Speaker Bios
Mary Woolley
President of Research!America
Mary Woolley is the president of Research!America, the nation’s largest not-for-profit alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Woolley is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) and served two terms on its Governing Council. She is a recipient of the Adam Yarmolinsky Medal for distinguished contributions to the mission of the Academy over a significant period. She has served two terms on the National Academy of Sciences Board on Life Sciences, and currently serves on its Board for Higher Education and Workforce. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of Sigma Xi, the scientific honorary society. She is a Founding Member of the Board of Associates of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, a member of the board of the Institute for Systems Biology, a member of the University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences and the Pritzker School of Medicine Council, and a former member of the National Council for Johns Hopkins Nursing. She holds two honorary doctoral degrees, from the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and Wayne State University. Woolley has served as president of the Association of Independent Research Institutes, as editor of the Journal of the Society of Research Administrators, as a reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, and as a consultant to several research organizations. She has a 30-year publication history on science advocacy and research related topics, and is a sought-after speaker, often interviewed by science, news, and policy journalists.
William Buster
Executive Vice President of Community Investments, St Davids Foundation
William provides oversight for the Foundation’s grantmaking programs, and is responsible for leading the design, development, delivery and evaluation of the Foundation’s grantmaking strategies and policies.
Prior to joining the Foundation, William was the Owner and Lead Consultant for Common-Unity Philanthropic and Nonprofit Advisors. He worked in a variety of positions, including Director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programs and Advisor to the President on Men and Boys of Color during his 8 years with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Prior to joining the Kellogg Foundation, William was a Program Officer for the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation for 7 years, and earlier in his career, was the Program Director for Community Development for the Greensboro Education and Development Council.
Suzanne Anderson
Interim CEO and President, Special Olympics of Texas
The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for people with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. SOTX serves the entire state through 19 area offices.
Walter E. Horton Jr, Ph.D., Moderator
Associate Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs and Chief Research Officer, Texas State University
Prior to joining Texas State, Dr. Horton served as the Vice President for Research and Dean of the College of Graduate Studies at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. Dr. Horton has an outstanding reputation as a scientist and scholar working in the area of arthritis research. He has served as a full member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Skeletal Biology Development and Disease study section and currently serves on NIH review panels focused on commercializing research findings. Dr. Horton began his career working in drug discovery for Eli Lilly and Company and then led an intramural research program at the National Institute on Aging, NIH.
Dr. Horton earned his B.Sc. in zoology, cum laude, from Kent State University and his Ph.D. in anatomy and cell biology from the University of Cincinnati. He was awarded a National Research Service postdoctoral fellowship from the NIH in the area of molecular biology.
Melinda Villagran, Ph.D.
Director of the Texas State Translational Health Research Initiative, Texas State University
Dr. Melinda Villagran is a professor and director of the Texas State Translational Health Research Initiative, a program supporting faculty seeking to improve health through applied research and sponsored programs. Dr. Villagran is also currently principal investigator on two community-based research programs. S.H.A.R.E. (Sexual Health Assessment and Risk Education), is a multi-year community-based partnership funded by SAMHSA to reduce sexual risk behaviors among at-risk young adults in our community. Networx is a translational research program funded by St. David’s Foundation to develop a health communication and social support network among underserved women in Hays County.
Prior to attending graduate school, Dr. Villagran worked for U.S Representative Mike Synar in Washington D.C. In 2001, she joined the Texas State Communication Studies faculty where she worked from 2001-2004, before leaving to work at UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, University of Texas San Antonio, and George Mason University. At Mason, she served as graduate director and inaugural faculty member for their top rated PhD program in health communication. She returned to the faculty at Texas State in 2012.
Dr. Villagran has authored two books and published over 65 peer-reviewed publications on communication and health. She has been quoted as a communication expert in numerous regional and national media outlets, including the Washington Post, Washington Examiner, AARP Magazine (bilingual edition), ABC News, and the Wisconsin Law Review. Her work has been funded by the Department of Defense, Centers for Disease Control National Cancer Institute, Department of Homeland Security, Merck Pharmaceutical, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and several other funding agencies.