Leadership team
Management
Bina Maniar Shah
Founder & CEO
Founder & CEO
President of the Board of Directors
In 2018, Bina founded Project 8p Foundation to accelerate research with the goal of treatment for chromosome 8p heroes like her daughter Karina. Since then, she has fully committed herself to the advancement of clinical and research understanding of rare disorders, in particular neurodevelopmental chromosomal disorders such as the 8p rearrangements. Shifting perspectives from disease specific efforts to innovative approaches that are gene-agnostic and cross disorder is a long term scalable vision of hers. As a result, she is the founding partner of the Commission on Novel Technologies for Neurodevelopmental Copy Number Variants (CNVs).
Lauren Chaby
Executive Director
Lauren E. Chaby, PhD
Executive Director
Dr. Lauren Chaby has applied her expertise in optimizing clinical outcomes in the biotech, non-profit, pharmaceutical, and research sectors, focusing on conditions affecting the brain. She has led preclinical and clinical programs including clinical trials phases I-III across a range of therapeutic areas, diagnostic development and implementation, as well as launched a multi- cohort repository for biospecimens and clinical datasets.
Serving as Executive Director at Project 8p is deeply meaningful to her, as a chromosomal translocation within her family has profoundly influenced the lifelong journeys of her and her loved ones. Her commitment to improving lives today while pioneering treatments for tomorrow reflects her dedication to advancing the field of chromosomal disorders.Barbara Celona, PhD
Science Director
Science Director
Barbara grew up in Sicily, Italy, and has a multidisciplinary background in molecular and cell biology, developmental biology, biochemistry, disease modeling, and multi-omics. Barbara brings a wealth of expertise and innovative insight as the Science Director of the Project 8p Foundation.
A resident of San Francisco since 2011, Barbara co-founded a company for biomarker discovery in neurodegenerative diseases in 2017 and has served as a scientific advisor for several startups and venture capital firms. She has also been a driving force in the leadership team of the Women in Bio (WIB) San Francisco Bay Area Chapter since 2019 and is a governance member of the Business Association Italy America (BAIA). Kaiti Syverson
Patient Engagement Manager
In 2019, eager to learn more about her daughter’s diagnosis, Kaiti attended Project 8p’s first Family and Science Conference. Drawn to the strength of the 8p community, she left the conference with a new calling, an opportunity to serve. Kaiti immediately stepped into the Patient Leadership Board’s (PLB) Community Support Chair position, where she assisted in the creation of Project 8p’s community programs, before eventually taking on the role of Co-Chair to the PLB in 2022. While she will continue to donate her time as Co-Chair of the PLB, Kaiti is enthusiastic about her next opportunity as Patient Engagement Manager and eager to continue serving the 8p community. As a parent and peer, Kaiti is passionate about advocating for 8p heroes and has a desire to support families through their journey.
Kaiti Syverson
Patient Engagement Manager
Kaiti Syverson
Patient Engagement Manager
Kaiti Syverson
Patient Engagement Manager
In 2019, eager to learn more about her daughter’s diagnosis, Kaiti attended Project 8p’s first Family and Science Conference. Drawn to the strength of the 8p community, she left the conference with a new calling, an opportunity to serve. Kaiti immediately stepped into the Patient Leadership Board’s (PLB) Community Support Chair position, where she assisted in the creation of Project 8p’s community programs, before eventually taking on the role of Co-Chair to the PLB in 2022. While she will continue to donate her time as Co-Chair of the PLB, Kaiti is enthusiastic about her next opportunity as Patient Engagement Manager and eager to continue serving the 8p community. As a parent and peer, Kaiti is passionate about advocating for 8p heroes and has a desire to support families through their journey.
Andrew M. Grumet
Legal Advisory
Legal Advisory
Josh Wolf
Finance and Operations Consultant
For the past three years, Josh (he/his) has provided finance and operation training, coaching, and services to over 100 startup and growing multi-entity social justice , rare disease, fair housing, and technology focused nonprofits.
Prior to this work, Josh served as the Chief Operating Officer for Cory Booker’s Presidential Campaign, Director of Operations for the Mozilla Foundation, Director of Operations for MoveOn.org, Director of Data Services for the Democratic National Committee, and over a decade in political organizing and management. Throughout each recent finance and operation role, Josh established and managed the technology and financial and operating systems and providers that ensured the organizations he served were resilient, sustainable, and had a solid foundation for growth.
Josh Wolf
Finance and Operations Consultant
Josh Wolf
Finance and Operations Consultant
Josh Wolf
Finance and Operations Consultant
For the past three years, Josh (he/his) has provided finance and operation training, coaching, and services to over 100 startup and growing multi-entity social justice , rare disease, fair housing, and technology focused nonprofits.
Prior to this work, Josh served as the Chief Operating Officer for Cory Booker’s Presidential Campaign, Director of Operations for the Mozilla Foundation, Director of Operations for MoveOn.org, Director of Data Services for the Democratic National Committee, and over a decade in political organizing and management. Throughout each recent finance and operation role, Josh established and managed the technology and financial and operating systems and providers that ensured the organizations he served were resilient, sustainable, and had a solid foundation for growth.
