David Panzirer is a grandson of Leona Helmsley and was appointed as a Trustee upon her passing in 2007.

A former real estate executive, David’s personal passion – improving the lives of those with type 1 diabetes – has led Helmsley to become a leading funder in the battle against the disease. As a parent of two children with type 1 diabetes, he has driven the creation of a robust and highly targeted grantmaking program that takes on long-term, high-risk projects to ease the burden of managing the disease while continuing to search for the elusive cure. Helmsley’s Type 1 Diabetes Program, like Helmsley overall, seeks to fund new approaches that reflect bold thinking and clear potential for outsize impact that will improve countless lives.

David serves as a leader in fostering collaboration with other funders as well as with critical stakeholders across industry, academia, private philanthropy, government, and patient communities.