Board of Directors
John Tucker, Co-Chair– Maryland
Vice President of Commercial Lending and Relationship Management at TD Bank
John primarily works with CEOs and CFOs of nonprofit and for-profit entities, crafting strategies that address their long-term and short-term financial management needs. John brings a strong vision for the future of Allergy & Asthma Network that supports all four of the mission areas – outreach, education, advocacy and research.
Dennis Williams, Co-Chair – North Carolina
Pharm.D. – Associate Professor, University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Dennis practices at the UNC Medical Center with the pulmonary medicine medical service. Dennis has served as a member of the National Asthma Education Program Coordinating Committee, and the National Asthma Educator Certification Board. Dennis serves on the Board of Directors because he feels that one of the most important things that a pharmacist can do is help patients get the most benefit from their medication.
Randy Taylor, CPA, Treasurer
President – J. R Taylor & Company
Randy is president of a business that provides tax and financial service to high net worth individual, small businesses and nonprofit entities. Randy is on the board of several nonprofits where he helps with tax, accounting and other financial matters. He was originally recruited to the Board by the organization’s founder to lead the transition from a ‘kitchen table’ entity to a fully functioning organization, and he has continued his involvement since the beginning.
Jennifer Blair – Oklahoma
Executive Director – Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation
After Brendon McLarty, Jennifer’s nephew, died of a sudden severe asthma attack at the age of 16, Jennifer co-founded the Brendon McLarty Memorial Foundation, with Brendon’s mother, Lori McLarty. Jennifer is a Medical Social Worker by training and is now dedicated to saving lives through asthma education and awareness. She is proud to serve on the Board of Directors to continue honoring the memory of Brendon McLarty.
William E. Berger, MD – California
Founder – Allergy & Asthma Associates of Southern California
Board Certified in both pediatrics and allergy and immunology, Dr. Berger founded the Allergy and Asthma Associates of Southern California Medical Group in 1981 in Mission Viejo, Calif., where he practices both adult and pediatric allergy. Dr. Berger entered the field of medicine because he wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of others. His commitment to improving patient care has extended beyond his practice to clinical research, publications, leadership in professional organizations and his work with Allergy & Asthma Network.
Siobhan Cavanaugh – New Jersey
Health Policy Advocate and Retired Pharmaceutical Company Executive
Siobhan is a retired health policy and pharmaceutical company executive. She has held a number of roles with Merck & Co. and Mylan in public policy, marketing, philanthropy, professional affairs and advocacy, both in Canada and the United States. She and her teams developed award-winning programs that focused on enhancing the role of patients in healthcare decision making and access to care. Prior to her work in the pharmaceutical industry, Siobhan held a number of positions with the Ministry of Health, Ontario, Canada in corporate and legislation policy. She is an advocate of patients’ rights to healthcare and brings her expertise in developing public-private partnerships to Allergy & Asthma Network.
Jasen Dobson – New Jersey
Digital Health Consultant
Jasen is a life sciences business and technology strategist and product development leader with 20+ years of leading teams in transforming concepts into successful products. Jasen has created high performing global teams in China and India, as well as the GE Software Center in San Ramon, California. He established and led patient technologies at Teva Pharmaceuticals, which applied mobile health and smart technology to drive better patient outcomes. Jasen also spent 10 years at GE Healthcare leading Software, Molecular Pathology and Cell Analysis medical device teams. He is currently a digital health consultant working with partners on innovations to drive better patient outcomes.
Yechiel Engelhard, MD, MBA, MHA – Massachusetts
Digital Health Executive and Entrepreneur
Dr. Engelhard has 20 years of experience as a senior executive and entrepreneur who uses technology and digital therapeutics to provide better healthcare services. Dr. Engelhard has co-founded and managed the full lifecycle of new products and led global teams to develop novel software and hardware technologies. In 2015, Dr. Engelhard led Gecko Health Inc. to a successful acquisition by Teva, a global pharmaceutical company. It was one of the only digital health acquisitions by pharma. Gecko developed an IoT system that involved connected devices, a mobile, a cloud solution, and analytics for respiratory patients. At Teva, as the VP Global Head of Digital Health, he managed commercial, marketing, and product development teams. He led the roadmap to integrate new technological solutions within healthcare organizations, payer systems, medical groups, and directly with patients. As a practicing physician and an Air Force combat doctor, he has held roles both in small and large healthcare systems. He has vast hands-on experience in healthcare delivery workflow, clinical practice, medical management, and technology implementation, including mobile and connected devices. Later as a medical director in a large insurance system, he optimized care delivery models for patients. Dr. Engelhard is a frequent speaker at industry events on healthcare technology and connected devices. He is an advisor in several technology companies. He holds an MD and MHA degrees from Ben-Gurion University in Israel and an MBA degree from MIT Sloan School of Management.
Laonis Gooden, RN – Michigan
Founder and Executive Director, Breathe Anthony J. Chapman Asthma Foundation
Since the untimely death of her oldest son, Anthony in 2007, due to a fatal asthma attack, Laonis has been on a mission to raise awareness, educate people about the impact asthma has on families and communities, and to save lives. She has been active in the community for more than 15 years serving on various organizations. She is an active member of the Detroit Asthma Steering Committee. Laonis is a registered nurse with 20+ years of experience. She earned her Master’s of Science degree from the University of Phoenix and Bachelor’s of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University. She is also a Certified Asthma Educator. She loves spending time with her husband, son and beautiful three grandchildren.
Donna Matlach – Arizona
President and co-founder of the Severe Asthma Foundation, patient with severe asthma
Donna suffered from asthma as a child, but her condition went away in her teenage years only to return with a vengeance in as an adult. She turned her energy to founding the Severe Asthma Foundation, speaking about her journey with asthma. The Foundation merged with Allergy & Asthma Network. Donna knows that severe asthma impacts nearly every area of patients’ lives. She serves on the Board of Directors to continue to share her experiences and advocate for patients to get the treatment that they need.
