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2008 Board of Directors
SPF Medical Advisor
2007 Scientific Advisory Board
Officers
Jim Sheorn, Member, President,
jim.sheorn@sp-foundation.org
Jim is a sales representative for Daiichi Sankyo (a
pharmaceutical company) and has over 18 years of experience in customer relations and
sales. He was previously a Field Director for the
American Heart Association where his work led to large
increases in fundraising. Jim holds a
bachelor's of science degree in marketing from the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has HSP and lives in
Brentwood, Tennessee with his wife and two children. A
suggestion for those that have either HSP or PLS: Find a
doctor who has experience treating HSP or PLS so that you
can get the most up to date care.
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Linda
Gentner, Vice President,
linda.gentner@sp-foundation.org
Linda was installed as a member of the SPF Board of
Directors in 2003 and co-chaired the Program Committee.
She is a
graduate of Southern Ohio College and was a purchasing
agent. She has
volunteered for more than a decade for several community
organizations including the area's leading hospital,
where she has held leadership and board positions. When Linda developed PLS, she
became involved with the PLS online patient community
and served the UCSF
ALS Research Center as a contact for PLS
patients. Thanks in large part to her efforts
with the online patient community, several PLS research grants were awarded and the NORD PLS
Physician's Guide was developed.
She lives in Fremont, California with
her husband.
In addition to serving as SPF Vice President, she
continues to chair the Program Committee and oversee
other special programs including co-chairing the
TeamWalk Committee.
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David
Lewis, Treasurer,
david_lewis@sp-foundation.org
David is an SPF incorporating board member, served
on the Foundation Steering Committee and has been the SPF Treasurer
since inception. He is the Chief Financial Officer for Pezold
Companies and has over 25
years of business management experience. David
has served his community in a variety of leadership and
membership roles including president of Columbus Kiwanis
Club. David holds a BS in Accounting from the University
of Alabama and earned a CPA license in
1982. David has childhood-onset HSP, lives in
Columbus, Georgia and has one daughter . David
also chairs
the SPF Financial Committee.
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Frank Davis, Secretary,
frank.davis@sp-foundation.org
Frank is the President of Pittman & Davis, a
direct marketing catalog company specializing in the sale
of perishable food items. He also serves as the President
of the National Association of Perishable Shippers and has
served in an advisory capacity to the US Postal Service.
Over the past two years, Frank has donated his services to
the SPF by doing several large mailings for the
Foundation. He has Bachelors degrees in business
administration and sociology from Trinity University. He
has HSP and lives in Harlingen, Texas with his wife. In addition to serving as SPF Secretary, Frank is
involved in fundraising initiatives.
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Members
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Mark
Weber, Esq., Member,
markw@sp-foundation.org
Mark
is a founding board member, co-chaired the
Foundation Steering Committee and completed his first
term as SPF President. He is an attorney with
eleven years experience as an Assistant Attorney General
and Assistant District Attorney. Mark has been an active community
leader since 1999, launching and managing a PLS email
support group, serving as editor of a PLS newsletter
and organizing fundraising initiatives. The
following year, he became active in the HSP online
community. Mark holds a BA in economics and
psychology and a JD. He was admitted to the Massachusetts
Bar in December 1986. He was diagnosed
with PLS in 1997. Mark and his wife and
two young boys live in Sherman, CT. Mark serves the SPF as Legal Counsel and also
chairs the Research Committee.
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Kris Brocchini, Member,
kris.brocchini@sp-foundation.org
Kris has already shown her tremendous talent
as a fundraiser by becoming the top 2004 SPF TeamWalk
fundraiser. She attended California Polytechnic State
University and has worked in
numerous volunteer positions in the past, as well serving
on her local School Board for 13 years. Kris was
recently diagnosed with PLS. She has four children and
five grandchildren and
lives in Ripon, California.
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Jean
Chambers, R.N., Member,
jean.chambers@sp-foundation.org
Jean is an operating room nurse. She
has been the Head Nurse Manager of a private plastic
surgery clinic for the past fifteen years. Jean has served
on various committees of her provincial and national
Operating Room Nurses associations. She has organized
several SPF Connections and has attended several,
including the 2004 TeamWalk Weekend in Boston and the
Satellite TeamWalk in California. Jean has an
R.N. diploma and is the mother of two sons. She has HSP
and lives in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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Larry Asbury,
Member,
larry.asbury@sp-foundation.org
Larry joined the SPF Board in 2006. was diagnosed with PLS in 2002 and remains firm in his
commitment since then to supporting the SPF with involvement
in numerous events across the country. He is a retired
executive of a national real estate owner/management company
located in Washington, D.C. As President, he was responsible
for 3500 employees. He served and volunteered on many national
boards and received national recognition and awards for his
dedication and leadership skills. Larry holds a B.S. in
accounting from Missouri State University and served in the
Army for three years in Germany. Larry and wife, Brenda were
married in 2004 and travel the U.S. fulltime in a 45 foot RV.
He has two stepchildren.
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Malin Dollinger, MD, Member,
malin.dollinger@sp-foundation.org
Malin joined the SPF Board in 2006. He is a retired physician/cancer specialist, whose practice
was devoted to second
opinions. He was educated at Stanford and Yale. His background also includes
business school. He has been involved with many non-profit organizations,
including a term as President of an American Cancer Society branch. His special
interest is in communication to the public, as he is the author of a
best-selling cancer book. He looks forward to assisting the Foundation in public
relations and communication. He emphasizes that there needs to be greater public
knowledge and awareness of HSP and PLS. Additionally, he would like to help
affected persons understand available resources and knowledge. He has HSP and
lives in California with his wife, four children and nine grandchildren.
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Annette
Lockwood, Member,
annette.lockwood@sp-foundation.org
Annette retired from ExxonMobil after more than twenty-five years
of experience in sales,
management, pricing, marketing and procurement. Annette holds a Mechanical Engineering
Degree and a Professional Engineer License. She
has adult-onset HSP. She has two children and lives
with her husband in Fairfax Station, Virginia. In addition to serving as
past SPF President, Annette
serves on the RGM for SPF Golf Tournament committee, is
the SPF contact for ExxonMobil and oversees other
fundraising initiatives.
 Mike Podanoffsky,
Member,
mike_podanoffsky@sp-foundation.org
Mike has 30+ years of experience in software engineering. He
has worked for IBM, Lotus, Cisco, and is currently at
Sentillion, the leading software vendor for hospitals. An
avid marathoner, Mike ran 20 marathons since
1991, usually raising money for various non-profit causes
like Team In Training. Mike holds a Bachelor's of Mathematics
degree from the
University of Texas and has done some post graduate work at
Harvard and the University of MA. He lives in
York, Maine with his wife and was recently diagnosed with
PLS.
 John K.
Fink, M.D.
Dr. Fink is
the Director of the Neurogenetic Disorders Clinic at the
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He's also a Professor
in the university's Department of Neurology and is a
Physician Scientist at the Geriatric Research Education
and Clinical Center, Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical
Center. His research interests are analysis of inherited
and degenerative disorders of the nervous system
(including hereditary spastic paraplegia, primary
lateral sclerosis, inherited movement disorders,
schizophrenia) and regulation of neuronal development.
Dr. Fink received his M.D. from the Medical College of
Ohio in Toledo. He did his residency training in
neurology and genetics at the University of Virginia,
Charlottesville. At the National Institutes of Health in
Bethesda, Maryland, he did a post-doctoral fellowship in
the Developmental and Metabolic Neurology and Medical
Genetics departments.
Scientific Advisory Board
The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) reviews grants
applications to the SPF. Their recommendations are given
to the Board of Directors, who make appropriations based
on their report. Members of the SAB are distinguished
in their knowledge of PLS and HSP and related research
and clinical management.
SAB Chairman
 Martha A.
Nance; Scientific Advisory Board Chairman
Struthers Parkinson's Center, Golden Valley, MN
Dr. Nance received her B.S. from Yale University and
her M.D. from the Medical College of Virginia. She did
her residency training in neurology at the St Paul
Ramsey Medical
and the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic. At
the University of Minnesota, she did her post-doctoral
fellowship in Medical Genetics.
Craig Blackstone, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Cellular Neurology Unit, National Institutes Neurological Disorders and
Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD
Robert Bowser, Ph.D.
Director, Center for ALS Research, University of Pittsburgh, School of
Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
Merit E. Cudkowicz, M.D.
Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Harvard
University Medical School, Cambridge, MA
James Garbern, MD, PhD
Department of Neurology and the Center for Molecular Medicine & Genetics, Wayne
State University, Detroit, MI
Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre, MD
Department of Neurology. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Iowa City, IA
Mark
Gudesblatt, MD
South Shore
Neurological Associates, Long Island, NY
Catherine Lomen-Hoerth, MD, PhD
ALS Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Evan Reid, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate, Department of Medical
Genetics, and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR), University of
Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Jacinda Sampson, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Michael Swash, M.D. FRCP
Emeritus Professor of Neurology, St. Bartholomew’s and The Royal London, Queen
Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London,
UK
Susan Perlman, M.D.
Department of Neurology, Director, Ataxia and Neurogenetics Program, UCLA
Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Shoji Tsuji, MD, Ph.D.
Professor and Chairman of Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute,
Niigata University, Professor and Chairman of Department of Neurology, Graduate
School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan
The Spastic Paraplegia Foundation, Inc. is:
- A nonprofit corporation under section 501(c)(3) of
the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. The federal tax
identification number is 04-3594491.
- Subject to an annual independent audit conducted
in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards.
Audits are conducted by Huber, Ring, Helm
& Co - St. Louis, MO.
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