Visionary Chris Olver Named Executive Director of Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation

NEW YORK — Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Chris Olver as its new Executive Director. Chris is a nonprofit leader with proven fundraising and storytelling track records with mission-driven organizations on three continents.

“Chris brings a special medley of skills, longtime nonprofit experience, and passion that will serve us well as we continue to build CPARF into a global research leader in the cerebral palsy (CP) space, changing the lives of people with CP and the lives of those who care for and about them,” said CPARF’s Chairman, Jean-Louis Lelogeais, on behalf of the Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to have Chris join us.”

As a former filmmaker, development director, and executive leader, Chris is uniquely equipped to steer CPARF's growth and narrative into the next exciting phase. He has spent the last five years serving as the Associate Executive Director of Ramapo for Children, a national education reform organization based in New York City.

Chris feels a deeply personal pull toward CPARF’s mission to advance cutting-edge research that will change the lives of 18 million people of all ages with CP. As the father to two young children who were born prematurely — one at 28 weeks and one at 29 weeks — Chris shared that he and his family “have directly benefited from research into CP prevention and detection, including specific research-driven practices funded by CPARF.”

He is energized by this opportunity and says, “It’s incredibly humbling and inspiring to have the chance to use my professional experience and skills to continue to expand that research and our impact on people with CP."

CP is the most common childhood-onset physical disability in the world, but it’s one of the most underfunded. CPARF aims to change that by carving a prominent place for CP in the national consciousness, and by funding and harnessing the forward momentum of CP research in several promising areas, including chronic pain treatment alternatives, thought-to-speech communication, and regenerative medicine.

CPARF’S MISSION

Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation won’t stop until people with CP can live pain-free, until they can live the lives they envision for themselves, and until they can express what’s on their mind and be understood even when they can’t communicate verbally.

We work with the best US-based scientists and foster nationwide and global collaboration between the brightest researchers. We ensure they can share their breakthroughs and advances with each other. As the only organization in the world solely focused on CP research, CPARF is poised to reshape the disability landscape. We’re poised to make breakthroughs. We are poised to change lives.
To learn more about CPARF’s funded research projects, visit www.cparf.org or contact info@cparf.org.