With almost two decades of experience in the banking industry, Vince Liuzzi currently serves as the executive vice president and chief banking officer of DNB First. A community leader, Vincent has been named Man of the Year by Shelter for the Homeless, and has placed on the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list. Vince Liuzzi was also a member of the Lupus Foundation of America’s board of directors.

Established in 1977, the Lupus Foundation of America is the largest organization dedicated to fighting the autoimmune disease, with more than 300 chapters across the country. Because its symptoms often resemble those of other diseases, and can range from fatigue and fever to chest pain and dry eyes, lupus can be difficult to diagnose. Lupus is characterized by the body’s immune system attacking part of itself. Commonly afflicted areas include the brain, heart, skin, joints, and blood cells, among others. No two cases of lupus are the same, as symptoms can come and go for years, and its most distinctive symptom — a facial rash that looks like open butterfly wings — is not always present.

Although there is no cure for lupus, there are treatment options, depending on symptoms. Most involve a series of medications to treat the range of symptoms as they occur or preventively.