Our Team

After Wallace Coulter died in 1998, Sue Van began assembling her team. Every member of Sue’s’ team is highly experienced in business practices within their respective domains. Together, they continue to learn how to work within the not-for-profit sector and introduce industry best practices to their partners.

Sue Van

Sue is the President and CEO of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.

Sue has fiduciary responsibility for the vision, strategic plan, and operations of the Foundation. Sue is integrally involved in every aspect of its programs, from creation to implementation and establishing the criteria for success.

The Foundation continues Wallace’s practice of providing risk capital for innovative initiatives through its grant programs. The Translational Research Partnership Program promotes academic translational research based in biomedical engineering. By implementing industry best practices, this process accelerates the translation of promising university innovations into practical advances that improve patient care. The Biomedical Societies Program supports leading medical societies to bring the latest education and standards of care to resource-limited countries. The Asian-American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Program focuses on building a community among organizations to promote collaboration and partnership in civic engagement and health disparities.

Prior to establishing the Foundation in 1999, Sue was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Coulter Corporation, responsible for the company’s long-term strategy, as well as its financial and legal affairs. Coulter was the leader in global diagnostics that created and built the market for automated hematology which made blood cell testing affordable and accessible for the world. Sue converted leasing from a domestic financing tool to a global marketing strategy that insured market dominance. She negotiated the acquisition of the first ever leveraged buyout of a Japanese company by a foreign entity.

Sue was born in Shanghai, China, and immigrated to the United States at the age of five. She has a B.A. in Political Science from American University, and M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Wayne Barlin

Vice President and General Counsel

Wayne joined the Foundation in January 1999. Prior to this position, he was Corporate Counsel and Secretary of Coulter Corporation. Wayne joined Coulter in 1978 as a tax attorney. He became corporate counsel in 1981, and was involved in all major company transactions, including the sale of the company to Beckman Instruments, Inc. in October 1997. Prior to joining Coulter, he was in private practice. Wayne holds a BS in finance and accounting from the University of Connecticut and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. Wayne retired from the Foundation in January 2025.

Eduardo Callejas

Operations Manager

Although Eduardo is involved in all aspects of work within the Foundation, his emphasis is in humanitarian programs that deal with rural education and health. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Eduardo joined Coulter Corporation in 1982. He worked in the Immunology Division holding the position of manager of Animal and Raw Materials. Among his duties, he managed the production of monoclonal antibodies and other biological raw materials for the company.

Susan Racher

Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Susan oversaw the endowment’s investment portfolio, including a portfolio of health care venture capital investments. She also oversaw the tax, accounting, and compliance and was part of the grant team. Prior to joining the Foundation in 1998, Susan was a Senior Managing Director of Bank of America’s Florida Group, in charge of the bank’s $4 billion in capital committed to Florida corporations. Susan was named as “Small Foundation Investment Manager for 2013” by Institutional Investor Magazine. She has a B.A. from Smith College in English and Economics, and an M.B.A from the University of Chicago in Finance and Accounting. Susan retired from the Foundation in January 2025.

Susie Sands

Vice President, Asian American Program

Susie joined the Foundation in April of 2011, after 15 years of retirement. Her previous career spanned twenty years in the field of investment securities and wealth management and was a Vice President with Blyth Eastman Paine Webber. Blyth Eastman Paine Webber was responsible for seeding the early growth of the biotechnology industry and helped bring the first drugs to commercialization for Genentech, Amgen, and Genzyme. She has a Masters in Nonprofit Studies in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Greg Thornton

Controller

Greg’s responsibilities include financial reporting, tax compliance, and IT. In addition, he is integrally involved in every program of the Foundation providing financial oversight. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2001, Greg spent nine years in public accounting, including managing his own consulting firm. He worked for Coulter Corporation and University of Miami as an internal auditor. Greg is a Certified Public Accountant and graduated with a BBA in Accounting from the University of Miami.

Dennis Van

Director of Asian American Pacific Islander Programs

Dennis assists with implementation and execution of strategies for the AAPI comprehensive civic engagement program. He has 25 years of experience in the areas of brokerage, banking, and wealth management. Dennis was a former Vice President of Wells Fargo’s Wealth Management Group and has held various positions in sales, marketing, product/project/relationship management and training in the financial services industry. Dennis has a B.S. in Applied Economics from the University of San Francisco.

Joan Van

Director, Asian American Programs

Joan managed programs and initiatives for the Asian American Program, having worked at the Asian Pacific Fund in San Francisco as Corporate and Community Liaison. Prior to joining the Foundation she spent over 20 years as Senior Advertising Account Executive at Comcast and AT&T working with national clients including United Airlines, McDonalds, Toyota and American Express. Joan holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona. Joan retired from the Foundation in July 2024.