Leadership
Barbara Goodman, President & CEO
Barbara Goodman leads Cures Within Reach and its mission to drive more treatments to more patients more quickly through repurposing research. She joined in 2017 to help expand the reach and influence of CWR in both the philanthropic and commercial spaces, as well as to foster organizational growth and financial sustainability. Barbara is helping the organization develop new partnerships and expand current relationships with donors, sponsors, partners, industry, government, Board members and other volunteer leaders, to further our mission.
Barbara has nearly 25 years of international business and healthcare / biomedical / life sciences sector business experience, focused on planning and implementation of strategic growth initiatives at both for-profit and not-for-profit corporations. She joined CWR after leading iBIO Institute’s PROPEL Center for nearly 10 years, where she led programs to increase the number and success rate of early-stage life sciences companies in Illinois, and supported iBIO’s international activities.
Barbara previously worked in corporate strategy and business development at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab), Cardinal Health Medical Products & Services Division, and Chesapeake Corporation. Barbara earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s of Business Administration from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Clare Thibodeaux, PhD, Vice President, Scientific Affairs
Clare Thibodeaux, PhD is the Vice President, Scientific Affairs with Cures Within Reach and has nearly 20 years of scientific research and philanthropic experience. Clare joined the Cures Within Reach team in November 2015, collaborating with a variety of repurposing stakeholders to catalyze repurposing research opportunities. Clare engages with key opinion leaders, research institution partners, industry representatives and patient advocates from any disease areas globally to identify, centralize and vet clinical repurposing research for funding. She is responsible for leading new scientific initiatives at Cures Within Reach, managing Cures Within Reach’s scientific grant outreach and review process, leading the Science Advisory Board and developing patient education events. Clare also serves on the Advisory Board for the Critical Path Institute’s CURE Drug Repurposing Collaboratory. She has led various committees and boards through her previous volunteer work with the American Cancer Society. Clare has advocated with state and federal elected officials concerning cancer related issues and educated the general public through community outreach.
Prior to her involvement in the biomedical field, Clare was a market research professional. She holds a PhD in Tumor Biology from Georgetown University and an MBA from George Mason University.
CJ Wright, PharmD, Director, Scientific Affairs
CJ Wright serves as the Director, Scientific Affairs at Cures Within Reach. He joined the team in 2024 after graduating from Purdue University with his PharmD. CJ has experience at large and small pharmaceutical companies, academic health centers and regional hospitals and consulting companies.
He supports Cures Within Reach’s funding opportunities, works with the Grant Review Committee, manages post-award grants reporting and assists with other scientific initiatives.
Sydney Putnam, Program Manager
Sydney Putnam serves as the Program Manager at Cures Within Reach. She joined the team in 2025 after transitioning from the pharmaceutical industry to the nonprofit sector. Sydney brings over 5 years of experience in clinical healthcare and the biomedical research sector, with a diverse background that includes both patient-facing roles and critical behind-the-scenes support. She supports Cures Within Reach’s community development, marketing and outreach, development, scientific initiatives as well as general administrative and events management.
Sydney holds a B.A. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.