Leadership The Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation is governed by an active Board of Directors, chaired by Mrs. Veronica Atkins. Board of Directors Veronica Atkins Eileen R. Heisman Sharon L. Mueller Administration Abby Bloch, Ph.D. Amanda High Veronica Atkins Chair, Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation When Dr. Robert Atkins died in 2003, his wife Veronica became chair of his foundation, vowing not only to continue her husband's mission to positively impact disease prevention and health management, but also to support his clinical legacy with scientific evidence. Since then, Mrs. Atkins has emerged as a passionate advocate for children's health, who dreams of one day seeing the eradication of childhood Type II diabetes (and its link to obesity) through her work with the Foundation. Mrs. Atkins is actively involved in the Foundation's grantee selection process to support independent scientific and clinical research, educational programs, public health advocacy initiatives and endowed professorships. To reflect her dedication and dynamic, hands-on leadership, the Foundation was renamed the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation. One of the country's wealthiest women, Mrs. Atkins is also considered one of its most generous. Newsweek named her to its 2006 Philanthropy's All-Star Team along with 13 other notable philanthropists including Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Michael J. Fox; BusinessWeek ranked her 17th in its 2006 list of the "50 Most Generous Philanthropists" and the New York Times featured her in an article about top medical philanthropists. In addition, she was among a select group invited to join the 2006 Clinton Global Initiative. Veronica Atkins was born in Russia, and during World War II fled the war-torn country with her family to Vienna. She continues to support several Russian orphanages. Having lived in seven countries (becoming fluent is as many languages), she gained extensive knowledge of international cuisine. She is a master gourmet cook, and, as the co-author of two cookbooks, Mrs. Atkins considers her controlled carbohydrate style of cooking a continuation of her love affair with food. Her feature articles on a variety of nutrition-related public health issues have appeared in newspapers nationwide. Music has also played an important role in Mrs. Atkins' life: She began singing in Europe at a young age and performed as a professional opera singer for 13 years. Mrs. Atkins' lives in Florida. The Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation c/o National Philanthropic Trust, 165 Township Line Road, Suite 150, Jenkintown, PA 19046-3593