New university Board members have backgrounds in medicine and finance

by LESLIE CHURCH

The university’s Board of Trustees elected three new members in 2013: Anna Chapman, a psychiatrist in private practice in New York; Elizabeth Rivers Curry, founder and managing director of Eagle Capital Management, an investment firm; and Jonathan M. Nelson, chief executive officer and founder of Providence Equity Partners LLC, based in Rhode Island. Dr. Chapman and Mr. Nelson were elected at the March 13 board meeting, and Ms. Curry at the June 5 meeting.

Anna Chapman

Dr. Chapman, in addition to her private practice, serves on the adjunct faculty of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at both the Cornell and Columbia campuses, where she does clinical supervision with residents and lectures on the neurobiology of mental processes. She is the president of the Neuropsychoanalysis Foundation, an organization focused on bridging the gap between psychoanalysis and neuroscience. Dr. Chapman also supervises a group of mental health providers who use psychodynamic psychotherapy to treat patients with focal brain injuries. She is currently launching the Domestic Violence Initiative, a collaboration between Columbia University’s department of psychiatry and New York City’s Family Justice Center that aims to create a comprehensive mental health program for adult and child victims of domestic violence. The initiative will also research the effects of trauma on the brain and methods for preventing intergenerational transmission of trauma.

Dr. Chapman received her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Harvard University and her medical degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons.

“I did my psychiatry residency training right next door to Rockefeller at Weill Cornell. It’s clear to me now, since my re-introduction to Rockefeller as a board member, that what I saw back then of the astounding talent, dedication and innovative efficiency of this place was truly just the tip of the iceberg,” says Dr. Chapman. “I’m looking forward to what I will learn in the coming years about cutting-edge life science research, especially with regard to brain function, and I hope my clinical expertise and interest in the mind-brain interface will provide a useful perspective to the basic research.”

Elizabeth Rivers Curry

Ms. Curry founded Eagle Capital Management in 1988 with her husband, Ravenel Curry. The firm focuses on trading and research in the health care and retailing sectors. Her investment career began at Summit Trust Company. Ms. Curry and her husband have been members of The Rockefeller University Council since 2008, and she is an active participant in the University’s Women & Science Initiative. A member and secretary of the board of trustees of Queens University of Charlotte, she is also on the boards of The Hyde and Watson Foundation in New Jersey, Weill Cornell Medical College and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. She has also been supportive of schools and parks in Newark, New Jersey, for many years. Ms. Curry received her bachelor’s degree and M.B.A. from Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina.

“I hope that my experience in investment management and finance will be useful as a board member,” she says. “My favorite part of stock research is looking for companies that have outstanding management, have compelling products and have unlimited upside. And Rockefeller fits my model of the perfect stock. It is such a privilege to be a member of this dedicated board as it plans for the future of this most-important research university.”

Jonathan M. Nelson

Mr. Nelson founded Providence Equity Partners in 1989, and it has since grown to manage $28 billion of committed capital, specializing in equity investments in media, communications and information companies in North America, Europe and Asia. Mr. Nelson has been investing in private equity transactions for 30 years, and previously was a managing director of Narragansett Capital, Inc. He serves on the board of directors of the Chernin Group, MLS Media, Television Broadcasts Limited, Univision Communications and Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network. Mr. Nelson has also served as a director of AT&T Canada, Brooks Fiber (now Verizon), Warner Music Group and others. He received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1977 and his M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School in 1983. He is a trustee of Brown University and also serves on the board of Newport Festivals Foundation.