Bruce, my longtime friend and Vital Board member, as the new Board Chair. I am certain Vital Strategies will continue to flourish under his leadership.”

“At this critical moment in global public health, it is an honor to welcome Bruce Mandell as Board Chair,” said José Luis Castro, President and CEO, Vital Strategies. “With his business acumen, commitment to community and passion for improving health, Bruce is primed for this leadership role. I am thrilled to work alongside him and the Board of Trustees as we enter Vital Strategies’ next phase and continue to make the places we live, work and play engines for health.”

“Vital Strategies is building a future where the many facets of public health and the protections it affords are better understood and supported. As Board Chair, I look forward to working with my fellow trustees to advance our critical mission and champion the importance and relevance of public health in our everyday lives,” said Mr. Mandell. “Thank you to Jimmy for his exemplary service to the Board and to José for his leadership of Vital Strategies.”

Mr. Mandell is President of Data-Mail, Inc., a family-owned business founded in 1971 and one of the nation’s largest direct marketing, print and production facilities. He is also Chairman and Majority Owner of Hartford Athletic, a professional men’s soccer club that plays out of Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut. Prior to joining Data-Mail, Mr. Mandell practiced corporate law in Manhattan after receiving a J.D. from Georgetown University and his B.A. from Tufts University.

Mr. Mandell is an active supporter of his community and philanthropic networks, serving as Board Member of the New England Chapter of the American Cancer Society, former Board Member and former Vice Chair of Kingswood Oxford School, Trustee for the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford and Fire Commissioner for the Town of Woodbridge. He works closely with the Mandell Family Foundation—a nonprofit providing programs related to education and health.

Executive Committee 

Chairperson 

Bruce Mandell
President of Data-Mail Inc. and Chairman and Majority Owner of Hartford Athletic

Chief Executive Officer

José Luis Castro

Vice Chair for Programs 

Dr. Renée Ridzon
Medical Officer, Centers for Disease Control (Kenya) 

Vice Chair for Operations

Helen Agerup 
Chairman, H&B Ågerup Foundation 

Treasurer 

Marc Sznajderman 
Senior Vice President, Head of Production, Eastern Region Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. 

Secretary 

Dr. Ram Koppaka
Physician, Pulmonary Medicine and Public Health

Board Members

David A. Caputo, Ph.D.
President Emeritus and Retired Professor of Political Science, Pace University 

José Luis Castro (ex Officio)
President and Chief Executive Officer, Vital Strategies

Frank G. Colella
Attorney at Law 

Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet
Executive Director, Merck for Mothers

Dr. Roslyn “Roz” Feder
Biopharmaceutical Business Development Consultant 

Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick
Founder and CEO, Grapevine Health

Mark Foley
President, Pendo LLC 

Scott Halstead 
Investor, Advisor and Board Member, Venture capital and private equity backed technology-enabled service businesses 


Dr. Kelly Henning
Public Health Program Lead, Bloomberg Philanthropies 

Dr. Masae Kawamura
Immunotherapy and Immunodiagnostics Consultant

Meron Makonnen, MPA, JD
General Counsel at ELMA Philanthropies Services

Eric Rosenbaum 
President and CEO of Project Renewal

Jack Salvo
Executive Vice President, Business Development, PharmaSphere 

Dr. Neil W. Schluger
Chairman, Department of Medicine, New York Medical College 

Dr. Dean Schraufnagel
Professor of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine