A Legacy of Leadership and Giving

When Derek Bandeen was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 55, he and his wife, Bonnie Bandeen, did what had defined nearly four decades of their marriage: they faced the challenge as a team. After global careers in finance, raising four children across continents, and decades of community leadership, they had built a partnership defined by resilience, humility, and a willingness to do the hard work together.

“For us, the diagnosis immediately activated the same leadership instincts we relied on throughout our careers,” Bonnie says. “We asked: What’s the need? Where are the gaps? How do we build something better? The more we learned, the more convinced we became that people facing Parkinson’s deserved a centralized, compassionate place to turn.”

What began as a search for coordinated care became something far bigger: the creation of a dedicated Parkinson’s wellness center in Manhattan—an ambitious, community-centered organization designed to bring exercise, therapy, education, research connection, and social support under one roof.

The idea didn’t come from a long-term dream. It came from a gap.

“We started by asking a very simple question,” Derek says. “Is anyone doing this well? And the answer, at least in New York City, was no.” With guidance from the Michael J. Fox Foundation (of which Bonnie now sits on the Executive Board), they traveled to Cleveland to visit one of the only successful models in the country. “It showed us what was possible. But New York needed something accessible, scalable, and sustainable.”

Their business backgrounds kicked in. Derek, a Fuqua graduate and former global head of equities for Citibank, and Bonnie, a Wharton alumna who held major leadership roles at Morgan Stanley, approached the project the way they approached every major challenge: strategically, analytically, and with purpose.

“We didn’t want to start a charity unless it made real sense,” Derek says. “But we also didn’t want a patchwork system where people run around the city every day searching for programs. Parkinson’s is already hard enough.”

Bonnie adds, “If creating coordinated care was this difficult for us—and we have resources, connections, and the ability to spend money solving problems—what does that mean for everyone else?”

Their answer was to build a center that would serve as a home base for hundreds of people with Parkinson’s: two full gyms and a boxing gym (one of the most effective exercise types for slowing progression), a classroom, a conference space, and a café to help combat the social isolation that can deepen symptoms.

And they built it using the philosophy they learned—and lived—through Duke and Fuqua.

“This project reminded me so much of Team Fuqua,” Derek says. “We put together a founding committee with expertise in architecture, health systems, real estate, fitness, and medicine. You don’t solve problems alone. You build the right team, and together you create the solutions.”

Derek’s ties to Duke run deep—he graduated from Duke undergrad before returning for his MBA at Fuqua, and his family now spans multiple Blue Devils across generations. He has been a loyal supporter of Duke and Fuqua for nearly 40 years, giving consistently since he graduated in 1986, and has served on the Fuqua Board of Visitors for two decades.

Together, he and Bonnie have established multiple scholarships and even endowed a professorship at Fuqua, driven by their shared belief that education unlocks opportunity. “I’ve always been incredibly grateful for Duke,” Derek says. “It had a remarkable impact on my life and opened opportunities I never would have had. Education is the way forward—it’s how you solve problems. That’s why we’ve supported scholarships and investments in research. It’s why we give.”

He sees the same values shaping their Parkinson’s center: “It has that Duke-Fuqua feeling—using your resources to help others, almost instinctively.”

Their commitment to giving back shaped not only the structure of the center but the purpose behind it. They intentionally designed a sustainable financial model—not to generate profit, but to ensure long-term access. Thirty percent of memberships will be subsidized. No one will be asked for tax documents; instead, they’ll just be asked what they can afford.

“We want everyone to feel welcome,” Bonnie says. “We want to normalize Parkinson’s. There’s so much shame around visible symptoms—people withdraw, they hide, they stop socializing. But being open can be empowering. There is so much warmth and support in this community.”

They are also building the center as a platform for research. With thousands of New Yorkers living with Parkinson’s, and many clinical trials urgently seeking participants, the Bandeens hope their center can become a connector—bridging patients, hospitals, and researchers to accelerate progress.

This work has become more than a passion project. “It’s our retirement life now,” Bonnie laughs. “Seven days a week. But it feels like our calling.”

For Derek, the experience has been unexpectedly moving. “Walking into a room where almost everyone has Parkinson’s… I wasn’t the odd one out. I didn’t have to explain anything. There’s something incredibly powerful about that sense of belonging.”

Their hope is simple and ambitious: that by building something excellent—and documenting everything—they will inspire similar centers across the country.

“We don’t need to build an empire,” Bonnie says. “But if we can create a model others can replicate, we can help far more people than we’ll ever meet.”

For two leaders who have spent their lives bringing people together, investing in education, and building strong communities, this center is a natural extension of everything they value.

“It feels very Duke,” Derek says. “Using your experience, your resources, and your heart to help others. That’s the instinct that Duke instills—and it stays with you forever.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Parkinson's Wellness Center is a registered 501(c)(3). Visit the center's website at http://www.parkinsonswf.org. You can also follow the center's journey on Instagram at @parkinsonswf.