NEW YORK, NY—JUNE 20, 2007—Financial advisor Paul F. Gardner, of Integrated Financial Planning in Austin, Texas, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. In his new philanthropic leadership role, Mr. Gardner will head efforts to draw new supporters and raise awareness of the Weizmann Institute of Science, one of the world’s foremost centers of science and technology research, located in Rehovot, Israel.
True to his favorite saying—“Don’t give until it hurts; give until it feels good”—Mr. Gardner’s support for the Weizmann Institute of Science reflects his enthusiasm for basic research. “I just love basic science,” he says. The self-proclaimed “physics geek” explains that “basic research is the underlying kingpin to everything that’s developed.”
Mr. Gardner has personal motivations for supporting the Weizmann Institute as well: his wife battled lymphoma three times and has been cancer-free for five years, thanks in part to the drug Rituximab, developed at the Weizmann Institute. The scientist responsible for Rituximab spoke at a symposium organized by the American Committee that the Gardners attended, and the couple felt the direct impact of the Institute’s credo: “Science for the Benefit of Humanity.”
His appointment to the Board follows several years of participation in American Committee activities, both in Austin and at the annual Global Gatherings hosted by different Regional branches of the Committee.
Aside from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Mr. Gardner’s primary philanthropic interest is Texas A&M University, where he received his B.A; he now serves on the Board of the Texas A&M Research Foundation. He is involved with the University’s Hillel, and has been active in many other causes as well, including local Hospice programs, Extend-A-Care, the Financial Planning Association, Temple Beth Israel, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He is the former President of B’nai B’rith and of the Jewish Federation of Austin and has received the Jewish Community Council’s “Community Leadership Award.”
By coordinating local receptions that feature visiting Weizmann Institute scientists, he hopes to promote “the excitement of science” to a wide variety of Central Texans who may not be familiar with the Weizmann Institute. As a Board member, Mr. Gardner will advocate the humanitarian mission of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science, and help shape its financial resource development strategies.
The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to 2,500 scientists, students, technicians, and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials, and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.
