Veteran technology industry executive Tom Looney of Wilmington has been appointed to the board of directors of the Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) Coalition, the organization announced in a recent news release.

Diagnosed with MSA in 2008, Looney is the first patient ever to serve on the MSA Coalition’s board, which has been historically composed of doctors and caregivers, officials stated in the release.

MSA is a rare degenerative neurological disease of the brain and spinal cord, and is often classified as one of the “Parkinson’s-Plus” conditions, the release stated. In addition to resembling Parkinson’s disease, MSA has additional symptoms involving impairment of the cerebellum and/or the autonomic nervous system.

“On behalf of the entire board, I’m delighted with the addition of Tom Looney to the MSA Coalition’s board of directors," MSA Coalition executive board officer Pam Bower said, in the release. She continued that Looney’s personal mantra, "Accept the Diagnosis; Defy the Prognosis", has fueled his ambitious daily exercise and wellness regime that has inspired patients, caregivers and doctors within the MSA community.

Looney has said that the MSA Coalition has been a source of high-quality information and personal comfort since his own diagnosis, and that he hopes to help raise the impact of the coalition during his board tenure, according to the release.

In his career, Looney has served in senior sales and business development leadership roles for Microsoft, Oracle and Active Software, among other companies, the release stated.