About Us
Board Members
Our Board
SBTF Board members have all been touched by a brain tumor diagnosis. As a result, each is dedicated to raising funds for brain tumor research. Also, each member works diligently to provide support and outreach for those in the brain tumor community.
We know the feeling of isolation, confusion, and fear. We understand the importance of being hugged, and we treasure the talents of those who are good listeners.
We are your SBTF Board of Directors, diverse in background but all focused on the same outcome. We are patients, we are healthcare providers, we are caregivers, we are researchers. We work in a voluntary, unpaid capacity, and we are consumed with our mission to find a cure for brain tumors.
We are proud to serve you and to be of service to you.
Officers and Staff
Kelly Turner
SBTF President –
Kelly Turner is a member of the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation’s Board of Directors. She has been on the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2012 and currently serves as our Board President since 2020.
Kelly is a graduate of North Carolina State University and holds an Industrial Engineering degree. Employed in the textile industry with Milliken & Company for eight years, following the birth of her first child, she made the transition to a full-time parent. Ms. Turner has been familiar with brain tumors and their impact since 2007 when her mother was diagnosed with a GBM. After a 16-month period of radiation, chemo, and clinical trials, her mother passed in September 2008. Ms. Turner began as a Race for Research team captain and quickly became one of the foundation’s top fundraisers and advocates.
John Herman
SBTF Vice President –
John has served on the SBTF Board of Directors since 2018, elected to serve as SBTF Secretary in 2020 and then elected to Vice President in 2021. As Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Tempest Aero Group (a general aviation manufacturing company), John lost his wife Karen to brain cancer in 2007. From diagnosis to death only six months elapsed. Just three weeks prior to Karen’s passing, John’s family found Race For Research and formed team Karen’s Legacy and he team has remained in the top fundraising positions ever since.
Before Karen’s passing, she told the family “no other families should ever have to go through what we went through” and she asked her family to continue to work with the SBTF and to help bring an end to brain tumors and brain cancer. Despite his 40 years of business experience and having served on several industries (and nonprofit boards) in the past, John’s invaluable talent and expertise cannot compare to his “desire to serve” with the SBTF. As John so eloquently stated, “Anyone can give money and raise money, I have done both for the SBTF and now I want to give something that cannot be replaced – my time.”
Jennifer Garvin
Jennifer has been a brain tumor advocate, since the diagnosis and loss of her Mom to a 6- month battle with GBM in 2016. Jennifer supports SBTF in memory of her Mom, with hopefulness in seeing the day where the struggle of a brain tumor diagnosis is no longer the greatest fight of your life, but instead, an obstacle that has an exceedingly high success rate of being defeated.
Jennifer began volunteering with the SBTF Scholarship Committee in 2020 and has been an active Board Member since 2021. Jennifer holds a BA from the University of Arizona in Political Science and an MS from New York University in Risk Management from the Stern School of Business.
Suzanne Boeren
SBTF Treasurer –
Suzanne is a member of the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation’s Board of Directors and serves as an SBTF Officer. As an SBTF Officer, she has held the position of SBTF Treasurer since 2013. Suzanne is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she received her BA in Business Administration and Computer Information Systems.
Her special interests involve spending time with family, quilting, bowling, and a plethora of other hobbies. An employee of Deli Provisions since 1999, and subsequently with Atlanta Deli Provision Company, she has been a member of the SBTF Board since 2004. During her junior year in college, Ms. Boeren was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Removal of the tumor occurred in November 1998 and she has been an active brain tumor advocate ever since.
Geri Shaffer
After a career in the medical device industry which spanned 31 years, Geri was enjoying retirement when the SBTF came knocking. The Foundation was in a growing phase and was searching for their first-ever part-time employee. The Foundation, governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, was searching for a "face" of the organization and someone who could answer phones and reply to emails. More importantly the Foundation was also looking for an individual who was passionate about serving others. Geri said yes in 2012 and she continues to serve us today. Similarly, to all those who serve on the SBTF Board of Directors, Geri's life was impacted by a diagnosis of a family member which resulted in brain scans and treatments which altered life not only for the patient but for the caregivers. Geri, a passionate, and compassionate individual, who has walked in similar shoes to yours, is at work behind the scenes caring for this organization and helping to drive it forward and fulfill the dreams of the Warshaw Family, founding fathers of the SBTF in 1995.
Joy Basham
Joy was diagnosed with a brain stem glioma in May 2013 and in August of that same year, she had surgery to resect the tumor. During her journey to find her neurosurgery team, she saw a flyer at Emory promoting the SBTF Brain Tumor Support Group. Weeks after her initial brain surgery, she found herself at an SBTF support group meeting a medical mess and hopeless. Since then, she has had 26 procedures in the last 7 years to correct many deficits left from the initial brain surgery and during that time she has been a part of countless support group meetings. She has had the opportunity to serve on the Board of the Foundation and from there, a staff position opened. As Joy will tell you, the support group meetings saved her life and the Foundation allowed her to find a new purpose in carrying out the SBTF mission to end brain tumors!
Board Members & Staff: (In Alpha Order)
Suzanne is a member of the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation's Board of Directors and she has held the position of SBTF Treasurer since 2013. Suzanne is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she received her BA in Business Administration and Computer Information Systems. Her special interests involve spending time family, quilting, bowling and a plethora of other hobbies. An employee of Deli Provisions since 1999, and subsequently with Atlanta Deli Provision Company, she has been a member of the SBTF Board since 2004. During her junior year in college, Ms. Boeren was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Removal of the tumor occurred in November 1998 and she has been an active brain tumor advocate ever since.
Andrew and his family are forever grateful for the work the Southeastern Brain Tumor Association does not only in research, but also to help guide families through a brain tumor diagnosis. Andrew was diagnosed with an Oligodendroglioma on Valentine’s Day, 2021. After connecting with Brad Roberts, current SBTF Board Member, Andrew found an incredible set of doctors and hospitals to guide his treatment. He is passionate about supporting others as they navigate their own Brain Tumor journey. Andrew and his wife, Kristina, have two young daughters, Ella Kate and Caroline. Andrew is an Assistant Vice President with Cox Communications where he has worked since 2015. Prior to joining Cox, Andrew led consulting engagements for Capgemini. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering.
Chris is Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and sees patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital in metro Atlanta as well as John’s Creek Hospital just north of the city. Chris specializes in the treatment of malignant and benign brain tumors using modern surgical techniques and often non-invasive procedures such as Gamma Knife Radiosurgery.
He and his family moved from Pittsburgh to the Atlanta metro area in 2017 with the hope of providing compassionate, high quality care to the residents of Georgia and the entire southeast.
As a member of the SBTF Board of Directors Chris hopes to increase the awareness of all types of brain tumors, increase access to reliable high quality resources and support groups as well as advancing critical research efforts to help cure and eradicate brain cancer.
Erin Dunbar, M.D., is a founding physician of the Brain Tumor Center and Director of Neuro-Oncology at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. She specializes in the comprehensive care of brain and spine tumor patients who are battling both primary and metastatic tumors.
Her team creates a medical "home for life" by maintaining a robust portfolio of promising clinical trials, novel therapies, and supportive resources to serve patients and caregivers. She is an avid clinical researcher and a collaborator with organizations, including the National Cancer Institute and other national brain tumor centers. Collectively, these efforts enable patients to receive cutting-edge care close to home.
These achievements have contributed to Governor Nathan Deal repeatedly proclaiming the Piedmont Brain Tumor Center as one of three renowned brain tumor centers in Georgia.
She is a passionate driver of patient-centered care through her service to advocacy forums like the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation and the American Brain Tumor Association, and in her service to medical associations, like the Society of Neuro-Oncology and the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Dunbar completed fellowships in Neuro-oncology at Johns Hopkins University, in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center and in Medical-oncology at the University of Florida.
She enjoys outdoor activities and Atlanta United FC.
Holly Felker has served on the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation's Board of Directors since 2003.
A personal connection to cancer, which impacted her family when she was young, has motivated her to advocate for cancer awareness and support. Her tenure on the Board has been marked by an unwavering commitment to raising funds for research, increasing awareness of brain tumors, and enhancing the quality and accessibility of resources and support for individuals affected by this condition. Holly's efforts underscore the critical importance of encouragement and support as she contributes to the Foundation's ultimate goal of eradicating brain cancer.
Nadir was diagnosed with an Oligodendroglioma in November of 2010 after experiencing a grand mal seizure while driving. After a successful surgery to remove the tumor, Nadir and his family became involved with the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation through the annual Race for Research.
In August of 2022, he experienced his second seizure, indicating re-growth of Oligodendroglioma. He completed surgery at UPMC followed by 33 treatments of radiation and six months of chemo. As a two-time brain tumor survivor, Nadir is passionate about raising funds for tumor research, as well as assisting other families through a brain tumor diagnosis.
Dr. Hadjipanayis is a board-certified neurosurgeon who has devoted his entire career to the treatment of brain tumor patients. He is the L. Dade Lunsford Professor of Neurological Surgery at UPMC in Pittsburgh and serves as the Executive Vice-Chairman for the Department of Neurological Surgery. He completed his neurosurgical residency and graduate PhD training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine with additional neurosurgical oncology training at the University of California San Francisco.
Dr. Hadjipanayis has focused much of his career on innovation, translational research, and intraoperative technology development. In 2011, Dr. Hadjipanayis was the first to use 5-ALA (Gleolan) and perform fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) in the United States and helped lead the FDA approval of Gleolan for glioma surgery in June 2017.
Dr. Hadjipanayis has been a tireless brain tumor advocate serving on the board of directors and as President of the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation. Dr. Hadjipanayis is the new Director of the UPMC Center for Image-Guided Neurosurgery. He directs the Brain Tumor Nanotechnology Laboratory in the Hillman Cancer Center and has been the principal investigator of multiple clinical trials and university-, private foundation-, and NIH-funded grants focused on brain tumors.
John Herman is a seasoned veteran of the aviation industry with over 45 years of experience in sales, marketing, and senior management roles. As a business founder and owner, he has a deep understanding of business management and leadership.
In March 2007 John’s wife Karen was stricken with a glioblastoma. After two surgeries and extensive physical therapy, unfortunately Karen passed away, survived by John, her three grown children, Joshua, Jessica, and Katelyn and one granddaughter Makenzie. Before she passed, she was introduced to SBTF by her daughter and as a last request, told John she wanted him to continue the fight to help fund and find a cure for brain cancer. Karen’s selfless request was steeped in her desire that no other family go through the battle her family was subjected to.
Although a cure has not yet been found John continues to honor Karen’s request by his service to SBTF as Board Vice President. He and his family have participated in fund raising efforts and entered their team, Karen’s Legacy in the SBTF Race for Research since 2007, raising over $250k for research.
John currently resides in Newnan, GA with his wife Arleen. Their blended family consists of 4 grown children and their spouses and five grandchildren with another due in May 2024.
Chris Holcomb is one of our longest-serving Board Members. Chris’ tenure started back in 2000. Chris wanted to find a way to honor his sister who died of a brain tumor in 1986 at 27 years old. The SBTF was the perfect place to do whatever he can to try to knock out brain tumors.
Chris was instrumental in the launch of the first Race for Research which was held in honor of Tom Clarke, Debbie Holcomb (Chris’ sister), and Hans Greathouse as well as the countless others affected by brain tumors. Chris did a live broadcast on 11Alive from that first race. Chris and 11Alive have broadcast live at many races since! Chris is an Atlanta native and also serves as Chief Meteorologist for the Atlanta NBC station 11 Alive.
Michelle Roback Kraynak is a brain tumor survivor and advocate. While a young twenty-something traveling abroad, she suffered a grand mal seizure and was subsequently diagnosed with a pilocytic astrocytoma in her front left temporal lobe. The surgery to remove the tumor was a success, and she has been a brain tumor advocate ever since.
She began volunteering with the SBTF in 2007 and served as the volunteer coordinator until she was elected to the board in 2011. Michelle has held various officer positions within the organization and also serves as its legal counsel, providing pro bono legal services. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and obtained her law degree from Emory University School of Law.
Peter Nicholas has been a member of the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2010 and has past served as the SBTF Vice President. He is a graduate of the University of Florida with an aerospace engineering degree and became familiar with brain tumors in 2008 when his boss was diagnosed with, and subsequently passed away from, a GBM.
Peter was a member of the Board of Directors for only a year when he received his own brain tumor diagnosis in August of 2011. In addition to leading the SBTF’s Corporate Sponsorship Committee, Peter is also on the strategic advisory board of the McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation & Research in South Carolina.
A huge sports fan, and one of the Foundations’ Top Fundraisers, Peter also has a great interest in the work of those associated with the Epilepsy Foundation.
Brad's wife, Reed, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2015, and she has received incredible care from a variety of doctors and institutions. He is passionate about finding the best treatment possible for Reed's Glioblastoma.
Brad and Reed have two children, Caroline and Graham. Brad is a Senior Vice President with UBS Private Wealth Management. He joined UBS in 2015 from Credit Suisse where he was a Director in the Private Banking Division from 2006 - 2015. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Brad was a Vice President at Wachovia in the Capital Management Group and an Analyst with Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management in New York.
Brad graduated from HampdenSydney College with a BA in Economics and received his MBA from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. Active in the community, shown through current and past involvement in various organizations, Brad's greatest area of interest is finding a cure for brain tumors with the SBTF and the Duke University Brain Tumor Board of Directors.
In 2012, the Foundation was in a growing phase and was engaged in a search for an Administrative Assistant. That individual would become the Foundation’s first employee. Geri Shaffer, a passionate advocate of the brain tumor community, assumed the role and subsequently led the Foundation through various phases of growth.
The health issues her Mother faced, were building blocks upon which Geri learned, as a young adult, how to be a caregiver. Geri recalls her Mother’s countless medical appointments, the scanxiety, the struggles to find the right medicines to treat seizures and remembers assisting with daily medication administration. Geri’s caregiver role led her to pursue a career in the medical device industry where she, ironically, worked with world renowned brain surgeons. During Geri’s 31+ year career in the medical device industry, she worked for a single employer, and witnessed the development and integration of new surgical devices, medical implants, and the launch of new techniques like minimally invasive brain surgery.
Today Geri spearheads our patient programs and is working diligently behind the scenes caring for this organization helping to drive it forward to fulfill the dreams of the Warshaw Family, founding fathers of the SBTF in 1995.
Kelly Turner has been on the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2012. Kelly is a graduate of North Carolina State University and holds an Industrial Engineering degree. Employed in the textile industry with Milliken & Company for eight years, following the birth of her first child she made the transition to full time parent.
Ms.Turner has been familiar with brain tumors and their impact since 2007 when her mother was diagnosed with a GBM. After a 16 month period of radiation, chemo, and clinical trials her mother passed in September 2008. Ms. Turner began as a Race for Research team captain and quickly became one of the Foundations Top 5 fundraisers.
THE HISTORY OF THE SBTF
The Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation was incorporated in 1995. Our Founders, the Warshaw family, were in search of brain tumor resources in the Atlanta, GA area after their son was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Their persistence to identify and locate resources resulted not only in our Incorporation, but in the establishment of our mission to fund brain tumor research with the hope of advancing curative treatments and improve the quality of life for brain tumor patients and their families.
We received our IRS Non-Profit determination letter in May of 1995, the same letter recognized the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation as a public charity. Since inception, and to this day, the Foundation is led by an all-volunteer Board of Directors who serve in an uncompensated capacity. Each member has been impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis as a patient, a caregiver, or as a brain tumor related medical clinician.
The directives from our Board strive to ensure that all decisions result in the maximum allocation of funds for brain tumor research grants and support services. While we do not offer direct financial support to individual patients, we do support patient programs.
Our brain tumor support group meetings are designed to give patients, as well as their families and caregivers, access to information and resources. These can help them navigate the brain tumor journey. Our Voices of Hope Academic Scholarship program provides provide individuals, whose life has been impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis, the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education at an accredited college, university, or technical school.
Our annual fundraising activities, as well as support year-round from our donors have enabled us to fund scientific research and investigator-initiated clinical trials. Read more about our impact on brain tumors.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Our Scientific Advisory Committee members are involved in discussions which seek out and identify opportunities in which the SBTF might collaborate, or partner, with other organizations to identify, uncover, collect, and review research grant proposals. The Committee strives to identify which research grants proposals contain the most promising research pointed to deliver effective treatments for results. The Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation has no obligatory financial affiliation with a research institution or organization. We don’t care who finds the cure, just that a cure is found.
From the President
SBTF President Kelly Turner
I’m Kelly Turner, your SBTF President. My journey with brain tumors began in 2007 with my mother’s Glioblastoma diagnosis. After a 16-month battle, it ended the way many GBM journeys end, with her death. After this devastating loss, I wanted to find a way to continue the fight in her memory. I became involved with the SBTF as a participant in the 2007 Race For Research 5k, and continued to participate year after year, even after Mom's passing. About four years later, wanting to do more, I found my way to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. I am honored to to serve as your President for another year; this is an amazing organization.
The SBTF is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit voluntary health organization and public charity. Our primary mission is to improve the quality of life for brain tumor patients and their families and to provide funding for research so that a cure for brain tumors can be found. SBTF Board members are all volunteers; we come from different backgrounds and have regular jobs and regular daily stresses. We are current patients, healthcare professionals, and survivors. We are those touched by a friend or family member’s diagnosis, and we are those who support the SBTF’s mission. It is our common dedication to the SBTF that brings us together and enables us to succeed.
Since its creation, the SBTF has funded $3 million in research grants. This funding resulted from the success of our annual fundraisers, including our signature event, the Race for Research, held each fall in Atlanta, Georgia. Event registration, individual donations, gifts of securities, employer gift matching, and personal fundraising, as well as the ever-important support and sponsorship by local corporations, enable us to fund critical brain tumor research.
In addition to raising funds for research, the SBTF offers support groups led by a nurse practitioner. Our support groups offer a safe and supportive environment for patients and families to share their experiences and receive resources and understanding. The SBTF also strives to educate the brain tumor community by providing regular research updates and making available resource information for those affected by the disease.
We provide support, hope, and courage to those impacted by brain tumors. We understand that while we wait for a cure, patients and their loved ones need support now. To lend a hand, we created two programs: Voices of Hope Scholarship and Patient Initiatives. We offer the Voices of Hope Scholarship to students of any age entering post-secondary education who have been impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis. In addition, we provide patient support services to patients in the midst of treatment to assist with transportation, meals and other needs.
It is you, our fellow advocates, who have enabled this organization to support the brain tumor community’s necessary emotional, informational, and scientific needs. We deeply appreciate your invaluable contributions.
To learn more about the SBTF, speak to a member of our board or volunteer, please contact us via email at info@sbtf.org.
With hope for a cure,
Kelly Turner
2020-2024 President, Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation
Stewardship
The SBTF Board meets monthly in a face-to-face setting either in person or via web conference. Our Board members are not compensated for their service and complete an annual Conflict of Interest document. Financial statements are reviewed by a CPA who also prepares and files our annual IRS 990 Form. EIN 58-2166144
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SBTF - 2023 Form 990 (posted late 2024)
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SBTF - 2022 Form 990
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SBTF - 2021 Form 990
Our Stewardship
The Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation strives to assure at least $0.65 of each dollar is spent directly on programs including research grants, scholarships, support groups and patient initiatives.
Our lifetime average is $0.80 per dollar directly funding our programs.