The Inn Welcomes New Board Chair Liz Wurster
Her appointment highlights new officers and Board members at annual meeting
After two years as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at The Children’s Inn at NIH, Liz Wurster officially took the gavel as the Board Chair at a meeting of the Board at The Inn earlier this month.
Wurster, who has been on The Inn’s Board in some capacity since 2019, is the Managing Director at J.P. Morgan, where she oversees client relationships and provides strategic advice to founders, executives, and financial sponsors. She has previously chaired the Finance and Investment Subcommittee on The Inn’s Board.
Wurster is one of three new officers on the Board. Scott Royal, who has been on the Board since 2021, took over for Wurster as the Vice Chair. Royal is the President and CEO at Westat, bringing an adaptive approach with an emphasis on innovation and strong communication skills. His leaderhip draws on his background in public health research and data-driven decision making to address organizational needs and client priorities.
Philipia Hillman has been named the Board Secretary at The Inn. Like Royal, she joined the Board in 2021. A Washington, D.C. resident, Hillman is the founder of The October Group, which partners with C-suite executives to advance growth, strengthen culture, and align strategy. She brings over 25 years of experience advising executives across sectors.
In addition to the new officers, three new Board members took part in their first meeting at the gathering. Kelly Brame brings more than 15 years of experience across investor relations, corporate communications, sustainability, and community impact, most recently serving in these capacities at Danaher Corporation for nearly a decade. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Finance from Georgetown University.
Faizan Zia is the Founder and CEO of Connsci, an award-winning professional services organization that works closely with health and defense sectors of federal and state governments. He founded it in 2017 to support the public sector with IT needs. Zia earned his B.S. in Public Health from the University of Maryland College Park, and his MBA from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
Juan Zavala is a partner at New Markets Venture Partners, where he is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing new investment opportunities as well as supporting existing portfolio companies and operations. He earned his MBA from the Wharton School in 2019. Zavala serves on several other Boards, including as Director for Brains and Motion Education, Nexford University, and CreatorUp.
