Margaret “Maggie” Goldberg has been on a mission to serve the paralysis community since she broke her C2 vertebra in a car accident as a 16-year-old. She fully recovered from her injury and later went to work at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation in 2000. Over the last 21 years, she has held several titles, culminating in her appointment as the foundation’s president and CEO this September.

She says her personal experiences have expanded her understanding of the complexity of SCI/D and positioned her for her new role. “I learned there are so many aspects of this injury, and it set me on a mission-driven career path to work and advocate for the paralysis community,” she says.

The foundation has always been a tenacious voice for SCI/D research, and Goldberg is excited about strengthening and expanding the organization’s collaborations to enhance the health and quality of life of individuals living with paralysis. “I think the field as a whole is moving toward much-needed collaboration, and that’s going to help us finally move the needle on both care and cure,” she says.

On the global level, the foundation recently partnered with Spinal Injuries Ireland to expand support for the SCI/D community in Ireland. It also teamed up with the International Spinal Research Trust to accelerate the progress and delivery of paralysis-related therapies.

New equity partnerships with ONWARD, a Netherlands-based company that has developed breakthrough technology currently in global clinical trials that deliver targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement and other functions; and AXONIS, an emerging biotech firm advancing breakthrough research to develop therapies for neurological disorders, are evidence of the foundation’s move into research-driven financial investments

Domestically, Goldberg highlighted a collaboration with Houston’s Rex A.W. Marco, M.D., a nationally renowned spinal surgeon and musculoskeletal oncologist paralyzed in a bicycle accident. Dr. Marco now serves as chief medical ambassador for the Reeve Foundation and has joined the Reeve Foundation Quality of Life Grant Program Committee. The foundation’s Rex Marco, M.D., Fund is helping accelerate groundbreaking research toward cures for spinal cord injury.

She said she wants one of the tenets of her leadership to be working together with like-minded organizations like United Spinal Association.

“We see nothing but opportunity for ongoing collaboration, and we hope that our community is already aware of some of our work together,” says Goldberg, noting the many coalitions both organizations belong to and the issues both advocate for, including better health coverage and complex rehab technology. “We will continue to work together to make sure that we help mitigate the daily challenges of living with paralysis and make care affordable and accessible.”