Message from the Supervisory Board

Resignation of Ivonne Bressers as of January 9, 2025, and appointment of Johan Driessen as Interim Chair

On January 9, 2025, Ivonne Bressers stepped down from her role as Chair of the Foundation. Since 2015, Ivonne has devoted herself wholeheartedly to the Foundation, initially as part of the campaign team, joining the Board in 2016, and becoming Chair in 2019. She has been a passionate advocate for unraveling the mysteries of Usher syndrome and finding solutions to its effects. As a Foundation, we owe her immense gratitude for her dedication and for engaging the community of individuals with Usher syndrome, as well as their parents, partners, and children, in working towards those solutions. Following her resignation, Ivonne will remain actively involved as a volunteer, focusing particularly on the upcoming International Symposium on Usher Syndrome.

The Supervisory Board has appointed Johan Driessen as interim Chair. On January 9, he was officially named Chair ad interim with the mandate to continue the current policies in close collaboration with the other Board members. Johan has been involved with the Foundation since 2021 and has the full confidence of the Board and the Supervisory Board.

In the coming months, the Supervisory Board will focus on recruiting a new Chair for the Supervisory Board, followed by the appointment of a permanent Chair for the Foundation’s Board.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Ivonne for her invaluable dedication and commitment and look forward to working closely with Johan and the Board in the period ahead.

On behalf of the Supervisory Board,

Maarten Sikkelorum
Stijn Belt

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