The Mercy Lab Foundation Board was established to ensure the Foundation’s orderly growth and development.
Consisting of members who have distinguished education and entrepreneurial accomplishments, the
board meets regularly, with members providing his/her unique counsel.
Dr. David Smith
Prior to founding Mercy Lab, Dr. Smith was formerly a Professor and Assistant Director of Biostatistics at City of Hope cancer research hospital in Los Angeles and Senior Biostatistician at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane Australia. During this time he designed and analyzed over 50 solid tumor and hematology protocols at all levels of development, from pre-clinical and genomic studies to Phase II/III trials. Before his tenure at City of Hope, he served as a biostatistical reviewer for the Division of Oncology Drug Products at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for three years, during which time he reviewed more than 40 chemotherapy INDs and NDAs. Dr. Smith has been a co-investigator on grants from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is an author and coauthor of over 100 papers in peer-reviewed biostatistics, oncology, surgery, radiation, and immunology journals. Dr. Smith holds a B.A. in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Statistics.
Melissa Leonard
Ms. Leonard is a C-level executive and business advisor working in new venture and private equity. Formerly, Ms. Leonard functioned as Head of Operational Effectiveness at Experian, working directly with the CEO and CFO, and with portfolio company senior leadership in identifying and implementing strategies to improve business performance and drive top and bottom-line growth. Prior to her time at Experian, Ms. Leonard served as an executive at Bank of America where she guided a significant portion of the Bank of America and Countrywide merger activities, and worked as an operations executive to restructure the mortgage operations of the combined entity. Melissa has held other executive roles prior to her efforts with Bank of America, and started her career in public accounting and management consulting. She served as a CFO early in her career, and has worked with over 50 executive teams in the public and private sectors in developing and implementing business strategies. Ms. Leonard holds a B.A. in Accounting and a MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.
Danielle Doorneweerd
Danielle Doorneweerd joined the Mercy Lab Foundation soon after its establishment in 2015 as a board member. In 2017, she became the communication specialist for the foundation. She currently leads communications and outreach, and helps to expand the impact of the Foundation’s work. Previously, Danielle worked as a private school teacher and has several years’ experience in social media marketing and advertising. Danielle graduated from Messiah College where she majored in education. She has over 20 years of teaching experience in private schools. In her free time, Danielle enjoys life in Florida with her husband and two Quarter Horses and frequently competes in Ranch Riding competitions.