Executive Director of Development, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute
West Virginia University Foundation

Cynthia L. Roth
President and CEO, WVU Foundation

Cynthia L. “Cindi” Roth began work as President and CEO of the WVU Foundation January 1, 2014, after spending eight years at the University of Pittsburgh, serving as associate vice chancellor of institutional advancement. Prior to her role at Pitt, Roth served from 2002-2005 as executive director of Family House, Inc., in Pittsburgh. Before that, she served as vice president of patient care services at several hospitals across western Pennsylvania including West Penn Allegheny Health System/Forbes Regional Hospital, South Hills Health System and Sharon Regional Health System. Roth earned her master of public management degree from the Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.

Will Green
Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer

A senior executive with nearly 20 years of experience in both health care and higher education fundraising, Will Green serves as WVU Foundation's Senior Vice President of Development and Chief Development Officer. Prior to his role at the WVU Foundation, Green was the Vice President for Development at Rutgers Health, a major component of the Rutgers University Foundation. There, he oversaw all aspects of fundraising and engagement for the system’s eight schools and seven centers/institutes. This includes directing all philanthropic activity, managing staff, and interacting daily with donors and prospects.

Prior to joining Rutgers Health in 2017, Green spent three years as executive director of clinical support and major gifts at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he led and coordinated the CHOP Foundation’s major and principal gifts program. Before that, Green served in various senior and progressive advancement roles, including positions at Villanova University (2010-2014) and the University of Pennsylvania (2007-2010).

Green earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. 

Jamie Cooper Moales
Associate Vice President, Medical Development, Clinical Programs

Jamie Cooper Moales began work as WVU Foundation's Associate Vice President for Medical Development on August 19, 2024. She works with WVU Foundation and WVU Medicine leadership to boost private philanthropy in support of all clinical units within the WVU Health System, which includes 24 hospitals and five institutes. Cooper Moales has diverse development experience that includes demonstrated fundraising success in biomedical research and academic medical center environments. Prior to her role at WVU Foundation, Cooper Moales was living in Durham, North Carolina, where she served as executive director of development for the Duke Cancer Institute and Duke Children’s.  

Cooper Moales earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and leadership, with a minor in leadership studies, from the University of Charleston. She also earned a master’s degree in liberal studies at Georgetown University. She recently renewed her Certified Fundraising Executive credential, which she has held continuously since 2018. She also serves on the Governance Committee for the National Association of Cancer Center Development Offices.

Ali Rezai, MD
Director, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute; Associate Dean; John D. Rockefeller IV tenured professor in neuroscience

Ali Rezai, MD, is a functional neurosurgeon whose career has been dedicated to advancing the care of people with neurological and mental health conditions. Dr. Rezai is the Associate Dean of Neuroscience at West Virginia University (WVU) and Executive Chair and Director of the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI). Since its inception in 2018, Rezai has developed the RNI into a world-class patient care, education, and research institute with 250 physicians and scientists in five departments and more than 1,600 professionals managing 270,000 neurological and mental health care patient visits annually.

After graduating from UCLA, Dr. Rezai earned his medical degree with honors from the University of Southern California, underwent neurosurgical training at New York University, then followed by functional neurosurgery fellowship training at the University of Toronto. He began his academic career at New York University as the director of the Center for Functional Neurosurgery. He was then recruited to the Cleveland Clinic to direct the functional neurosurgery program, was appointed the Seidman Chair, and founded the Center for Neurological Restoration. Prior to the RNI, Rezai was the Ross Chair in Neuromodulation and inaugural Director of the Ohio State University Neurological Institute.

A board-certified neurosurgeon, Dr. Rezai’s clinical practice focuses on neuromodulation for movement disorders, chronic pain, nervous system injury, and neurobehavioral disorders. He has been named one of the best doctors in America in Castle Connolly’s Guide to America’s Top Doctors for 25 consecutive years from 2000-2024. His research focuses on rapid cycle innovation and application of new neuromodulation technologies in Parkinson’s, brain/spinal cord injury, addiction, Alzheimer’s and other conditions. Holder of more than 60 U.S. patents, Dr. Rezai facilitates partnerships with academic, government, and industry leaders collaborating on development and deployment of neuromodulation technology for patient care.

Dr. Rezai is the author of more than 200 scientific publications with a h-index of 92, appearing in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, JAMA Neurology, Lancet Neurology, and PNAS. Rezai has served on the editorial board of multiple scientific journals, and is the co-editor of the three-volume textbook Neuromodulation, as well as Surgery for Psychiatric Disorders book. Dr. Rezai has been the Principal/Co-investigator on seven NIH grants. He has trained over 50 neurosurgical fellows and delivered more than 500 lectures internationally. He is a frequent speaker at medical conferences, as well as popular tech venues including Collision, SXSW, TED and Web Summit. Dr. Rezai has presented his research to the President of the United States, members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on Capitol Hill, and four state Governors.

Dr. Rezai is the past president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS), and the American Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN). Dr. Rezai has received numerous awards, including the Cleveland Clinic and Ohio State University Innovator of the Year, and received the NANS Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Dr. Rezai’s research has been featured by a range of media outlets including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BBC, CBS, CNN, PBS, Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, Today, and others.