The President’s Cabinet is an advisory group of distinguished individuals who are dedicated to advancing the mission of the MDI Biological Laboratory. Through their leadership, philanthropic commitment and advocacy, Cabinet members help provide the resources required to help nurture innovative ideas, launch new initiatives and train the next generation of scientists, physicians and entrepreneurs.
Jane R. M. Harrison
A native New Yorker and lover of theatre, writing, and the acting process, Jane graduated from Columbia University and worked at Helmsley-Spear in loft conversion and building sales, and for Planned Parenthood. At Columbia, Jane planned to major in physics but her passion for the arts won out in the end. However, she has always maintained her love of physics and the sciences and believes deeply in the importance of making science relatable and relevant to everyone.
Four generations of Jane’s family have summered on Mount Desert Island, building summer homes, climbing the mountains, swimming in the ocean, and making deep intergenerational friendships with summer and year-round residents. Despite her deep ties to the Island, it is only within the last decade that she was introduced to the MDI Biological Laboratory. It was a revelation, and as she likes to say, “The best kept secret on Mount Desert Island,” a magical place where brilliant scientific minds come together in a spiritually beautiful setting to make amazing and significant discoveries.
Anna T. Maynard
Anna Maynard and her husband Mark divide their time between Georgetown, Exuma, Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina and Southwest Harbor, Maine. Together they have spent over twenty years volunteering for environmental and health-related education and research programs. Anna was thrilled to be introduced to the important work of the MDI Biological Laboratory. MDIBL’s mission perfectly aligns with her belief in the importance of basic research and training of the next generation of doctors and scientists whose ground-breaking discoveries will improve human health and longevity for her family and yours.
Robert Taft Whitman
Rob and his husband Jeff Munger have a primary residence in New York City while enjoying additional time in Boston, Massachusetts and in Seal Harbor, Maine. Prior to retiring, Rob was the Executive Director of The Curtain Foundation, a philanthropy with interests in the US, UK, and southern Africa. Before joining the Foundation, Rob was head of Web Business Analytics at IBM Software and a Senior Manager of Worldwide Customer Information at the Lotus Development Corporation.
Rob serves on the Board of SCAN-Harbor NYC, an organization supporting at-risk and homeless youth in NYC, as well as the Board of the 50 Riverside Cooperative. He has a life-long association with Mount Desert Island and a keen interest in discovery science. He serves on the President’s Basic Sciences Committee at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Fortuitously, Rob has come to know faculty, students, and Trustees of the MDI Biological Laboratory, which has led him more fully involve himself with MDIBL’s activities. His love of a challenge and inquisitive nature have ignited his enthusiasm for the work of the President’s Cabinet.
