Martha Brumfield, PhD Chair
Martha A. Brumfield, PhD, is currently a Senior Advisor to Critical Path Institute (C-Path), having recently retired from the role as its President & CEO. C-Path is an Arizona-based non-profit whose mission is to catalyze the development of new tools to advance medical product innovation and regulatory science by leading teams that share data, knowledge, and expertise resulting in sound, consensus-based science. In addition to the 15+ consortia which C-Path manages, she led her staff in collaborating with global regulators, biopharmaceutical companies, and other biomedical research consortia to develop tools which help to de-risk drug development by reliance upon evidence-based programs. Brumfield is a regulatory professional and executive leader with 25+ years’ experience in pharmaceutical product development strategy and implementation, regulatory strategy, and policy advocacy. She spent over 20 years of her career at Pfizer in regulatory affairs and pharmacovigilance and served as senior vice president of worldwide regulatory affairs and quality assurance. She recently served as Chair of the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society Board of Directors and is currently serving as Director on the RAPS Affiliate Board. She is a Founding Director and Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of the Institute for Advanced Clinical Trials for Children. She recently served on the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Committee on Mutual Recognition Agreements and Reliance in the Regulation of Medicines. She was recently appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s Innovation in Regulatory Science program. She is also an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy.
Mary Carryer Vice Chair
Mary is a retired banking executive who has lived in Tucson since 2007. She grew up in Canada, received her MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, and pursued her banking career in San Francisco, Australia, and Honolulu. She also has a long history of involvement in the non-profit sector.
Mary’s interest in Parkinson disease started with the diagnosis of a family member. Visiting PWR! to learn more about the disease and the benefits of exercise for those with PD led her to a real appreciation for PWR!’s mission and the impact it has on those it serves. Since joining the board in 2019, she has been a member of the Finance Committee. She looks forward to seeing the growth of PWR! and its ability to provide both in-person and virtual services to a larger community of people with Parkinson disease, regardless of their location.
In her spare time, Mary is studying Spanish and enjoys travel and outdoors activities.
Aimee Guerrero Secretary/ Treasurer
Aimee is a licensed Physical Therapist who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Vermont in 1992. She then relocated to Tucson and has worked in multiple settings, including Acute Neurological Rehabilitation, Home Health PT, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Outpatient Rehabilitation. Her passion has always been neurological disorders, and since 2012, she has specialized in Vestibular Rehabilitation in the Carondelet Neurological Institute's Balance Center. She works with patients who have dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, and frequent falls. She first found a passion for working with the Parkinson's population when she met Dr. Becky Farley and was able to see the impact of exercise on Parkinson disease. As a true proponent of exercise, a lifelong athlete, and a physical therapist, it was a perfect fit. Aimee is now the Clinical Coordinator of OP Neuro and Balance Rehabilitation at Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital and serves as the Secretary for the Board of Directors for PWR!.
Sarah Ascher Director
Sarah Super Ascher is the Senior Director for the Arizona End of Life Care Partnership (EOLCP) Anchored at United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. Sarah came into this role in December 2017, leading the EOLCP in its mission to enhance the way we live by fundamentally changing the way we talk about death. The EOLCP brings together health care, business, community-based organizations; and individuals dedicated to ensuring high quality, person-centered end of life care. The EOLCP is focused on Six Pillars of Community Outreach, Community Education, Provider Education, Facility Based Initiatives, Workforce Development, and Policy and Advocacy. The EOLCP is currently the highest funded community partnership of its kind in the U.S. and is quickly becoming a model for community stakeholder collaboration.
Prior to her current role at UWTSA, Sarah worked in health care systems for over 30 years, from clinical and program development work in audiology and neurorehabilitation to hospital leadership for Patient Experience. Sarah has held previous positions of Director of Patient Experience (Sidra Medicine in Qatar), Director of Service Excellence (Banner University Medicine-Tucson), Director of Patient Relations (University Medical Center-Tucson and South Campuses); and has served on the Boards of Directors for a number of Tucson community based organizations.
Sarah is passionate about bridging the worlds of health care and community, professionally and personally.
Thom Cope Director
Thom Cope is a Partner who practices in the firm’s Employment and Labor Section. Thom is licensed to practice in Nebraska, California, and Arizona. He has served as a judge in the area of public employment law and is listed in Best Lawyers in America, Arizona’s Finest Lawyers, and Southwest Super Lawyers. Thom has tried over 80 jury trials to verdict, in all areas of Employment Law, represented numerous clients in Wage & Hour cases, and before the National Labor Relations Board in 47 years on practice. Additionally, he is a Mediator/Trainer for the Arizona Civil Rights Division of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. His latest book is “How Not to be a Stupid Manager.
John Ritchie Director
John Ritchie has served on the Parkinson Wellness Recovery Board of Directors since 2018. He has participated in the PWR!Gym’s PD-specific exercise classes since he was diagnosed with Parkinson disease in March 2012, and volunteered to join the Board to serve as a representative for his fellow PWR!Gym members. He also serves on the board’s Advancement Committee.
John is a committed advocate for the PWR Gym. He feels that his symptoms have not progressed since being diagnosed and joining the gym seight years ago. He attributes the delayed progress in large part to the exercise regimen that he has maintained at the gym.
John has a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in Secondary Education from the University of Arizona. He also has administrative certification for grades K-12. John served as a teacher and principal for 33 years in the Amphitheater Public School District in Tucson and finished his career by serving three years as the middle school principal for El Colegio Nido de Aguilas, which is the American International School in Santiago, Chile.
Maura Robinson Director
Maura Robinson joined the PWR! Board in April 2021 because she believes focused, physical therapy-based, exercise is essential to maintaining individuals’ quality of life and mobility particularly when they live with challenges such as Parkinson’s Disease. She is a retired government executive with experience in regulatory economics, strategic planning, marketing, product development, and customer service. During her career she worked with multiple stakeholder groups to balance divergent interests and create innovative, financially viable and sustainable solutions to challenging problems.
Maura earned a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Maryland, College, a Bachelor of Science in Economics, and a Bachelor of Arts in French from Iowa State University. She and her husband moved to Tucson in 2015 and when they are not travelling, enjoy the desert environment and the many cultural attractions of Southern Arizona.
Don Snider, CPA (retired) Director
Don Snider recently retired after a 35-year career where he gained extensive experience in non- and for-profit entities in financial management and reporting, tax compliance, internal controls, cash management, investment portfolio oversight, business operations, and program administration. For 23 of those years, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Flinn Foundation, where he hired and lead five staff responsible for grants management, contract analysis and administration, personnel policy administration, business operations, information systems, and general office support. In addition, he has worked with a variety of stakeholders, including board members, staff, grantees, program consultants, attorneys, auditors, tax advisors, and investment consultants – all key to effectively managing the Foundation’s $10M in annual charitable distributions. During the other 12 years of his career, he gained a variety of experience with positions of increasing responsibility at the Tucson Symphony, Coopers & Lybrand, Chevron USA, and the Federal Reserve Bank.
Since retiring from a full-time career, he has begun to appreciate greater opportunities to travel and volunteer. While both have given him greater understanding of other people’s circumstances and perspectives, volunteering is becoming his “call to action.” He particularly enjoys using his skills and expertise in assisting modest nonprofits to accomplish great things with very limited resources.