Alumni Leaders

The Suffield Academy Alumni Association created the Alumni Leadership awards to honor Suffield Academy graduates who have displayed notable leadership in their professional careers or in a humanitarian endeavor.

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[May 1, 2023]
Manny Simons ’00 is an accomplished leader in the biotechnology industry. After graduating from Suffield, Manny studied neuroscience and music at Harvard and then earned a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from MIT (under Professor Robert Langer) and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He worked at biotech companies including Voyager Therapeutics, a publicly traded gene therapy company developing potential treatments for central nervous system disorders. In 2016, Manny co-founded Akouos along with leaders in otology, genetics, and gene therapy at Harvard Medical School, Mass Eye and Ear, and University of Iowa. Akouos develops gene therapies for hearing loss and other inner ear disorders, and Manny serves as the company CEO. Akouos had a successful IPO in 2020 and was the first company to receive clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials for a genetic form of hearing loss. It was acquired in 2022 by Eli Lilly and Company and continues to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary in Boston, Massachusetts. Suffield is proud to recognize Manny Simons for his groundbreaking achievements centered on improving human lives.

 

Past Alumni Leadership Award Recipients