Who We Are
Board of Directors
- John Truax, Vice President
- Jose Solis, Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
- Nicole Longnecker, Executive Director
- Chilton Greer, Board Secretary
- Susan Patterson, Treasurer
- Nita Lindley, Director of Education
- Benjamin Ramirez, M.D. Medical Committee
- Sally Russ, Board Development
- Jane Kavanagh, Medical Committee
- Carlos Cabrera M.D. Medical Director - México
- Rebecca Starr, Director of Development
- Nick Noecker, Technology
- Pete García, Marketing
- Kathryn McNiel, Marketing
- Mayur Khare
- David Batagower
Advisory Board
- Fr. Bill Auth
- George Fischer Arroyo
- Ellyne Krug Basto
- Leslie Bennink
- Richard Bennink
- Yuna Conan
- Nancy Hoag
- Sandy Kazim
- Suzanne Larimer
-
Bill Russ
- Ross Russell, Financial Mexico
- Lisa Willemsen
- Sam Woodruff
Gordon Crofoot, M.D. earned a BS degree with honors in biochemistry from Michigan State University and a medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School. During his residency in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, he held the position of Chief Medical Resident at St. Luke’s Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. Dr. Crofoot joined Kelsey Seybold Clinic in 1977 and has practiced internal medicine in Houston ever since.
During his career Dr. Crofoot has honed an almost intuitive gift for treating people infected with HIV and chronic hepatitis. He is credentialed as an HIV Specialist with the American Academy of HIV Medicine, a member of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care and is internationally recognized as an expert in HIV, both in the art of caring for people with the disease, but also as an expert in the field of research, conducting critical developmental studies on almost all of the HIV medications manufactured over the last several decades.
In 1988, Dr. Crofoot was voted by medical personnel as ‘Best Physician’ for HIV care in Harris County. Recognized by many local organizations for his work and awarded several humanitarian awards for both internal and HIV medicine, he has treated well over 9,600 patients infected with HIV. Dr. Crofoot also enjoys sharing his knowledge by volunteering for educational meetings with high schools, universities and rotary clubs, as well as church, youth, minority and political groups.
In the early 90’s, Dr. Crofoot was featured on a series of nationally televised PBS documentaries and has done countless interviews with local and national media outlets, including Nightline with Ted Koppel. He was also a speaker at the 1988 AIDS conference with Dr. Luc Montagnier, Paris, France, one of the physicians who originally discovered the HIV virus.
As an accredited member of the International AIDS Society, Dr. Crofoot has been featured as a guest lecturer, and has attended many national and international HIV conferences, such as the International AIDS Conference in Paris 1986, Washington D.C. 1987, Stockholm 1988, San Francisco 1990, Florence 1991, Vancouver 1996, Barcelona 2002, Bangkok 2004 and one of the first AIDS conferences held in Russia, St Petersburg 2001. He has been invited to participate in many policy and standard of care committees, including a select group of HIV providers who met in Barcelona, Spain, in June of 2005 to establish quid lines and research directions for the new class of HIV drugs called entry inhibitors.
In 1998, Dr. Crofoot was honored with the title of Medical Director of the Montrose Clinic, an STD and HIV education, testing, and treatment facility for the indigent community of Houston. He initiated a federally funded Ryan White, Title I HIV treatment program under which he coordinated care for over 2,000 uninsured patients infected with HIV and other STD’s. After five successful years, Dr. Crofoot retired from that position to focus his energy on his demanding private practice and research. He surrounds himself with caring office personnel, a strong team of medical professionals who excel in the treatment of people infected with HIV, chronic hepatitis B & C, and other STD’s.
Dr. Carlos Cabrera is a native of Mérida, the capital of the State of Yucatan, Mexico. After receiving many undergraduate academic honors, Dr. Cabrera enrolled in medical school at the University of Yucatan in Mérida, one of the most prestigious schools in the country, and majored in biological and physical sciences. He spent his internship at the ISSSTE Hospital in Mérida, a regional third-level hospital with social security coverage for six states in southeast México. Here he was recognized for outstanding achievement during rotations in both the Emergency Room and Department of Internal Medicine, where he provided comprehensive treatment for patients living with HIV and cancer. He finished his career in 2007 and spent his mandatory year of social service first in a remote community in southern Yucatan and then in Pustunich Ticul, Yucatan. In Pustunich, he served as Health Director and developed programs to combat poverty and improve the health and quality of life of the village’s 2,400 residents. In a rare show of appreciation for performance during a physician’s social service, Dr. Cabrera was asked to serve in Santa Elena, a village located in the center of some of the most important Mayan temples in the Yucatan.
In August, 2008, he was awarded the Doctor of the Year award for his jurisdictional health area. While in medical school, Dr. Cabrera not only distinguished himself in the practice of medicine, but also obtained awards for his research in such areas as fetal and infant mortality, treatments for hyperglycemia and pancreatic damage, and community acquired pneumonia. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the medical school journal and participated in many national and international medical conferences, including the Latin-American Medical Student Federation Conference in 2001; the Sixth Regional Forum for Assisted Reproduction in Mexico, organized by the health board of the Representatives Chamber of the Mexican Congress, in 2001; the International Pediatric Post Graduate Symposium organized by Texas Children’s Hospital in 2003; and the First International Conference on Brain Plasticity and Neurologic Restoration in 2005. In 2006, Dr. Cabrera traveled to Havana, Cuba, to represent Mexico at an international conference on humanism and world care. In 2008, he attended the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.
Dr. Cabrera has long been active in cultural activities, having formed a cultural group in medical school that was soon officially recognized by the University, instituted a radio program at the University station, and formed a group of musicians who today are the University’s jazz and bosanova band. He has organized singing, oratory, and poetry competitions; was the first student named secretary to the Extension Committee of the Medical School, gaining a voice and vote for officially sanctioned cultural activities; and won the competition to design the logo for the 171st anniversary of the founding of the Medical School. Dr. Cabrera also has instructed pre-Med educational courses and is certified to teach English as a second language.
John Truax received a BA and MA in the Humanities from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. After pursuing a professional career in the areas of modern dance and musical theatre, Mr. Truax became a member of the Dance Department at Episcopal High School Houston and was the Director of this program for many years.
Mr. Truax was Founder and Director of the Texas Tap Ensemble, and co-owner of Sullivan School of Dance and the West University Dance Centre. Mr. Truax was also on the Board of Directors of the Chrysalis Dance Company and Co-director of the Houston Limon Project.
Jane Kavanagh received her BSRN from Texas Woman’s University. Mrs. Kavanagh practiced as an RN for over 30 years, spending the last 18 years as a pediatric nurse. She is past member of the Corpus Christi Catholic School Board. She has been an active volunteer at Episcopal High School including working in administration and fundraisers. She has also worked as a chairman for a Project San Jose fundraiser.
Nita Lindley holds a MS in Education from James Madison University and has been involved in teaching children of all ages for the past three decades. Ms. Lindley is a licensed Educational Kinesiologist, teaching brain-based movement programs to educators and children. A former professional dancer, she was on the faculty of Rice University for 12 years in the Department of Kinesiology and has taught in both public and private schools. She also taught for Neighborhood Centers through a Department of Education grant which developed The Monarch Program.
Mrs. Lindley has been on the board of Blackwood Land Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to land-based learning, Several Dancers Core, and Chrysalis Dance Company.
Sally Russ attended the University of Houston and spent over 20 years in classroom instruction. Ms. Russ is currently a Board Member of Planned Parenthood Houston, University of Houston Friends of Women’s Studies, Sandra Organ Dance Company, and Old Braeswood Garden Club.
Mrs. Russ’s other charitable involvements have included Houston World AIDS Day, Komen Race for the Cure, Hopestone Dance Company, Pink Ribbons Project, Tower Committee for the University of Richmond, School of the Woods Montessori, Sandalwood Civic Association, Episcopal High School Houston, and Houston Area Women’s Center.