Bonnie and Tom Strauss

Philanthropists and activists in the field of movement disorders for decades, Bonnie and Tom Strauss provided the founding gift that established the Bonnie and Tom Strauss Movement Disorders Center. Bonnie and her father, Louis Bachmann, founded the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation in 1995, funding 235 research grants totaling $35 million, sponsoring biennial think tanks, and establishing four Dystonia Centers of Excellence. The Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation formed a collaborative research alliance with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2014, supporting a newly established annual prize, the Bachmann-Strauss Prize for Excellence in Dystonia Research.

Based on personal experiences with Dystonia and Parkinson’s Disease over 30 years, Bonnie dedicated herself to fundraising for cutting-edge research, improved patient care and treatments, and awareness within the public and medical community. Bonnie is a member of the Board of The Michael J. Fox Foundation and The New York City Ballet. A lifelong New Yorker, she is a devoted mother and grandmother.

Tom is Vice Chair of Cowen Inc. and Co-Founder of Cowen Investment Management (formerly known as Ramius LLC). Formerly, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of both Ramius and Ramius Alternative Solutions LLC, and prior to that as President of Salomon Brothers and Vice Chair of Salomon Inc. Tom is a former member of the Board of Governors of the American Stock Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Public Securities Industry Association, the Federal Reserve International Capital Market Advisory Committee, and the U.S-Japan Foundation. He is a member of the Boards of Trustees of the Mount Sinai Health System and the Executive Committee.