BrightFocus Foundation Expands Fundraising Team

(Feb. 23, 2023) Clarksburg, MD—Global brain and vision research nonprofit BrightFocus Foundation announced the appointment of Ashley Martin as its Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations (shown at right) and Meredith Fox as its Development Manager, Foundation and Special Gifts, as of Feb. 13.

With 18 years of strategic fundraising and nonprofit experience and leadership, Martin brings to BrightFocus a diverse background that includes grant writing, donor relations, major giving, estate planning, and corporate sponsorships in community-focused health and education organizations such as PBS, the Bethesda Center for the Homeless, and the Novant Health Foundation. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Arts degree from American Military University. Martin also completed eight years of honorable service in the U.S. Navy.

“My greatest passion is providing charitable, philanthropic, and healing solutions for those who are suffering through the creation of sustainable investment paths that promote living together more vibrantly, peacefully, and completely,” said Martin, whose home base is Greensboro, North Carolina.

Fox’s professional fundraising and development experience includes leadership roles at the Urban Land Institute and in higher education at George Washington University and Radford University. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication and Journalism from Radford University and studied nonprofit management at George Washington University. She is based in Richmond, Virginia.

Fox said she looks forward to giving back and improving the health of others through her work at BrightFocus Foundation.

“Our newest team members are incredibly mission-driven and will propel us further in our quest to end diseases of mind and sight for good,” said Nancy Lynn, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, BrightFocus.

BrightFocus relies on the public charity of its growing community of hundreds of thousands of donors to provide the financial resources that make its mind and sight scientific research possible.

“I’m incredibly excited to continue to support and grow our incredible community of Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma research donors through the addition of Ashley and Meredith,” added Brian Elderton, Senior Vice President of Development at BrightFocus.

About BrightFocus Foundation  

BrightFocus Foundation is a premier nonprofit funder of research to defeat Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Through its flagship research programs—Alzheimer’s Disease Research, National Glaucoma Research, and Macular Degeneration Research—the Foundation is currently supporting a $75 million portfolio of 287 scientific projects. BrightFocus has awarded nearly $275 million in groundbreaking medical research funding since inception and shares the latest research findings, expert information, and English and Spanish disease resources to empower the millions impacted by these devastating diseases. Join our community at brightfocus.org.  

Media Contacts 

Julia Roth    
BrightFocus Foundation   
jroth@brightfocus.org    
301-556-9382   

Kaci Baez   
BrightFocus Foundation   
kbaez@brightfocus.org   
301-556-9370