The Board of Trustees of the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF), the national patient organization for people with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PI), recently announced that John G. Boyle will serve as the organization’s new President & Chief Executive Officer. The selection was made at the IDF 2017 National Conference earlier this month in Anaheim, CA. John will succeed IDF President & Founder Marcia Boyle who announced her plans to retire this spring, capping 37 years of passionate leadership.

John brings a wide base of non-profit management experience to his new role with IDF. He has held a number of executive positions with leading national non-profit organizations throughout his career and currently serves as Vice President of External Relations at IDF. John was instrumental in developing a number of new initiatives for the Foundation, including the IDF Walk for Primary Immunodeficiency that launched in 2013, has now grown to 12 cities across the U.S., and raised in excess of $1 million to support vital IDF programs and resources, including funding a new IDF research grant.

“As the Board of Trustees considered candidates for the new President & CEO, John’s knowledge of, passion for and dedication to the PI community continued to set him apart,” said Dr. John Seymour, Chair of the IDF Board of Trustees. “He is a skilled non-profit professional, and we are confident he will provide a high level of leadership and accomplishment for IDF for years to come. In addition, there is great symmetry in having the individual who was the impetus for the founding of this organization rise to the opportunity to lead it. It goes to show what everyone in our community already knows—when proper testing and treatment are available, these diseases cannot diminish people with PI’s spirit and capacity to achieve.”

After her son, John G. Boyle, was diagnosed with PI, Marcia and her husband, John M. Boyle, Ph.D., soon realized and were deeply concerned to find there were no educational materials and no advocacy groups for people with PI. Along with other committed individuals, they co-founded IDF in 1980 to make a difference to this community. The founders were determined to establish a national patient organization for people with primary immunodeficiencies, providing education as well as a platform and voice for this group of rare disorders.

What started as an organization on a shoe-string budget, being run by a young mother from her kitchen table, has now evolved into an internationally-recognized patient organization dedicated to improving the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life of people with PI.

“It is an honor to build upon Marcia’s legacy of leadership as IDF continues to work to meet the current needs of the PI community, and to prepare for the community’s future needs,” said John G. Boyle. “It is both an exciting and a challenging time for the people we serve: there are new advancements in treatment options on the horizon, but also growing uncertainty in terms of healthcare policy and insurance limitations. We have an amazing team at IDF, and I am thrilled to continue to work alongside them each day to reach more members of the PI community and to further advance our advocacy, education and research initiatives.”

In addition to his prior executive leadership experience, John earned a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management from Notre Dame of Maryland University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Boston University.

Marcia will continue to serve as president until mid-August, when the formal transition of leadership will take place. Marcia plans to continue to lend her time and talents to IDF as a volunteer.

About the Immune Deficiency Foundation

The Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF), founded in 1980, is the national non-profit patient organization dedicated to improving the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life of persons with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PI) through advocacy, education and research. IDF provides accurate and timely information for individuals and families living with PI and offers valuable resources. To learn more about IDF, visit www.primaryimmune.org.