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Muscular Dystrophy Association Named Finalist in 2020 SuperNova Awards by Constellation Research

Recognized in Tech Optimization and Modernization Category for Disruptive Technology Leadership

New York, NY – Monday, August 10, 2020— Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) today announced it was named a finalist in the tenth annual Constellation SuperNova Awards. As digital transformation evolves across industries and geographies, organizations must make deeper investments to create real impact. This prestigious program recognizes teams and leaders for their innovative application of disruptive technology and transformative initiatives. MDA was chosen as a leading program in the Tech Optimization and Modernization Category for Disruptive Technology Leadership.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is known worldwide as the largest and most impactful voluntary health organization dedicated to funding medical care, research, and advocacy for over 250,000 people in the United States living with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related neuromuscular diseases. Voting begins today and votes can be cast at: https://www.constellationr.com/node/19469/vote.

“We have seen mass acceleration of transformation projects. What would have taken four years has been accomplished in four months. Mission critical projects have dominated this year’s SuperNova Awards,” said R “Ray” Wang, chairman and founder of Constellation Research. “The finalists selected for the 2020 SuperNova Awards represent individuals, teams and organizations who have overcome significant hurdles amidst a pandemic and post-pandemic environment. Their dedication to their customers, fellow employees, and partners is massively commendable. The judges had a very tough time identifying the finalists this year as the competition was intense.”

In partnership with FinancialForce, the MDA was able to create an easy to use front facing menu by which field staff could select items for purchase, request services, and log donation deposits that had come through the individual district. With this streamlined front office data capture, MDA was able to create Central Service Centers for, procurement, vendor payments and accounting. Additionally, MDA now had detailed information on all fundraising and cost activities, to help influence organizational decision-making. The efficiency created by this streamlined processing methodology has saved the MDA millions of operational dollars and thousands of administrative hours annually, which have since removed administrative burden from the fundraising teams, and allowed more dollars to be dedicated to the mission.

“By the end of 2017 MDA had reached the point where its operational and technology infrastructure had become cumbersome, costly, and antiquated,” said Michael Kennedy, EVP, Chief Financial Officer of MDA. “The solution to the problem was to build custom functionality on the FinancialForce platform that would enable the centralization of all services by creating a single end-to-end process that transformed the traditional front office and back office structure into a technology enabled one-office concept,” he continued.

“With the successful completion of this cloud-based process, MDA was in an ideal position to react swiftly and intelligently through the COVID-19 pandemic. Allowing us to support our MDA families who are most at risk to this virus,” said Lynn O’Connor Vos, President and CEO of MDA. “We are so proud of the technology and finance teams led by Michael Kennedy for the work that has led to MDA being named a finalist in the Constellation SuperNova Awards this year.”

The 2020 SuperNova Award judges, comprised of technology thought leaders and journalists, selected finalists who demonstrated success in implementing leading-edge business models and emerging technologies for their organizations. Finalists achieved remarkable results, including competitive advantage, cost savings and quantifiable improvements in agility.

Public voting for the SuperNova Awards will take place online from August 10 – September 4, 2020. The winners will be announced at the SuperNova Awards Gala on October 28 in Half Moon Bay, California, during Constellation’s Connected Enterprise and globally live streamed.

For more information, visit https://www.constellationr.com/about-supernova-awards/supernova-awards-2020

About the Muscular Dystrophy Association

For 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been committed to transforming the lives of people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. We do this through innovations in science and innovations in care. As the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside of the federal government, MDA has committed more than $1 billion since our inception to accelerate the discovery of therapies and cures. Research we have supported is directly linked to life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases. MDA's MOVR is the first and only data hub that aggregates clinical, genetic, and patient-reported data for multiple neuromuscular diseases to improve health outcomes and accelerate drug development. MDA supports the largest network of multidisciplinary clinics providing best in class care at more than 150 of the nation's top medical institutions. Our Resource Center serves the community with one-on-one specialized support, and we offer educational conferences, events, and materials for families and healthcare providers. Each year thousands of children and young adults learn vital life skills and gain independence at summer camp and through recreational programs, at no cost to families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDA continues to produce virtual events and programming to support our community when in-person events and activities are not possible. MDA’s COVID-19 guidelines and virtual events are posted at mda.org/COVID19. For more information, visit mda.org.

About Constellation Research

Constellation Research is a technology research and advisory firm based in Silicon Valley. We deliver strategic guidance to companies seeking to transform their businesses through the early adoption of disruptive technology. Our analysts draw on their experiences as practitioners to deliver pragmatic advice to CXOs leading digital transformation within their organizations. Clients include board of directors, C-suite executives, line-of-business leaders, and IT visionaries who are not afraid to challenge the status quo. Our mission is to conduct research on emerging technologies, identify and validate trends, and empower our clients to succeed in the digital economy. Constellation Research also hosts DisrupTV, a show hosted by our founder R “Ray” Wang, which features disruptive leaders and reaches 40k+ viewers each week.

Global Press Contacts:
Mary Fiance, Director, Public Relations
Muscular Dystrophy Association
press@mdausa.org

Elle Froze, Marketing Manager
Constellation Research
Press@Constellationr.com