Our Board
Craig Vincze, PhD is Max’s father and the president of the Max Vincze Foundation. Craig has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, has built a career working in the drug-discovery industry serving top researchers around the globe. Today, Dr. Vincze is co-founder of a company providing innovative drug, cell and gene therapy manufacturing equipment and software to biotechnology to pharmaceutical and cell and gene therapy companies. Craig’s experience in research and drug discovery puts him in the unique position of identifying and communicating with teams on the cutting edge of cancer research.
Suzanne Vincze, is Max’s mom and the Vice President of the foundation. She received her BFA at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Suzanne has experience working on non-profit campaigns throughout her 20+ year career in advertising and graphic design. She is passionate about advocating for making medicines more accessible for underserved patient groups like adolescents and young adults with rare diseases.
Ben Vincze, is Max’s younger brother. Ben is about to start his senior year at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. He will be graduating with a Biochemistry degree and hopes to enter medical school, where his experience with his brother will continue to inspire his focus on evidence-based medicine and scientific research.
Marqui Hood, Max’s aunt, is a civil rights and employment attorney practicing in Beverly Hills, California. She received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles and her B.A. from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. After graduating from law school, Ms. Hood clerked on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for the Hon. Raymond Fisher. She now runs her own firm, Durkin & Hood, LLP committed to social justice and defending the civil rights of workers throughout the southland. Ms. Hood is a dedicated advocate for the many causes she is passionate about. She has taught constitutional law to students at Los Angeles High School through a grant from the Constitutional Rights Foundation, served as president of her neighborhood association and led significant fundraising projects at local schools. She grew up roaming the halls her father's biology laboratory at Caltech and has witnessed first hand that, with the right resources, scientific ingenuity can solve even the most complex medical mysteries.
Steven Cates is currently Vice President of Research & Development at Repligen Corporation. He brings more than 30+ years of biopharmaceuticals industry experience to the table, most of which has been focused on the design and manufacturing of systems for processing of biologics. Steven started his career as an Engineering Services Manager at Sartorius Corporation leading the engineering operations for process filtration and analytical equipment. He then progressed to Systems Engineering Management specializing specifically on the design and fabrication of custom engineered bioprocessing systems. Steven further advanced his expertise on custom engineered systems as the Vice President of Engineering, Systems and Operations at Alpha Bio. A founding member at Artesyn Biosolutions, he oversaw the global design and development of single-use bioprocess systems from R&D and process development down to manufacturing and implementation. Steven has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Sonoma State College and an MS in Molecular Biology from Stanford University.
