Board Members

Effective June 29, 2010

Stephen Bender - Chair of the Board
	Stephen Bender is President of Bana Electric Corporation in Farmingdale, New York. He served as an NHF transition board member and was Chair of Phase II of the “Its’ Time for a Cure” campaign. He has knowledge and experience in the areas of fundraising, finance and investment.

Shannon Penberthy - Vice Chair of the Board

Shannon Penberthy has been involved with the bleeding disorders community since 1995, when she began working as the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Washington Representative with MARC Associates, advocating for the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act. She served there for 10 years before beginning her corporate career. Penberthy led federal government affairs for Baxter Healthcare for two years before joining Procter & Gamble as an Associate Director for Global FDA and Health Policy in 2007.

Clifford Blair Cohn, Esq. - Treasurer

Clifford Cohn is an attorney with Cohn & Associates in Philadelphia who specializes in the representation of individuals, professionals and businesses. He has served on the board of the Delaware Valley Chapter of NHF since 1995 and was president of the chapter until June of 2004. Cohn has also served on the boards of Glasstech, Inc., Leslie Fay Companies, Inc., and Sassco, Ltd. Cohn has knowledge and experience in the areas of advocacy and finance.

Todd M. Pfeil - Secretary

Todd M. Pfeil is an attorney with Pfeil, Millonzi & Curran, S.C., in Black Earth and Spring Green, Wisc., specializing in business law and litigation. He has experience representing both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. He serves on the boards of E80 Holdings, Inc.; Pure Line Seeds, Inc.; and Fish & Associate, Inc. Pfeil has knowledge and experience in the areas of advocacy, public relations and fund raising.

Jill R. Birdwhistell, PhD

Jill is the Chief of Strategic Advancement for AAUW. In addition to her role as chief of staff, she also works closely with AAUW members and leaders to facilitate implementation of Board goals and coordinate implementation and marketing of activities and programs that address member needs and priorities. Jill holds a BA from the University of Pennslyvania, a M.Ed. from the University of Virginia, and attended law school and received her Ph.D. in Higher Ed Administration and Policy/Law from the University of Kansas.

Jill has varied professional background. She was a high school teacher and labor negotiator for 12 fishing unions in AK; a medical editor in St. Louis; the director of alcoholism & drug education/ rehab programs in Northern VA and Pittsburgh. Jill served on the faculties of KU and UVA Schools of Ed., and the Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine in Health Systems Management. She was Development Direcotr For: the Dallas YWCA, the national American Lung Association, the National Mental Health Association, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the American Medical Women’s Association, the national Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics & Neonatal Nursing; and Sr. VP for America’s Health TV Network.

Eileen F. Bostwick, PhD

Eileen F. Bostwick, PhD, is a self-employed consultant in preclinical and clinical drug development in Dayton, Minn. She is a member of the Consumer Advisory Board for the Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. She previously served as president and vice president of the Hemophilia Foundation of Minnesota/Dakotas (HFMD.) Bostwick has knowledge and experience in the areas of information and education, resource development, and research and treatment.

Kathy Gerus-Darbison

Kathy is a former board member of NHF, having served as both Chair and Vice-President in the past. She has also served on the board of the National Association of People with AIDS. In recent years Kathy has founded and directed the STITCHES Women’s Initiatives, which does therapeutic dollmaking workshops with girls and women with HIV infection, bleeding disorders, and other health issues. She is a professor of Sociology at Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills, MI. She also works as a tutor for special needs college students.

Barbara J. Gordon

Barbara is a social worker and an educator, working with individuals, groups, and organizations. She was Vice President of the New England Hemophilia Association for over 5 years. She has experience assessing a broad range of situations, identifying strengths and areas of concern, and planning responses based on agreed upon goals. Barbara effectively co-led NEHA through a complex transition period, served as NEHA leadership liaison to the NHF, and initiated NEHA’s advocacy program. She has crafted legislative agendas and is an effective advocate at the state and federal levels. She has twin teenaged sons, one of whom has severe hemophilia.

Craig Kessler, MASAC Chair
	bio coming soon

Michael Luettgen
	bio coming soon Bloomfield Hills, MI

Rachel Miller

Rachel Miller serves the bleeding disorders community as a camp counselor for Northern California's Camp Hemotion, Leader In Training program coordinator for New England Hemophilia Association's Family Camp and a member of the National Youth Leadership Institute (NYLI). She has served on the NHF's Camp Grant Review Board and as the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program coordinator for NYLI. As a member of the Board of Directors, she chairs the Board Development Committee. She lives in Las Vegas, NV, where she is pursuing a career in nonprofit management.

Danielle Nance, MD

Dr. Nance is delighted to be nominated for board candidacy. She completed her medical degree from SIU School of Medicine in Springfield Illinois in the spring of 2005 and brings experience with organized medicine through leadership in the American Medical Association (AMA) and active participation in AMPAC, the political action arm of AMA. She completed Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington and continues her clinical training in a Hemostasis and Thrombosis Fellowship with a focus on Hemophilia Care of the Adult at The Puget Sound Blood Center and The University of Washington.

As a woman with a bleeding disorder and mother of a son with severe hemophilia, she is committed to comprehensive, accessible care for people with chronic medical illness. She has extensive volunteer experience with the National Hemophilia Foundation in outreach program development, mentoring and leadership. She continues this work as Vice President, Medical Liaison to LadyBugs, an organization dedicated to the support of women with bleeding disorders. She has had a passion for improving access to health care and has gladly served on the Patient Services Board of Directors since 2005.

Ken Trader

Ken is a senior level Sales, Marketing and Managed Care executive with proven leadership skills in Fortune 100 and 500 Corporations. He has a strong ability to drive organizational change and a solid track record in driving growth in challenging markets. Ken has demonstrated expertise in all aspects of Business Management including P&L, Strategic Planning, Contract Negotiations, Federal/Regional Government Affairs, Mergers and Acquisitions, as well as Team Development and Evaluation. A visionary strategist and inspirational communicator passionately committed to driving long term value while pragmatically dedicated to tactical implementation, Ken’s leadership characteristics include: focused mental toughness, energetic competitiveness and the ability to inspire diverse teams in supporting a unified vision and mission.

Ken has eighteen years experience in working with the bleeding disorders community, supported by strong skills in advocacy, public relations, education and resource development. In addition, his industry experience in developing collaborative relationships with payers as well as his experience on the manufacturing and service sides of the hemophilia business will allow him to compliment the diversity of skill sets to the board. Lastly, Ken’s experience in working with federal and regional policy makers will provide value to the board in developing strategies and resources for future challenges.

Gil White, MD

Dr. White is a hematology-oncology physician who has spent more than 35 years in the world of hemophilia, bleeding disorders, and thrombosis. For 30 of those years, he was at the University Of North Carolina School Of Medicine where he was an Associate Director and, for almost a decade, Director of the UNC Hemophilia Center. Dr. White currently directs a blood research institute in Milwaukee and has the Great Lakes Hemophilia Center as one of his responsibilities. During his career, he has been heavily involved in patient care and clinical research relating to hemophilia, including the development of recombinant factor VIII and IX, the identification of the HIV-1 virus and the initial treatment regimens for AIDS, the development of treatment approaches to hepatitis C, and the initial gene therapy of hemophilia. He believes strongly in the importance and power of research to improve patient care. Dr. White has had strong interactions with the CDC and has an excellent working relationship with various industry partners. He has also served on a number of Boards, including the Boards of the Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation, GTI (a $25 M biotech company), BloodCenter of Wisconsin ($125 M nonprofit), as well as the Scientific Advisory Boards of a number of companies. He continues to feel a strong commitment to the hemophilia community and wants to continue that commitment and interaction. He believes his knowledge and past experience enable him to make potential contributions at the level of the national Board.

Adam Wilmers

Photo by Glenn Triest

Adam Wilmers is a graduate student at Michigan State University, studying Human Resource Management and School Counseling. Adam has been on the board of the Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan since 2002, and currently serves as the second vice president. A former member of NHF's National Youth Leadership Institute, Adam has also worked at several camps for children with bleeding disorders, in Michigan, California and Illinois. Adam's passion lies in the field of education, specifically working with children and young adults who have bleeding disorders.