Staff & Board Bios

MFK's local Board of Directors consists of health professionals and dedicated community volunteers.

Dr. Patricia Wolff is the founder and Executive Director of Meds & Food for Kids, and a pediatrician in private practice in the City of St. Louis. She is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine.

Tina Bruce is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant for the law firm of Korein Tillery. She has traveled to Haiti with Dr. Wolff as a volunteer and is the current President of Meds & Food for Kids. She is a Past President of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants.

Tom Stehl is MFK's Coordinator of Operations. He joined MFK full-time in June, 2007 but has worked with the organization since January, 2005 as a graduate student. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration and Masters in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis.

Dumel Louis is MFK's Haiti Manager and is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Haitian factory. He is an agronomist by training

Marilyn Gannon consults in the area of entrepreneurial business development and teaches economics at Fontbonne University. She has experience in successful entrepreneurial start-ups as well as in corporate management at Solutia and IBM. Marilyn holds a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

Candace O'Connor is a St. Louis writer who specializes in medical and historical subjects. Recent projects include a history of Washington University in St. Louis and a forthcoming history of St. Louis Children's Hospital.

Sarah Sourial is a Management Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and a recent graduate of the Olin School of Business at Washington University. At the Fed she is responsible for special projects relating to accounting, customer accounts, and procurement. Sarah has worked on several corporate citizenship projects with the United Way, Operation Food Search and the Women's Leadership Giving Initiative. Her interests include micro-finance, experiencing different cultures, and creating a welcoming community at her church.

Lisa Orden Zarin, a native New Yorker who now calls St. Louis home, is a documentary filmmaker, photographer, writer, political activist, and founder of College Bound, a nonprofit organization that helps inner city youths prepare for college.

Lucinda Perry has over 15 years professional experience with mission-based organizations and state government. She specializes in program management, policy development, and institutional advancement. In these capacities, she has worked in the fields of public health, higher education, and cultural institutions. She currently serves as director of major gifts at the Saint Louis Science Center. Lucinda holds a B.A. in Theatre Performance from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an M.P.A. from Saint Louis University.

Gary Brandenburger, D.Sc. is a biomedical engineer with the executive consulting practice Research & Development L.L.C. and adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at Washington University. He volunteers with Meds & Food for Kids on its Board of Directors and serves as an officer of the Second Wind of St. Louis Lung Transplant Association, a patient support organization he assisted in co-founding. He served previously on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Assoc. of Boston. He co-founded and served as Sr. Vice President of R&D at the medical device startup Osteotechnology, Inc.; was Director of Ultrasound R&D at Mallinckrodt, Inc.; and was Director of the Entrepreneurship Program at Washington University School of Engineering. He holds a doctor of science degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Shelby Johnston is from Alabama, has 3 children, and lives in St. Louis. She graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1995 and from Washington University Law School in 2002.

Bryan McAllister is the Owner/Creative Director of Fine Dog Creative, a St. Louis firm dedicated to creating award-winning graphic design, advertsing and illustration work for businesses and non-profit organizations. He holds a BFA from the University of Missouri. He lives with his family along with CKO (Chief Kibble Officer), Mesa, the wonder dog.

Vicki Kunkler has more than 25 years experience in marketing/communications/publications. Currently, she is the marketing/communications manager at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Sister Kathy Wright

Tom Stehl

MFK is indebted to other dedicated volunteers for generous donations of skill and hard work to create and grow our organization.

Brooke Emerson is a full time freelance graphic designer, illustrator, and copywriter at Emerson Creative. She designed the Medika Mamba label.

Gretchen Freund is a photographer whose brilliant images capture the spirit of people and places around the globe.

Scott Gericke is the Creative Director of the Visual Communication Research Studio at the School of Art at Washington University in St. Louis, and Creative Partner in designlab, inc., a communications design studio in St. Louis.

David Hamsher is a second year law student at Northwestern University School of Law. He is also experienced in and proficient in web design and maintenance and assisted in the MFK website design.

Karen Handelman donated the design and layout of the MFK brochure. She is the President and Chief Candy Bowl Filler of 501creative, a business that helps nonprofit organizations with their communications and marketing needs.

Kathy McCoy Scholten is a native St. Louisan. She lives with her husband, two daughters and two dogs. She has been working in the printing industry for over 20 years.

Howard Smotkin, attorney with Stone, Leyton and Gershman, has donated many hours of free legal services to MFK.

George Farrell, retired from the insurance industry, has been pursuing his avocation of mechanics to the benefit of MFK with 2 visits to Haiti to set up and repair machinery.

Larry Carpenter, President of Toddler Food Partners and a Peace Corps volunteer many years ago, has helped MFK with its grinders and desheller needs in the U.S. and in Haiti.

Jock Brandis, chief designer and resident genius of Full Belly Project, designed, transported and setup his brilliantly designed peanut desheller for MFK in Cap Haitien.

Dr. Dan Brown, Cornell University Professor of animal toxicology, has made 4 trips to Haiti in 2007 to set up aflatoxin screening procedures and testing and to initiate a microbilogy laboratory.