Thomas Laughlin
Chair of Council of Governors
Thomas Laughlin is one of the founding partners of the Dallas office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Thomas regularly represents clients in mergers and acquisitions, SPAC transactions, investments (controlling and minority), divestitures, joint ventures, financings, restructurings and other corporate matters. Thomas has broad experience across many industries, but in particular, he has focused his practice representing clients in the energy, infrastructure, logistics, manufacturing and transportation sectors.
Thomas received his Bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and received his J.D. from University of Texas at Austin School of Law. Thomas resides in Dallas, Texas with this wife Caitlin and their three children. As parents of a child with cerebral palsy, Thomas and Caitlin realize the significance of CP research and are dedicated to raising awareness and support for CP research.
Cameron Brown
Cameron Brown is an Executive Director of Amber Capital, a New York-based hedge fund investing in mergers, acquisition spin-offs, and takeovers. The firm was founded in 2005 and invests in Europe and the US.
Mr. Brown is a parent to a child with cerebral palsy. He is extremely passionate about the potential of stem cell research for cerebral palsy and has personally raised funds for trials in this field. Cameron is excited about the prospect of technology innovations and believes the future for CP looks bright.
Juliette Cottrill
Juliette Cottrill is a Managing Director of Investor Relations and Business Development at Hudson Bay. Prior to joining Hudson Bay in 2009, she worked with the founder of FrontPoint Partners in building a new investment management firm, Duff Capital Advisors, where she Co-Headed the Client Advisory Group. Juliette graduated from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland with a Master’s degree in Political Science.
As the mother of a child born with cerebral palsy, Juliette understands and appreciates the importance of research and the incredible difference it will make across the globe.
Stephanie Shorter
Stephanie M. Shorter, PhD has been active in the startup and venture capital ecosystem of Silicon Valley for eight years. She is the Investor Relations Director for Practical Venture Capital (PVC), a firm that specializes in the venture secondary market. In this role, she interacts with investors and innovators around the globe.
Dr. Shorter has consulted for dozens of startups building both digital and hardware products. This work included user psychology testing, communications strategy, and collaborating with engineering teams in early product development. A common denominator across all of these projects was translating recently published research to position the company or product as evidence-based. She has also worked with major health care companies in the US, Africa, and Asia on health behavior change projects ranging from designing and scripting the interactive language of a diabetes management chatbot to tailoring science-backed incentive structures for wellness programs.
Prior to working in startups and venture capital, Dr. Shorter began her career as a neuroscience professor at Vanderbilt University. She published research in sensory systems (3D motion perception), attention control, eye movements, decision-making, and motor error correction. She has also published extensively on the benefits of yoga and meditation and best practices in mind-body experimental methods.