Category: TCA Board Members

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Zoe Severyn

A life long resident of Arizona, Zoe grew up in rural Gilbert. She graduated from Highland High School in Gilbert and then continued on to pursue a Bachelor of Music Performance at Denver University in Colorado.

Returning to Phoenix in 2001 she began bookkeeping for the family business, MSC Distributing. Zoe’s great grandfather Herbert L Stevenson settled in Phoenix in 1903 and established Motor Supply Company, a warehousing company that provided auto parts for the newly manufactured Model T. The Stevensons ran this business for over a hundred years, selling the auto parts division in the 1980s and focusing on oil. Zoe was the forth generation to run the company in 2014. After starting out in bookkeeping and everyday management, she was promoted to president of a $12 million a year company that distributed Pennzoil, Shell products all over the state of Arizona. Zoe’s fiscal responsibly to the family carried the company through the recession. No job was too small or too great for her as she always was willing to conquer any obstacle. The company was sold in 2016, and she was the primary negotiator.

When Zoe started as office manager at New Life Society in 2017, she was brand new to the transplant community, however she brought a caring and inclusive attitude. Always striving to improve the organization, she is keen to lead it into a future of helping more people to survive and negotiate the complicated world of organ transplantation. In February of 2018, the board displayed great confidence in her ability and promoted her to Executive Director.

Zoe loves life and helps everyone she touches to improve theirs. Never taking no for an answer, she is analytical and methodical when working to solve problems. She has an appetite for learning and self improvement.

In her leisure time, Zoe enjoys horseback riding, spending quality time with her wife and her family, playing the piano and working around the house.

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Robert Scanlan

Robert-Scanlan

Robert Scanlan is the grateful recipient of three organ transplants: a liver in 1998 and another liver plus a kidney in 2008. He is the author of the highly acclaimed true memoir Tigers Under My Bed: Life Lessons Tamed During Three Organ Transplants.

Prior to transplant, Robert founded with Nobel Laureate Dr. Milton Friedman the nations’ first non-bank to fund Small Business Administration loans. This innovation has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Robert later formed another lending company to personally fund over 200 small businesses.

While he managed investment portfolios for wealthy individuals, Robert’s liver failed without warning. He received a transplant in two weeks, and returned home six months later having lost everything. He spent years creating a new successful career, and a new personal life. Ten years later the new liver failed, and Robert received another liver and a kidney. He has received numerous accolades and awards from One Legacy in Los Angeles, from Donor Network of Arizona in Phoenix, and from United Blood Services in Phoenix.

Robert is a professional inspirational speaker. He has addressed thousands, often in participation with Donate Life, The American Kidney Association, The National Liver Foundation, United Blood Services, and Prime Care Hospice to deliver their message to the general public and professional groups. Currently he lectures to social worker classes in post graduate studies at the University of Southern California. His book is reference material for students at USC, and is used at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center for education of patients and caregivers.

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Judy Maltz

judy-Maltz

Judy Maltz has been talking reimbursement since 1986 when she began her career in the home infusion therapy business…what she calls “the original specialty pharmacy”. After 10 years Judy left the provider environment to work for Healthcare Delivery Systems, a small but growing division of McKesson, which today is McKesson Specialty Solutions. Offering reimbursement consulting to manufacturers, conducting Provider Education, designing and managing Patient Assistance Programs and Reimbursement Hotlines across multiple therapeutic areas established Judy’s depth of knowledge in policy, coverage and reimbursement of pharmaceuticals.

As Reimbursement Program Manager for United BioSource Corporation (UBC), Judy fine-tuned her skills by developing payer advocacy strategies, providing payer coding and policy analysis, creating provider education modules and reimbursement programs for biotech and pharmaceutical companies including Sanofi Pasteur, Bayer, Novartis, and Gilead Sciences.

It was during these last 8 years at UBC when Judy worked as the reimbursement ambassador for Novartis Pharmaceuticals’ Transplant franchise that she found her true passion. In serving the transplant community, Judy always takes a patient-centric approach, working to resolve immediate reimbursement issues while continuing to clear the path to secure future medication coverage. This takes solid collaboration and consistent communication with patients, families, providers and payers. Her trademark is bringing insight and clarity to the most complex of payer issues through education, support, patience and perseverance.

Judy has presented at over 100 Transplant Centers across the country and is a speaker at transplant patient support groups.

Currently working as an Associate Director at Xcenda, LLC, a consulting company, Judy is also an active volunteer with her local chapters of the American Liver Foundation, the American Kidney Foundation and was appointed a board member of Transplant Community Alliance in 2016.

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Gregory Welsh

Greg-Welsh

Gregory Welsh, a 50 year old father of one daughter, has experienced the lifesaving benefits of donation first hand.  After a fatal car accident in 1996, Gregory made the decision to donate his wife’s eyes, tissues and organs.  Fifteen years later his generosity came full circle when on May 18, 2011, four months after suffering a heart attack that made him reliant on an artificial heart, Gregory received a heart transplant. He has since become an advocate and voice for donation.  He is currently employed by Gervasio, & Assoc., Inc, an engineering consulting firm. Past experiences include business ownership and technological expertise in the computer field. Besides working full time, organ donation awareness has become a full time passion. Gregory brings personal experiences and dedication to the mission of the New Life Board.

Greg-Welsh
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Dan Baran

Dan-Baran

Dan was born in Tucson, Arizona. His family believed in organ donation and Dan registered as an organ donor while a teenager with the approval of his parents. Little did Dan know that organ donation would directly affect his life in the future.

Dan completed his studies in the Phoenix area. He began his career in the aerospace industry with Sperry Flight Systems in 1981. While working there he met the love of his life Anna who was employed at Honeywell. Eventually Sperry merged with Honeywell, and Dan and Anna became life-mates as well.

In 2001 Anna became very sick. Changing doctors in search of answers, it was determined that Anna had liver failure caused by Hepatitis C. In November 2002 she received a liver transplant at Mayo Phoenix.

After recovery from her surgery with Dan at her side, Anna and Dan became involved in the transplant community with the idea of helping others. They volunteered time and effort with the Donor Network, the Liver Foundation, the Kidney Foundation and Transplant Team Arizona.  Anna participated in the Transplant Games of America. and eventually she and Dan immersed themselves in the Transplant Team program. Dan became a board member and then President of the Board.

In 2017 Dan was a leader in the merger of Transplant Team Arizona with the New Life Society, where he now adds strength as a board member.

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Andrew Bombeck

Kidney Recipient

Andrew Bombeck – Andy is a kidney recipient of 11 years after receiving a live donated kidney from his wife Shari on April 11, 2003. He is a retired elementary school teacher after 30 years and now spends his time writing, playing tennis, playing guitar, and promoting organ donation by working with the New Life Society’s Schools Program and volunteering with Donor Network of Arizona. He was on the board at the Arizona Kidney Foundation Board for 8 years and currently serves as a board member and has competed with Transplant Team Arizona in the Transplant Games since 2008. Andy lovingly admits he’s in a losing battle trying to keep up with his 8-year old son, Michael.

Will you describe what your life was like before Transplant?
Over the years prior to my kidney transplant in 2003, my energy level was slowly declining. I was teaching elementary school at the time.  Most teachers will agree that patience is the one thing that makes a good teacher.  Because my health was declining, the two years leading up to my transplant in 2003 were difficult.  I have to admit it made it very challenging to be the kind of teacher I had been, as my patience declined as well.  I continued to do most things I had done prior transplant, but it was harder because my energy level was so low.

Please describe what waiting for the transplant was like.
Prior to my transplant, I was dating Shari who told me that if she was a match she would donate one of her kidneys to me.  At the time, I was on transplant waiting list at Good Samaritan Hospital.  After Shari was tested and confirmed to be a match, as you can imagine, I was more than ecstatic!

Will you share some of your dreams and fears while waiting for a transplant?
My greatest fear before my operation was not surviving the operation.  Many people do not know it, but my mother had kidney failure and was also listed for a kidney transplant.  In 1996, after waiting many years on a transplant list in Phoenix, my mother finally got “The Call” and received a cadaver kidney.  Five days after her transplant she tragically and unexpectantly passed away.  It was because of that, that I feared the actual operation more than I probably should have.

One day, I made a pact with God and promised that if I survived the operation I would attend church every Sunday; and I have kept that promise. One year after my transplant, in 2004, Shari and I got married and continue to remain “connected” in more ways than the “obvious” one.

How has your life changed after transplant?
My life dramatically changed on April 11, 2003, when I woke up in the recovery room at John Hopkins following my transplant.  I instantly felt I had regained all the energy that had been gradually declining over the years, prior to my transplant.  Like many recipients, I realized then more than ever, just how precious each and every day is and try hard to take advantage of that.  The first “big” thing that Shari and I decided to do in 2006 was adopt a six-month old boy from Guatemala named Michael. I always wanted kids but because I married late I never thought that would be possible.  Today I “pretend” to have the energy needed to keep up with a teenager, which prior to my transplant, would have been truly impossible.  Three years ago I retired from teaching and spend a lot of time playing tennis, writing and promoting organ donation.  I am a volunteer with the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona, Donor Network of Arizona, Transplant Team Arizona and Transplant Community Alliance.

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Ben Wilson

Born in 1948 in Nashville, Tennessee,  Bengraduated high school in Richmond, Virginia, where he set the Virginia state high school record in the mile of 4:14.2.  While Ben earned his bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1971, he also merited national recognition as small college All-American in track and cross country. 

Ben’s engineering education led to a successful thirteen year career in the defense industry as a Computer Aided Manufacturing engineer.  He then joined Alcon Laboratories as a senior engineer in their Intraocular lens manufacturing facilities.

Back surgery and the need for a liver transplant forced Ben to retire as Senior Director of Engineering at Alcon’s Huntington, West Virginia plant in at age sixty.

Ben received the gift of liver transplant in 2008 and now lives in Phoenix with his wife of forty years Robinn Miller Wilson. Thanks to Ben’s transplant, the couple continues to enjoy their two daughters and four grandchildren. 

Ben’s athletic background gives him natural attraction to Transplant Team Arizona, Inc.  He has earned six gold medals, a silver and a bronze in the US Transplant Games.

He served as Treasurer for the Transplant Team from 2013 until 2017 and is a Director on the Board of Transplant Community Alliance. In 2019, he was elected Treasurer for the Alliance.

Ben also contributes time for Donate Life Arizona. When not busy with his numerous volunteer activities, Ben can be found on the tennis court vigorously enjoying another benefit of his donated liver