Wes Breazeale

The American Tinnitus Association (ATA), Portland Ore, has recently appointed Wes Breazeale as its new development director, where he will direct the organization’s fundraising efforts with a focus on major gifts and membership programs.

Breazeale brings more than seven years of successful nonprofit fundraising experience to the position and an understanding of working in member-based organizations, says a statement from the organization. He served as the director of donor relations for The Nature Conservancy in Oregon, and has worked in development for The United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, and Lewis and Clark College, Portland.

Tinnitus impacts some 50 million Americans and of those, 12 million have chronic intrusive tinnitus, says the organization. Since 2001, tinnitus incidence in veterans has skyrocketed, increasing at a rate of 18% per year; for the past 2years, it has remained the No. 1 service-connected disability for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, according to the organization.

Michael Malusevic, ATA’s executive director, said in the statement that the tinnitus research community has made incredible strides toward understanding the mechanisms responsible for triggering tinnitus in various brain systems and in various subsets of patients.

ATA has contributed millions of dollars to medical research projects focused on curing tinnitus, and the association provides information on tinnitus to the public, helps to organize tinnitus seminars for tinnitus patients, and advocates for public policies that support its mission of curing tinnitus. 

[Source: ATA]