SEATTLE, July 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Athira Pharma, Inc., a clinical-stage company dedicated to developing first-in-class therapies for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's that are focused on regeneration, today announced that Leen Kawas, President and CEO of Athira, has been selected as a member of the French-American Foundation's 2019 class of Young Leaders.

The prestigious Young Leaders program, established by the Foundation in 1981, brings together a transatlantic group under the age of 40 from a vast array of sectors who share a passion for forging bonds in a globalized world and using their influence for the common good. During the two-year program, Young Leaders convene to discuss issues of common concern and meet with local and global specialists.

U.S. Young Leaders alumni include President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Oscar-winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson, Executive Dina Powell, journalist Gwen Ifill and former World Bank President Robert Zoellick. French alums include President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, astronaut Thomas Pesquet, mathematician and politician Cédric Villani.

2019 US Class of Young Leaders:

• Geoffrey Chepiga, Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
• Chloe Demrovsky, President and CEO, Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRI)
• Shaun Gordon, Founder and CEO, Pristine Environments; Managing Partner, AGI Partners LLC
• Christina Grant, Assistant Superintendent, The School District of Philadelphia
• Barkha Gvalani, Partner, GV
• Adam Hodge, Senior Vice President, SKDKnickerbocker
• Leen Kawas, President and CEO, Athira Pharma, Inc.
• Bhama Ramkhelawon, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Cell Biology; Director of Vascular Research Program, New York University Langone Medical Center
• Kabir Sehgal, Founder and CEO, MFT Productions
• Adam Sotomayor, Foreign Affairs Officer, Bureau of Counterterrorism & Countering Violent Extremism, US Department of State

2019 French Class of Young Leaders:

• Rania Belkahia, President and Co-Founder, Afrimarket
• Nicolas de Bellefonds, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group; Leader, BCG GAMMA France
• Erwin Bruder, Lieutenant-Colonel, Armée de Terre
• Félicie Burelle, Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Strategy and Development Director; Plastic Omnium
• Pierre-Yves Frouin, President, BioSerenity
• Nicole Karam, Associate Professor in Interventional Cardiology, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, Paris-Descartes University
• Laurence Lascary, Producer, DE L'AUTRE COTÉ DU PÉRIPH' (DACP)
• Arnaud Mentré, Consul General of France in Boston
• Delphine O, Ambassador and Secretary General, UN Women's Global Forum
• Tony Pinville, Chief Executive Officer, Heuritech

To learn more about the Young Leaders program, visit:
https://frenchamerican.org/young-leaders/the-program/

About Athira Pharma, Inc.
Athira, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is a drug development company striving to improve human health by advancing new therapies for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Athira is currently advancing its lead therapeutic candidate, NDX-1017, a novel small molecule therapy designed to slow, halt or reverse the effects of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases rather than only alleviating disease symptoms. For more information, visit www.athira.com.  You can also follow Athira on Facebook, LinkedIn and @athirapharma on Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Athira Pharma, Inc.