Christine Schmidt, President
Washington, DC
Christine Schmidt has been the senior Director of Health Policy for the American Cancer Society following a long career as a senior career civil servant with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture and a researcher and analyst at Mathematica Policy Research and the Urban Institute. Her experience in public policy covers a broad range from Medicare and Medicaid programs to public health, insurance and health finance, federal and state budgeting, appropriations and development of legislation. She is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Ms. Schmidt is an ovarian cancer survivor.
Judith S. Abrams, Immediate Past President
New York, NY
Judith Abrams has spent 30 years in Private Banking, including 21 years at Bankers Trust/then Deutsche Bank as Managing Director of Private Wealth Management and three years as a Senior Client Consultant with Sontag Advisory, LLC, a registered investment advisor. She is on the Advisory Boards of Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. and The Susan Schiffer Stautberg Leadership Foundation. Ms. Abrams is a member of The Committee of 200 and The Belizean Grove. Her community activities have included participation in programs with Women Unlimited, Habitat for Humanity and Global Volunteers. She was a regularly featured columnist for The Jewish Week and a participant in the Trinity Church Wall Street Dialogues. Judy lost her dear friend, Judy H. Mello, to ovarian cancer. She resides with her husband Ralph in New York City and is a breast cancer survivor.
Benita Hofstetter Koman
Washington, D.C.
Benita Hofstetter Koman is a nine-year survivor of ovarian cancer. She is a freelance producer, production manager and event coordinator and has worked on numerous high-profile events including the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics Torch Relay, the Holocaust Museum opening ceremonies for Remember the Children, the Anti-Defamation League “Concert for Hate” at the Kennedy Center, Points of Light Foundation White House East Lawn ceremony, three inaugural events for President Bill Clinton as well as conferences and annual dinners for the National Women’s Law Center, Emily’s List, National Partnership for Women and Families and numerous corporate clients. Additionally, Ms. Hofstetter Koman runs her own arts consultant company and serves as a federal contractor with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
Linda Koteen, Secretary
Great Neck, NY
After her diagnosis of breast cancer in 1993, Linda Koteen joined Self-Help for Women With Breast or Ovarian Cancer (SHARE) as a volunteer. In 1998, she joined the staff as the coordinator for Programs in Queens, and in 2002, Ms. Koteen became SHARE’s director of ovarian programs. A community activist, Ms. Koteen has served on the board of her local synagogue. Ms. Koteen facilitated the first survivor presentation at the 2008 Society of Gynecologic Oncologists annual conference. Five SHARE volunteers presented Ovarian Cancer Survivorship: The Patients Perspective at a plenary session on ovarian cancer.
Terri McKnight, Treasurer
Fairfax Station, VA
Terri McKnight is the director of the audit department in the firm of Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, located in Bethesda, MD. She has more than 20 years of accounting experience in both the public and private sectors, including more than four years with large, national CPA firms. Her focus has been auditing and consulting for nonprofit organizations. Her responsibilities include managing all phases of audit engagements for nonprofit organizations including private voluntary organizations with federal funding, member-based associations and other charitable institutions. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Ms. McKnight joined the board of directors after her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her mother passed away on December 22, 2007. Ms. McKnight and her husband, Matt, reside in Fairfax Station with their four children.
Annette Leal Mattern
Scottsdale, AZ
Annette Leal Mattern is a 22-year survivor of ovarian cancer and a one year survivor of breast cancer. She retired from US WEST/Qwest as Vice President of Marketing & Operations to devote herself to making a difference in women’s cancers. She published a book, Outside the Lines of Love, Life, and Cancer, about coping with cancer and surviving life. She is president and cofounder of the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Arizona and a board member of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, where she serves as Chair of the Marketing & Communications Committee. A community activist focused on improving the quality of life for women with cancer, she speaks nationwide to inspire and motivate women to live their best life in spite of their diagnosis. Annette and her husband Rich live in Scottsdale, AZ.
Jaime Berman Matyas
Bethesda, MD
Jaime Berman Matyas is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer National Wildlife Federation. Jaime earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Most recently she was one of 1000 people trained by Vice President Gore’s The Climate Project. Ms. Mayas was honored in 2006 by the Washington Business Journal with their prestigious Women Who Mean Business award and in 2008 by Jewish Women International’s Women to Watch. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters. Jaime was introduced to OCNA by a friend battling ovarian cancer.
Keith Mirchandani
Scottsdale, NJ
A respected business leader and visionary, Keith Mirchandani is President, CEO and Founder of Tristar Products Inc. Since starting up Tristar in 1993, Keith has built the company into an award-winning market leader, with over $1 billion in sales. Keith’s marketing savvy, integrity, creativity and business expertise has been pivotal to Tristar’s success at branding and selling 20-plus products in over 100 countries around the globe. Keith oversees product development, infomercial production, strategic partnerships and leads the overall direction of the company.
Sue Ellen Moore
Carmel, IN
Sue Ellen Moore has been the co-owner of two upscale salons in the Indianapolis metropolitan area for more than 20 years. She credits her professional success to her background as a real estate principal broker and her paralegal certification. Ms. Moore became involved in the fight against ovarian cancer after her sister’s diagnosis. She has been guiding local volunteers ever since she attended the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance’s 2001 national conference in Indianapolis. Ms. Moore was asked to join the board of directors of Ovar’coming Together, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance’s Indianapolis Partner Member organization, in 2002. She became president the following year and continues to be active on this board. She joined the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance’s board of directors in 2005. Through her activism, Ms. Moore continues to be the “voice” of her sister.
Diane Rader O’Connor
Vancouver, WA
An ovarian cancer survivor, Diane Rader O’Connor is president of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance’s Partner Member organization, the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and S.W. Washington. She also helped create the S.W. Washington Cancer Center’s ovarian cancer support group in 2003 and is an ACOR on-line listserv participant. Ms. O’Connor is an integral part of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance’s “Survivor’s Teaching Students: Saving Women’s LivesSM” program, where she recruited and prepared 15 survivors to speak at the Oregon Health and Science University. Ms. O’Connor is retired from a 32-year career as an educator in the Vancouver public school system. She has been married for 35 years and has two adult sons.
Dennis Oziel, Past President
North Brunswick, NJ
Dennis Oziel lost his sister, Rhonda Oziel, a founding member of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, to ovarian cancer in June 2001. His wife, Ellie, is a breast cancer survivor. He and his family are committed to continuing his sister’s legacy as ovarian cancer advocates. Mr. Oziel is the president of Garden State Countertops, LLC in New Jersey.
Rebekah Plowman
Atlanta, GA
Rebekah Plowman is a partner in the national health and life sciences practice with the law firm of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. in Atlanta, GA. Ms. Plowman has more than 15 years of health care regulatory experience serving hospitals, physicians and ancillary providers. Prior to the practice of law, she managed a group of utilization management nurses for KeyCare, an affiliate of Indiana Blue Cross & Blue Shield and worked as an intensive care unit nurse at Indiana University Medical Center. Ms. Plowman was selected by the editors of Nightingale’s Healthcare News as one of the “Outstanding Fraud and Compliance Lawyers” of 2008 and is also listed in the Health Care Law Section of Chambers USA Guide. She currently serves as a Vice Chair of the Healthcare Liability and Litigation Practice Group of the American Health Lawyers Association.
Teresa Smith
Stafford, VA
Teresa Smith is a certified SIX ADVISORS™ Executive Coach, speaker, trainer and writer. Teresa founded U 2 the Power of U, offering personal and professional development services with a holistic approach. Teresa professional background includes: over twenty years as a successful fundraiser and has raised millions of dollars for several worthy organizations including The Salvation Army, The American National Red Cross, United Way of America, National Wildlife Federation, and The AARP Foundation. Teresa lead the National Women’s Initiative for United Way of America and founded The AARP Foundation, National Women’s Circle. Teresa lost a very dear friend to ovarian cancer and her mother to colon cancer.
Winston Wilkinson
Port Alys, FL
Winston Wilkinson has over 25 years of experiences in the financial services industry. His career has taken him from coast to coast in various leadership positions. His mother and mother-in-law both lost their lives to ovarian cancer.
