Board of Directors and Officers

Randy Fenninger, President

Randy Fenniger

Randy Fenninger is a Principal in Creek Crossing Advisors, a healthcare consulting firm with offices in Washington, DC, Houston and Seattle. He specializes in healthcare legislation, regulation and policy. Mr. Fenninger has represented health professionals, institutional providers and medical device manufacturers for over 30 years. He has extensive experience working with Congress, the Executive Branch, independent regulatory agencies and public and private health plans. He advises clients on a variety of health policy issues, with a focus on innovative systems of healthcare delivery and emerging technologies.

Mr. Fenninger's work includes technical reimbursement matters, such as coding, coverage and payment determinations. His background in public policy began with his four years' work at the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service. Mr. Fenninger then spent nine years in government relations with the American Medical Association where he developed expertise in Medicare policy and regulation, medical education, physician immigration, biomedical research and public health issues. Upon leaving the AMA he opened MARC Associates, a boutique government affairs firm specializing in health issues. He represented a wide range of health clients before Congress, agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services and public and private health plans. These include physician organizations, outpatient providers, hospitals, ancillary services, post-acute care facilities and services, and manufacturers of prescription drugs and medical devices. Much of his practice has involved the complex relationships between the Medicare program and healthcare providers. He has successfully assisted clients with Medicare legislative and regulatory issues worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He has also worked with clients faced with the challenges of private insurance, particularly in the area of the introduction of new medical products.

Prior to joining Creek Crossing Advisors, he was a Senior Policy Advisor at Holland & Knight where he continued his specialized health policy practice. Mr. Fenninger develops technical reimbursement and coverage strategies for manufacturers of medical devices and other medical products. He also counsels investors on the impact of public and private health insurance policies on potential investments in the healthcare market. He has advised not-for-profit health organizations on a number of biomedical research and public health matters, including increased funding for specific areas of federally funded research, cancer screening and patient education.

Traci Wilkes Smith , Vice President

Traci Wilkes Smith is an agent at Willinger Talent Agency, Inc. where she represents news anchors, hosts, correspondents, sports and weather anchors at networks and local stations in top 30 markets throughout the United States. Traci obtained her Juris Doctorate from Rutgers School of Law. She is a member of the New York and New Jersey Bars and began her legal career as an associate at the law firm of Arent Fox, LLC in New York. Traci serves on the Board of Directors of the National Blood Clot Alliance as the Vice President. Traci survived a DVT and Pulmonary Embolism when she was just 25 years old. Traci enjoys spending time with her husband Charles Smith and their daughter Zoë.

Stephen Rodner, Secretary

Steven Rodner Stephen Rodner is a partner in the firm of Pryor Cashman LLP in New York City. He specializes in copyright, entertainment, trademark and intellectual property law. He is a member of the Copyright Society of the USA and the International Trademark Association, the executive committee of the Entertainment Arts and Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, Co-Chair of the motion picture committee and Chairman of the Board for Music For All Seasons.

Stephen has written articles on multimedia and entertainment legal matters for the New York Law Journal, Video Business Magazine and Hollywood Reporter ESQ and has lectured at multimedia and entertainment law conferences. He earned his BA from Columbia College and an LLB from NYU Law School. He was an adjunct professor of copyright and entertainment law at New York Law School. And, he has offered pro bono legal assistance to many non-profit organizations. As both a thrombosis and thrombophilia patient, Stephen is committed to NBCA’s mission to increase public awareness of clotting disorders.

Joseph C. Isaacs, Treasurer

Joe Issacs Joe Isaacs serves as the Treasurer of the National Blood Clot Alliance and has been a member of its Board of Directors since 2009, after experiencing two blood clots after knee surgery. Joe has more than 30 years of experience as an association senior executive, public policy specialist and organizational and health care management consultant. In 2012, he was appointed the Executive Director of the Advancing Excellence in Long-Term Care Collaborative, an educational foundation dedicated to promoting quality assurance and performance improvement in nursing homes and other long-term care settings. Prior to this, Joe was the Vice President for Public Policy for the United Spinal Association, a group dedicated to improving the quality of life of all Americans living with spinal cord injuries and disorders.

He is also the President of New Heights Management Consulting Group, LLC, a professional services firm specializing in association governance and management assistance. Joe is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). Previously, Joe served as the chief executive officer of such groups as the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), RESOLVE Inc.: The National Infertility Association, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and the National Health Council. From 1995-2000, he was the Vice President for Trustee and Community Leadership at the American Hospital Association, where he established a Center for Governance Excellence.

His efforts were recognized in 2000 by Chicago’s Association Forum, which presented him with its Management Excellence Award. Joe has received numerous awards for his volunteer leadership, including 1984 Washington DC Volunteer Activist of the Year, 1986 Outstanding Young Marylander, and the 1989 Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Regional Leadership Award, while serving as Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Greenbelt, MD. Joe was named outstanding graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine’s Master’s degree program in Health Services Management. A native New Yorker, he received his Bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He and his lovely wife Deborah reside in North Potomac, MD and have three delightful daughters.

Jack Ansell

Jack Ansell Dr. Ansell is the Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Before joining Lenox Hill Hospital, Dr. Ansell was Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and Vice Chairman for Clinical Affairs of the Department of Medicine. See related news story.

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia, Dr. Ansell completed an internship and residency at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Ansell then completed a fellowship in hematology at Boston University and in hematology/hemostasis at Boston’s Veterans Administration Hospital.

Dr. Ansell’s main areas of interest and research include hemostasis and thrombosis, with a special emphasis on thrombotic disorders and antithrombotic therapy. He has had a continued interest and involvement in the application of new modes of delivering and monitoring anticoagulants, particularly in the management of oral anticoagulant therapy.

Dr. Ansell’s main areas of interest and research include hemostasis and Dr. Ansell has approximately 170 publications in notable journals such as Annals of Internal Medicine, The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Journal of the American Medical Association. His publishing activity includes reviews, editorials, textbooks, videos, abstracts and letters. He serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis and as an editorial consultant for such journals as The New England Journal of Medicine, Blood, Thrombosis and Haemostasis, and Circulation.

Dr. Ansell is the founder and Chair of the Anticoagulation Forum, a network of anticoagulation clinics throughout North America, and is a member of a number of professional organizations including the American College of Physicians (Fellow); the American Society of Hematology; the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis and its Scientific Subcommittee on Haemostasis Testing; the American Heart Association (Fellow), and the American Medical Association. Dr. Ansell also serves as Chair of the Committee on Managing Oral Anticoagulation for the American College of Chest Physicians Consensus Conference on Antithrombotic Therapy.

Teresa Bordeaux

Teresa Bordeaux Teresa Bordeaux, CPA is a Technical Manager with the Peer Review Program of the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) in Durham, North Carolina. Prior to joining the Peer Review Team, Teresa was a Technical Manager for the AICPA Professional Ethics team. She began her career in public accounting and later worked with the North Carolina Local Government Commission and the City of Raleigh before joining the AICPA.

Teresa holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Accounting from North Carolina State University. She also serves on the Government Accounting and Auditing Committee of the North Carolina Association of CPAs. Teresa and her husband Larry, have two sons and live in Cary, NC. Larry developed portal vein thrombosis in 2007 and in 2009 the clot extended into his superior mesenteric vein and he began treatment with Coumadin. Teresa wants to help NBCA spread awareness about all clotting issues including those like Larry’s that don’t involve the extremities.

Kate Gray

Kate Gray has worked in the development and communications profession for the past ten years, working for organizations such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY and Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, raising money for physician and scientist research. Currently, Kate is a fundraising consultant in Washington, DC and focuses primarily on capital campaigns for healthcare and and faith based organizations. Kate has a strong background in securing major gifts from donors and her area of specialty is donor identification and qualification, bringing together the intent of the donor with the mission and vision of the organization at hand. She holds a BA from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and a MPA from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service, specializing in nonprofit management. In addition to her development experience, Kate has a strong background in communications and policymaking, having worked for both CNN and the office of United States Senator Max Cleland. She currently lives in the Washington, DC area and enjoys spending time with her husband Alex and sons James and Marty.

Mark Jablonski, Past President

Mark Jablonski

Mark is a business development executive with extensive consulting and project management experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Mark, his wife Georgianna and 2 of their 3 children have the Factor V Leiden gene mutation.

jablonskithrombo@yahoo.com

Maury L. Lieberman

Maury L. Lieberman Maury L. Lieberman, MSW, MURP is a community services planner and organizational consultant based in Washington, DC. He has been treated for DVT. For more than 20 years at the National Institute of Mental Health, Mr. Lieberman developed and administered extramural research programs involving urban and social problems, work and mental health, mental health services and training, and prevention/intervention research. He later headed the state mental health planning program, and was responsible for developing a federal mental health response to such concerns as workplace violence, suicide, and trauma. Mr. Lieberman’s early career focused on community organization and housing development for immigrant populations, including Mobilization for Youth in New York, whose experiences formed the basis for the national anti-poverty program.

Since retiring from the federal government, he has been active in local, regional and national organizations, as well as consulting and serving as adjunct faculty member and lecturer in graduate schools of social work and city planning. He currently serves on the Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He has also served on the Board of the Green Door in Washington, DC, which helps people recovering from mental illness to live and work in the community, as well as active volunteer roles with the American Councils for International Education and Children International. Mr. Lieberman holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin, a MSW from Rutgers University, and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public and International Affairs, and completed doctoral studies (ABD) in City and Regional Planning at Cornell University.

Kathleen M. Smith, MLA

Kathleen Smith Kathy Smith is a seasoned mission driven, visionary executive leader whose experience spans associations, governance, non-profits, healthcare, government, chambers of commerce, faith-based organizations, and consulting. Kathy reinvigorates missions, boards, staff, and stakeholders. She envisions possibilities and creates strategies to execute them. A turnaround specialist and natural relationship builder, she inspires hope, forms synergistic partnerships, and rebuilds infrastructures.

Mrs. Smith is the Chair of the Board of Directors of both Community Health Charities of Maryland and Non Profit Services and Solutions, Inc. She holds credentials in nonprofit management, HealthCare administration, Ethics and Bioethics, and Volunteer Administration. She is a member of the American College of HealthCare Executives and has served on numerous boards. She serves on the Capital Campaign Committee for the Little Sisters of the Poor and is a very committed volunteer in her church community.

Kathy, and the love of her life-husband, Joe, are blessed with 5 fabulous children and 6 incredible grandchildren. They live outside of Baltimore, MD. Her interest in National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) is rooted in her siblings and nieces who are positive for Factor V Leiden.

Kathy holds a Master in Liberal Arts (MLA) from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

Shawna Russo Baffone

Shawana Russo Shawna Russo Baffone is a regional human resources business partner for Take Care Health Systems a Walgreens Health and Wellness Company. She has over 15 years HR experience in the banking and health care industry. Shawna is an active member of Society of Human Resource Management. Shawna is a graduate of New England Institute. Shawna survived several pulmonary embolisms while in her twenties and is committed to increasing awareness of thrombosis and thrombophilia.

Alan P. Brownstein, Chief Executive Officer

Alan P. Brownstein, CEO, National Blood Clot Alliance Alan Brownstein is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA). Since 2007, over $5 million has been raised with an emphasis on education programs for patients/families, health professionals and the general public as well as programs of support and chapter development directed at achieving targeted health behaviors and outcomes.

For 30 years, Brownstein has combined his business/strategic planning skills and expertise in public health programs and policy to provide leadership in developing and growing health organizations and shaping health policy/regulation in the U.S. Brownstein held the position of President/CEO of the American Liver Foundation and as the CEO of the National Hemophilia Foundation. Brownstein has also held executive positions as the head of a national trade association, hospital administrator, registered lobbyist and state official in health planning/regulation.

Brownstein has a number (40+) of scientific, health policy and management-related publications and has presented testimony before congressional committees, regulatory agencies and state/local legislative bodies.

Brownstein has served on a number of national boards. He has a Masters of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan.