ArtsWestchester to Present “Innovator Award” to Regeneron President and Chief Scientific Officer at Annual Gala on November 17

ArtsWestchester to Celebrate Innovation at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester

ArtsWestchester has announced it will present its top “Innovator Award” to George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Regeneron’s Founding Scientist, President and Chief Scientific Officer, at its annual gala on November 17 at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester in White Plains.

“Dr. Yancopoulos is a visionary leader who has seized the power of an idea to make the world a better place,” said Janet T. Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester. “As we celebrate innovation, we are especially interested in the connection between art and science. In fact, it is impossible to separate the two. Both the arts and the sciences fuel the creative thinkers of tomorrow. And with the magnitude of today’s health, energy and climate challenges, innovation is more important than ever.”

Dr. Yancopoulos leads Regeneron alongside Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Yancopoulos holds more than 100 patents, and, together with key members of his team, he is a principal inventor and developer of Regeneron’s seven FDA-approved medicines and numerous foundational technologies.

Dr. Yancopoulos is passionate about bringing his success in the sciences full circle, and is deeply committed to fostering the next generation of scientific talent. As such, he plays an active role in Regeneron’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education programs, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious high school science and math competition.

“I’m honored to be receiving the Innovator Award from ArtsWestchester, a pillar of our community dedicated to pushing the boundaries of conventional thinking,” said Dr. Yancopoulos. “Artists, much like scientists, have the ability to look at the world in a different way to come up with ideas to improve our world. We encourage this creative mindset at Regeneron, where our innovative culture nurtures breakthrough ideas that help us bring new important medicines to patients with serious diseases.”

Thomas R. Manisero, a partner at Wilson Elser and an ArtsWestchester board member, is the Dinner Chair. Westchester County Executive George Latimer is the Honorary Dinner Chair.

“I am extremely proud to serve as this year’s Gala Dinner Chair,” said Manisero. “As we celebrate the innovation of one of the country’s top scientists, Dr. George Yancopoulos of Regeneron, we are reminded of the convergence of art and science. As Einstein once observed, ‘Science and art tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are always artists as well.’  Einstein also observed, ‘Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.’  It is the drive to question, the desire to dream new forms, new sounds, new shapes and colors into existence that gets expressed by the greatest artists and the greatest scientific minds. It is exactly this curiosity and imagination that ArtsWestchester works to nourish in both young and old.”

Latimer continued: “I am honored to serve as Honorary Dinner Chair for the annual ArtsWestchester’s Gala. The arts are fundamental to each one of us, and help to make Westchester the place we all love. As we look forward to tomorrow’s creative thinkers, we need to nurture students who are culturally literate, as well as literate in both math and science. ArtsWestchester helps to ensure access to the arts throughout the County, for our youth and their families.”

The ArtsWestchester gala will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will include live entertainment, dancing and auctions. For tickets and info, please visit artsw.org/gala2018. A preview of auction items – including a South African photo safari and a stay in St. Martin – is available online at biddingforgood.com/artswauction.

About ArtsWestchester

For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.

For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.