The Split Second Foundation

The Pitch

The Split Second Foundation is a 501©3 nonprofit organization dedicated to finding advance treatments for spinal cord injury, funding research for new SCI treatments, and advocating for more progressive therapies.

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Hope Leblanc, Darryl Willis, James E. Vinturella, Mark Raymond Jr.

Hope Leblanc, Darryl Willis, James E. Vinturella, Mark Raymond Jr.

The Entrepreneur

Hope Leblanc
Hope LeBlanc has over eighteen years of service in the non-profit community as both a Program Manager and Accountant. She has primary experience with grants, financial management of small non-profits, as well as assisting small businesses to establish and maintain their financial records system. Hope enjoys working behind the scenes in order to ensure that the vision and purpose of nonprofits are fulfilled.

Darryl Willis
Darryl Willis serves as the Vice President of Oil, Gas & Energy at Google Cloud, where he is responsible for driving business across the Energy sector by developing products and solutions, building relationships with key leaders, and providing his business expertise to sales teams. Prior to joining Google, Willis was President and Chief Executive Officer for BP Angola. Willis holds a Master of Science in Management from Stanford University with concentrations in both Managing Global Businesses and Social Responsibility, A Master of Science in Geology and Geophysics from the University of New Orleans, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry & Literature from Northwestern State University.

James E. Vinturella
James E. Vinturella was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and is an attorney in the city. In 1991, he graduated from Loyola Law School. He has over 23 years of personal injury and medical malpractice trial experience and is a trial advocate who successfully tried and won numerous large dollar verdicts. Additionally, James E. Vinturella has more than 30 years experience in the medical field of occupational therapy, where he specialized in catastrophic neurologic injuries such as brain injury, spinal cord injury, and other complex orthopedic conditions.

Mark Raymond Jr.
Mark Raymond Jr., a native New Orleanian. Mark is a graduate of Brother Martin High School and Xavier University of Louisiana. On July 4, 2016, Mark became a C-5 quadriplegic after diving into shallow water while boating on Lake Pontchartrain with friends. After a long journey and clear understanding of the local challenges during recovery, Mark now strives to find advanced treatment and training for those with SCI. Prior to his accident, Mark worked in audio video production with a primary focus in audio engineering for large events. Mark has always been athletic and adventurous whether it is: running, weight lifting, biking, swimming, or playing tennis. His goal is to not only find ways to live in a wheelchair; but to work hard to get out of the wheelchair.

Class

2018 Startup Ventures

Sector

Structure

Non-Profit