The American Liver Foundation Appoints Rick Smith, a Twenty-Year Veteran of The MS Society, as Chief Executi...( NEW YORK Sept. 26 /- The American...),Health

NEW YORK, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Liver Foundation (ALF), a nonprofit organization focused on funding research and improving the quality of life for the 30 million Americans with liver disease, announced today that Rick Smith has been named to become the next President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, effective November 5, 2007. Mr. Smith, a senior nonprofit executive with extensive experience leading prominent national health organizations, will succeed interim CEO John W. Corwin, who has led the Foundation since December of 2006.

Dr. James Boyer, the Chair of ALF's Board of Directors and Director of the Liver Center at the Yale University School of Medicine, said: "The perspective that Rick Smith brings to the Foundation, having worked at the national and chapter levels of major health organizations, will enable him to be a strong and empathic leader of an organization that is poised for growth."

Since 1987, Mr. Smith has held a series of leadership positions at the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, working at both the national and chapter levels. He served as Vice President for the Western United States for ten years, followed by two years as Arizona Chapter President. For the past eight years, Mr. Smith was President and CEO of the Maryland Chapter, overseeing a professional staff of 30 and an annual budget of $6 million. Prior to joining the MS Society, Mr. Smith served as CEO of the Southern California Affiliate of the American Diabetes Association.

"I am fortunate indeed to join this vital organization with an important mission. I look forward to working with volunteer and staff leaders from across our country to assure that in the future liver disease exists only as a footnote in the medical journals," Smith said.

During his tenure as President of the Maryland Chapter of the MS Society, the organization was able to double its revenue and vastly increase its commitment to funding research and
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