Newswise — Wycliffe “Wyc” Grousbeck, co-owner and chief executive officer of the Boston Celtics and an avid supporter of initiatives relating to blindness, was elected chair of the Foundation and the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary on Jan. 26. The announcement was made by John Fernandez, Mass. Eye and Ear president and chief executive officer.
A resident of greater Boston, Grousbeck assumed the role of Managing Partner, Governor and Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Celtics in December 2002, after organizing and leading a local investment group that purchased the team. He is the NBA Governor of the Celtics, the Chair of the NBA Planning Committee, and is a member of the NBA Labor Relations, Audit, Compensation and Finance committees.
Grousbeck became involved with Mass. Eye and Ear because his family has been touched by blindness. He and his family have been devoted to research and educational initiatives relating to blindness and other conditions for many years.
Grousbeck founded and co-directs a genetic therapy research project targeting CEP-290 related blindness, involving 10 leading medical institutions and 18 prominent medical researchers (four of whom are Howard Hughes Investigators). His family was honored to endow the Grousbeck Professorship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the Harvard Medical School, currently held by Leonard Zon, M.D., a leader in stem cell research and cancer biologics. His wife, Corinne, is Founder and Chair of the Trust Board at Perkins School for the Blind (Watertown, MA), an institution devoted to educating blind and deaf/blind students worldwide. Corinne has also served for many years on the Trust Board of Children’s Hospital Boston. Wyc and Corinne are also involved in the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation; Perkins School for the Blind; Children’s Hospital Boston; Boys and Girls Club of Boston; National Braille Press; Horizons for Homeless Children; Cradles to Crayons; and the Lovelane Special Needs Riding Program.
“It is a privilege and honor to become the Chair of Mass. Eye and Ear. This institution is at the forefront of preventing and restoring vision and hearing loss, which is a personal mission of mine that I take very seriously. I am looking forward to supporting the efforts of the extraordinary vision and hearing researchers, educators, physicians and patient care professionals of Mass. Eye and Ear,” Grousbeck said.
“We are pleased to have Wyc as part of our team,” said Fernandez. “Wyc’s expertise as a businessman, combined with his passion for our mission, will enhance the strength of this organization and help it to thrive. Wyc’s involvement with Mass. Eye and Ear is a natural fit.”
Fernandez expressed his appreciation to outgoing chair Diane E. Kaneb of Weston, Mass., and extended his gratitude for her leadership, friendship and guidance over the years. “We have made great strides and accomplished much in support of our mission during Diane’s tenure. She even continued as chair for an extra year, while helping to lead the search for her successor. We look forward to her continuing involvement as a member of the Mass. Eye and Ear family,” he said.
Grousbeck holds a bachelor's degree in history from Princeton University (1983), a law degree from the University of Michigan (1986), and an MBA from Stanford Business School, where he was a Miller Scholar (1992).
The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary is an international center for treatment and research and a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. For more information, call (617) 523-7900 or TDD (617) 523-5498 or visit www.MassEyeAndEar.org.
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