Scottsdale, Arizona – December 23, 2010 – The Board of Directors of Alcor Life Extension Foundation today announced that Dr. Max More, 46, has been named Chief Executive Officer effective Jan 1, 2011. The new executive appointment follows the decision of Alcor Executive Director and President Jennifer Chapman to step down. After 10 years of dedicated service, she plans to pursue her law degree full-time and feels this will put her in a better position for Alcor’s long-term benefit. Since starting her career at Alcor in 2000, Jennifer’s demonstrated abilities resulted in her rise to the leadership role. She has made important contributions to nearly every aspect of Alcor operations over the past decade. The Alcor Board and staff thank her, and wish her well in her future endeavors.
An internationally recognized advocate of the effective and ethical use of technology for life extension and cryopreservation, Dr. More brings experience in running non-profit organizations, many years of analyzing and writing about business organizations, and a long commitment to Alcor’s mission. More joined Alcor in 1986 as its 67th member, founded Alcor-UK (originally Mizar Limited) in the same year, and has participated in several cryopreservations. He has spoken on cryonics and life extension at numerous conferences and in many national and international media, including a Crossfire debate shortly after the cryopreservation of baseball legend Ted Williams.
“Max brings a quarter century of experience in and commitment to cryopreservation, life extension, and improving the future,” said Alcor director Tim Shavers, “and has earned a reputation for both practical and principled leadership and bold thinking. Crucially, he shares our vision of Alcor’s mission and understands the organization’s past and its challenges and opportunities. His extensive knowledge of our operations, goals, and needs makes him the ideal choice to lead Alcor as CEO,” said Shavers.
More built Extropy Institute, an educational non-profit organization that created the modern “transhumanist” movement, whose goals centrally include extending healthy human life span. More organized and chaired five successful conferences and, along with Ray Kurzweil, was the keynote speaker at an online summit that lead to the development of the “Proactionary Principle”, and was editor-in-chief of the pioneering publication, Extropy: The Journal of Transhumanist Thought. More’s advocacy of cryonics dates to several years before he became an Alcor cryopreservation member in 1986 while a student at England’s Oxford University. His commitment was reflected academically in his doctoral dissertation, a chapter of which argued for a reconceptualization of death according to which cryopreserved patients are neither fully alive nor dead but in a third state.
“I am honored to assume the leadership of Alcor and to continue the legacy of commitment to maintaining Alcor’s patients in cryopreservation while growing the organization and improving our technological capabilities,” said More. “Since I joined, Alcor has grown from 67 members to around 930, and its patients from 6 to 100. I am thrilled to work with Alcor’s Board, with its broad and deep expertise, to continue and accelerate that growth while keeping a primary focus on protecting our existing patients. I am also committed to strengthening the stability of the organization to better endure over the coming decades and to continuing to raise the level of our medical professionalism and business practices.”
About the Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Alcor Life Extension Foundation is a not-for-profit research organization founded in 1972. Alcor is the world leader in cryonics, and cryonics technology. Cryonics is the science of using ultra-cold temperatures to cryopreserve humans. The intent is that advanced scientific procedures may one day be able to revive cryopreserved humans and restore them to good health. Alcor performed its first human cryopreservation in 1976, and has engaged in long-term care of cryopreserved members in its state-of-the-art facility since then.
Among the scientific achievements of Alcor is the use of advanced cryoprotectant formulas capable of vitrification. Vitrification enables cryopreservation to take place without the damage that occurs in freezing tissue. Alcor has published papers in scientific journals documenting the quality of tissue preservation possible with its procedures, and the effects of clinical death on the brain. Alcor also sponsors research in the field of nanomedicine, a technology that may someday be used to revive cryopreserved patients.
Alcor is overseen by a Board of Directors consisting of successful and well-regarded scientists, physicians, attorneys, and other professionals. Alcor also has a group of scientific advisors, who are leaders in the fields of medical research, nanotechnology, and
computer science.
Alcor has about 930 members and 100 cryopreserved patients. The public is welcome to attend regularly scheduled tours of the Alcor facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information about Alcor and cryonics, visit www.alcor.org.
