CHAIR: Deborah Lasher, RN, MPH, CCRC, works with Medtronic in Plymouth, Minn., and has nearly 20 years of experience in drug and device research as a coordinator, site manager, and clinical research specialist. She joined ACRP in 1996 and obtained CRC certification shortly thereafter. She has been an active volunteer since that time, including service as the Minnesota Chapter president in 2001 and as national chapter chair in 2002. She was elected to the board in 2003, and has served on the ACRP Editorial Advisory Board and as chair of the Finance Committee in 2005–07.

VICE CHAIR: David M. Vulcano, MSW, LCSW, MBA, CIP, who joined the board in 2007, is assistant vice president for clinical research with Hospital Corporation of America in Nashville, Tenn., overseeing the research efforts of more than 170 hospitals, 105 surgery centers, various physician practices, and affiliated programs in 31 states, London, and Geneva. As vice chair, Vulcano will serve for one year and then automatically ascend to the chair of the Board of Trustees in 2009. He currently also serves as chair of ACRP’s Ethics & Public Policy Committee.

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR: Christine Pierre, RN, is the founder (in 1995), president, and CEO of the contract research organization RxTrials, Inc., based in Ellicott City, Md., and founder of Foresite Publishing, Inc. She joined the board in 2003 and has served as a Global Conference Planning Committee member and as chair of the Communications and Ethics & Regulatory Committees in addition to being the board’s vice chair in 2006 and chair in 2007. She also co-founded the Maryland and Washington, D.C. Chapters of ACRP and has served as president of both.

Clara H. Heering, MsC, Quintiles Business & Mediapark, was formerly director of the Business Innovation Unit with Pfizer Global Research and Development in Belgium, which she first joined in 1992. She has overseen Phase I–IV trials in several European countries as a CRA and managed clinical research teams of up to 48 members in size. A former Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School, she also has influenced policy making in clinical research and risk management through health economics and outcomes research, and has served as an active board member of the ACRP Belgium Chapter since 2003.

Dave Mastro, MBA, is vice president of pharmaceutical programs for the Strata Companies in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. He is also the cofounder and a past chair (now co-chair) of ACRP’s Data Management and Technology Forum, a member of the ACRP Editorial Advisory Board, a frequent contributor to The Monitor, and a frequent moderator and speaker at ACRP Global Conferences. He shared guest editing duties for the September 2005 “Technology and Data Management” issue of The Monitor and has also written for the Drug Information Association’s Forum.

Gary Shangold, MD, is founder, president, and managing member of the consulting firm Convivotech, LLC, in Califon, N.J. He has also served in various capacities with NovaDel Pharma Inc., Serono Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Harvard University School of Medicine, and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and subspecialty-boarded in reproductive endocrinology, and is a past president of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians and Investigators.

Betsy Stein, CCRC, is the director of clinical research for Baylor Research Institute in Dallas, Texas. She has worked for Baylor Health Care System, primarily at Baylor University Medical Center, for more than 24 years, first in the areas of blood and marrow transplantation, oncology, and organ transplantation, and now planning and implementing educational classes and overseeing operations of the Clinical Trials Office spanning 10 hospitals and more than 700 projects. She received ACRP’s 2005 Innovation in Clinical Research award and is an active member of the ACRP North Texas Chapter.

Susan H. Warne, CCRC, is a senior project manager with D. Anderson & Company, a patient recruitment and retention services provider based in Dallas, Texas. Initially working as nurse for several years, she later began to focus on clinical research and now has more than 15 years experience in the clinical research industry. She became an ACRP Certified Clinical Research Coordinator® in 1994, serves as chair of the ACRP North American CRC Certification Exam Committee, and is also chair of the Publications Committee for the ACRP Greater Houston Area Chapter.

Mark L. Lacy is founder (in 1997), president, and CEO of Benchmark Research, a multistate network of investigative sites based in Austin, Texas. He has served on the ACRP Board of Trustees for the past two years, is a member of the ACRP North Texas and Bay Area Chapters, and a past chair of the ACRP Site Managers Forum. He also is the 2005 recipient of the Meritorious Service Award for ACRP, given to members who make significant contributions through dedicated service to the positive advancement of the association and for members’ needs.

Valerie Willetts, RN, BSN, CCRA, CCRT, is founder, president, and CEO of ASKA Research in Vancouver, Canada, and has been engaged for more than two decades in managing and monitoring clinical research trials for academia, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and contract research organizations in North America and Europe. She has served on the ACRP Board of Trustees for the past two years, is a former chair of the ACRP Canada Chapter and a former lead chapter chair for ACRP North America, and delivers a variety of educational programs to the industry.

Heike Schoen, MSc, MBA, a board member since 2005 and vice chair of the ACRP German Chapter, currently works for Clinische Studien Gesellschaft mbH in Berlin. She had earlier been a partner of the consulting company Trockle & Partner Unternehmensberatung in Hannover, Germany, and has management experience in other globally operating contract research organizations in Europe. Since joining ACRP in 2001, she has supported chapter activities throughout Germany and co-chaired the Fifth and Sixth Annual ACRP European Conferences.

Linda Strause, PhD, is executive director for oncology clinical operations for Vical, Inc. in San Diego, Calif., a strategic resource management consultant for the drug developing industry. She joined the board in 2005 and has chaired the Marketing & Communications Committee and the Ethics & Regulatory Forum. She also has served on the ACRP Editorial Advisory Board, worked for CancerVax Corp. and other firms, and been active with the San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care IRB and the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research

SECRETARY-TREASURER: Thomas L. Adams, LHD, CAE, is president and CEO of ACRP, based in Alexandria, Va. He joined ACRP as CEO in 2002 and in 2005 was given the additional title of president. Among other professional activities, he has served on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections. He also has worked as executive director of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, president of the Medical Group Management Association, and executive vice president of the Wisconsin Medical Society.