The NAF is operated by a talented volunteer Board of Directors and an Advisory Board comprising members with diverse backgrounds in healthcare, nonprofit management, neuropathy research, law, patient advocacy and government. Each lends his or her extraordinary skills and experience to carry out the NAF’s mission.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dominick V. Spatafora
President

Dominick Spatafora received a Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University. He also holds a Master of Public Administration from The American University in Washington, D.C. While in D.C. he worked for Congressman J. Dennis Hastert where he assisted with sweeping health care reform efforts. He then joined the Arizona Medical Board in 1998 as the Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Director. In this position, he developed and wrote the standards that govern the practice of medicine for Arizona.

Dominick then moved to California where he formed DVS Governmental Consulting Solutions, a full service public affairs firm specializing in strategic planning and communications, political consulting, and grassroots development. Dominick owned and operated this business for five years until early 2008 when he accepted the position of CEO for the Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA). Dominick has been a member of the Health Care Administration faculty at the University of Phoenix and a health care consultant for over six years. He was awarded the 2001 Outstanding Faculty Award for the College of Health Care Services and Nursing at the Phoenix campus.

Dominick was diagnosed with multifocal motor neuropathy at the age of 30. Shortly after being diagnosed Dominick became a patient advocate, almost by accident, because of his personal struggles accessing appropriate treatment. Dominick’s neuropathy is not typical and does not fall neatly into the treatment guidelines established by his managed care company. At one point Dominick went three months without his IVIG treatment before he lost the use of his right hand. After working cooperatively with his physician and others Dominick finally prevailed and resumed treatment which gave him back the use of his hand. Dominick founded the NAF because of his commitment to educate the public on what neuropathy is and most importantly to help other neuropathy patients obtain and maintain appropriate individualized care.


Astrid G. Meghrigian, JD
Secretary

Astrid Meghrigian received her law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1985. After graduating, she was in private practice with the law firm of Hassard, Bonnington, Rogers & Huber, where she was involved in complex antitrust litigation and researched bad faith and ERISA issues for a large healthcare service plan.

Ms. Meghrigian joined the California Medical Association in 1987, where she has been responsible for handling legal issues relating to antitrust, allied health professions, health delivery systems, clinical laboratories, drugs and reimbursement. In 2004, she joined CMA’s lobbying team in Sacramento. Beginning in 2006, she became a consultant with Montgomery Advisors where she provides general and legal advocacy services for various health care stakeholders.

In addition, Ms. Meghrigian has been involved in a number of professional activities, including serving as a co-chair of the programs committee, Health Law Section, for the American Bar Association, and publishing numerous articles of interest to the health care community.

James D. Lee, JD
Treasurer

James Lee is Senior Vice President and Private Client Advisor with U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. James provides wealth management services to high net-worth individuals and families with a focus on private banking, investment management, estate and philanthropic planning, strategic use of credit and private business finance.

Prior to joining U.S. Trust, James worked as a Wealth Management Specialist at Wells Fargo Private Bank and Merrill Lynch. Prior to joining the wealth management industry James was an Estate Planning Attorney at the San Francisco based law firm of Steefel, Levitt & Weiss.

James has served as the Chair of the Estate Planning Committee for the Barristers Club of San Francisco, is a member of the Bay Area Red Cross Professional Advisory Committee, and has been actively involved with the Northern California Planned Giving Council and the Planned Giving Round Table – Southern California.

James received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota. He earned his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law and received a Master’s of Law in Taxation from Golden Gate University Law School.

Dustin Corcoran

Dustin Corcoran is Vice President of Government Relations for the California Medical Association, a non-profit membership association dedicated to protecting public health and promoting the science and art of medicine. Dustin leads CMA's lobbying team, which advocates on behalf of CMA's physician members before the California State Legislature. Dustin and his team have a strong record of success in winning lawmaking battles to protect physicians and the practice of medicine in California.

Dustin joined CMA in 1998 and most recently served as a lobbyist with responsibility for bills related to access to care, emergency medicine, hospitals, tobacco usage, public health and health care system reform. He began his work at CMA as a membership coordinator for the CMA Political Action Committee.

Prior to joining CMA, Dustin was a lobbyist for the Community College League of California, which represents the CEOs and trustees of the 109 community colleges. He joined the League after graduating from the American University in Washington, D.C., where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government. Corcoran also attended Cypress College in Orange County, California.

Dustin speaks frequently to organizations and groups on effective lobbying, the political process and health care issues in California.

Claudia Foutz

Claudia Foutz is currently a management consultant and has a long career serving as an executive in government health regulation in both California and Arizona and has served as CEO to several professional health non-profits in California. Of note, she served as the Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Consumer Affairs and had the oversight responsibility for all of the health, fiduciary and construction regulatory boards and bureaus that licensed over 2 million people and businesses. She most recently served as the Executive Vice President and CEO of the California Society of Health-system Pharmacists non-profit organization and its Education Foundation. As Executive Vice President she was responsible for establishing and maintaining the strategic direction of the Association’s government affairs, member services, education, business development and operational programs.

Claudia has been nationally recognized for her record of taking organizations to the highest level of performance. Her background and her combined public/private perspective bring a strong expectation for accountability to an organization, with an emphasis on innovation and measurable outcomes.

Claudia is viewed as an enterprising executive with outstanding problem solving and relationship-building talents. She is also the recipient of several awards of note commending her for her successes and leadership.

Jeffrey W. Ralph, MD

Dr. Jeffrey W. Ralph is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of California San Francisco, and is a practicing neurologist who specializes in diseases of the nerve, muscle and neuromuscular transmission. He is an expert in peripheral neuropathy, with a particular interest in immune-mediated neuropathies. In 2004, he was appointed director of the Neuropathy Center at UCSF Medical Center, founded in part with funding from the Neuropathy Association. In addition to treating patients in the clinic, he is an electromyographer, performing specialized tests such as single-fiber electromyograms and multiple-channel recordings for dystonia analysis.

Dr. Ralph attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine where he graduated with honors and distinction. Dr. Ralph completed a neurology residency and fellowships in neuromuscular and clinical neurophysiology at the University of California, San Francisco. His research has addressed treatments for neuropathy caused by HIV-AIDS. Dr Ralph is currently a member of both the American Academy of Neurology and the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

Christopher S. Stone

Christopher S. Stone received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arizona State University in 1995. He was recruited by Romano Bros. Beverage Company in 1995 to develop and lead a government affairs program in Illinois that provided advocacy services for the alcohol beverage industry. In 1998 he assisted in founding and subsequently worked for the Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois Association, which represents more than 30 wine and spirits distributors throughout the State of Illinois. Upon his wife being accepted to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in 2000, he moved his family to Springfield, Illinois and started a government affairs consulting firm – Governmental Consulting Solutions. Governmental Consulting Solutions (GCS) provides political, legislative and strategic planning to clients having business interests within the State of Illinois.

GCS currently provides consulting services to 32 clients including, UBS, Southern Wine and Spirits, Illinois State University Retirement System, Rentech, and Hunt Building Company. Additionally, GCS represents 6 municipal governments, 3 mass transit districts, 4 engineering firms, and 4 development companies doing business in Illinois.

Chris is married to Dr. Erin Stone, and has four daughters. He is active in local community events and organizations including the Hope School, Blessed Sacrament Parish, Brother James Court, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Mercy Home for Boys and Girls and the Memorial Medical Center’s Foundation.

Richard S. Zimmerman, MD

Dr. Richard S. Zimmerman is a practicing physician with Mayo Clinic in Arizona and is Associate Professor in Neurosurgery at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. Dr. Zimmerman is a member of the Mayo Clinic Arizona Executive Board and is chair of the Mayo Clinic Arizona Quality Council. He had served for over 10 years as the Medical Director of Mayo Clinic Hospital, a tertiary care facility located in Phoenix, Arizona.

Dr. Zimmerman attended Boston University where he received his BA and MD degrees with honors, and did an internship and residency in Neurological Surgery at the Medical College of Virginia. He completed a fellowship in cerebrovascular and skull base surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix prior to joining Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Zimmerman has an active neurosurgical practice with a focus on the surgical treatment of epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, and trigeminal neuralgia, and he serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the National Trigeminal Neuralgia Association.

Dr. Zimmerman is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Skull Base Society, and has been recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He has also been on the teaching faculty of the American College of Physician Executives.

ADVISORY BOARD

Carolyn S. Allen
Arizona State Senator

Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS
17th Surgeon General of The United States

James F. Clayborne, Jr.
Illinois State Senator

Kathleen Creason, MBA
Executive Director, Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of California

Jonathan M. Goldstein, MD
Director, Yale Neuromuscular/EMG Program

Kenneth C. Gorson, MD
Director, Neuromuscular Service, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center , Boston MA; Professor of Neurology, Tufts University School of Medicine

Mary Hayashi
California State Assemblywoman

Jonathan Katz, MD
Chief of Neuromuscular Services at California Pacific Medical Center

Todd Levine, MD
Co-Director of Neuropathy Association Certified Clinic, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center and Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona

David Saperstein, MD
Co-Director of Neuropathy Association Certified Clinic, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center and Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona

Gil I. Wolfe, MD
Professor of Neurology; Dr. Bob and Jean Smith Foundation Distinguished Chair in Neuromuscular Disease Research

Leland Yee
California State Senator