Martha Brumfield, PhD Chair
Martha A. Brumfield, PhD, is currently a Senior Advisor to Critical Path Institute (C-Path), having recently retired from the role as its President & CEO. C-Path is an Arizona-based non-profit whose mission is to catalyze the development of new tools to advance medical product innovation and regulatory science by leading teams that share data, knowledge, and expertise resulting in sound, consensus-based science. In addition to the 15+ consortia which C-Path manages, she led her staff in collaborating with global regulators, biopharmaceutical companies, and other biomedical research consortia to develop tools which help to de-risk drug development by reliance upon evidence-based programs. Brumfield is a regulatory professional and executive leader with 25+ years’ experience in pharmaceutical product development strategy and implementation, regulatory strategy, and policy advocacy. She spent over 20 years of her career at Pfizer in regulatory affairs and pharmacovigilance and served as senior vice president of worldwide regulatory affairs and quality assurance. She recently served as Chair of the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society Board of Directors and is currently serving as Director on the RAPS Affiliate Board. She is a Founding Director and Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of the Institute for Advanced Clinical Trials for Children. She recently served on the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Committee on Mutual Recognition Agreements and Reliance in the Regulation of Medicines. She was recently appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s Innovation in Regulatory Science program. She is also an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy.
Mary Carryer Vice Chair
Mary is a retired banking executive who has lived in Tucson since 2007. She grew up in Canada, received her MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, and pursued her banking career in San Francisco, Australia, and Honolulu. She also has a long history of involvement in the non-profit sector.
Mary’s interest in Parkinson disease started with the diagnosis of a family member. Visiting PWR! to learn more about the disease and the benefits of exercise for those with PD led her to a real appreciation for PWR!’s mission and the impact it has on those it serves. Since joining the board in 2019, she has been a member of the Finance Committee. She looks forward to seeing the growth of PWR! and its ability to provide both in-person and virtual services to a larger community of people with Parkinson disease, regardless of their location.
In her spare time, Mary is studying Spanish and enjoys travel and outdoors activities.
Susan Foster Director
Susan Foster is retired with over 30 years of experience in clinical research, sales training, and marketing in the pharmaceutical industry. She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2007 and immediately became active in the PD community.
Susan was selected by the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation to attend the inaugural session for Research Advocates and to be one of four women to serve on the PDF national steering committee for their Women and PD Initiative which generated programs around the country focused on the unique challenges for women with Parkinson’s. She founded a Parkinson’s Women Support group that now has over 90 members and multiple chapters around the Bay Area. She served as a patient advocate for Stanford University Affiliated Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee, and on the Board of Directors for the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, CA.
Susan was a Board member of the largest (at the time) childcare organization in California with over 150 sites, and she also served as a Board member and Board Chair for St. Francis High School in Mountain View, CA, a large (1700 student) private school.
Susan and her husband Bill attended the inaugural PWR! Retreat in Wickenburg, AZ and have attended every subsequent Retreat. From her home in Sunnyvale, CA, Susan participates in virtual PWR!Gym classes, which she credits with motivating her to maintain a rigorous and regular exercise program.
Susan has a BS in Nursing and a MA in Health Education. She holds an RN license as well as a Public Health Nursing Certificate and a Community College Teaching Credential.
Ethan Henderson Director
Ethan Henderson is Senior Director of Philanthropy for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Ethan and his wife, Gretchen, moved to Tucson during the pandemic and have fallen in love with the Sonoran desert. With PWR!, Ethan is not only a Board Member but also a grateful patient who receives care from the wonderful physical therapists and others at PWR! Ethan received his diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson's disease in 2016. However, his deep involvement with the Parkinson's community goes back to 2001 when his father was diagnosed with PD. Ethan became an ambassador to help educate the public, bring more resources to the community, and provide care for his father during his journey. He has participated in multiple clinical trials to further research for better treatments of PD. He uses his voice to help advocate for several neurodegenerative diseases at a local, state, and federal level. After all, it takes a team.
A longtime endurance athlete, he has run the Boston, New York, and Chicago Marathons and this past summer he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Ethan continues his father's commitment to "Never give up."
Terry Slayman Director
Terry Slayman, MD FAAFP recently retired to the Tucson area in May 2022. After living his entire life in the Midwest, it was time for a change and some new adventures. He graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in Zoology and received his Medical Doctorate from Rush Medical College in Chicago, Il. Completing a Family Practice Residency at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, OH, he eventually founded and developed Westerville Family Physicians, Inc, being the lead physician as well as physician manager for over twenty-five years. During this time, he engaged with patients of all ages, gravitating more toward the care of geriatric patients. He found himself the Medical Director for four Nursing Homes and as many Assisted Living Facilities. In 2016, he joined OhioHealth as a physician administrator, rising to the level of Senior Medical Director for Ambulatory Care until his retirement at the end of 2021. During this time, he also became a Certified Executive Coach and continues in this capacity.
He and his wife and high school sweetheart, Maria, love to travel, hike and spend time with their son Tyler, daughter-in-law Brooke and two grandsons when they visit. Tucson has been a wonderful experience for them both and they look forward to new adventures, new friends, and becoming a part of the welcoming community.
Betty Stauffer Director
Betty Stauffer is a retired social worker who built and led two non-profits during her 30 plus year career. New Life Community in Cleveland, Ohio was the first transitional housing program for the homeless in Northeast Ohio that worked with whole families. Literacy Connects in Tucson, Arizona is a literacy program for people of all ages that was the result of a merger of five small literacy organizations. In 2021 Betty was awarded the Buddy Amos Founders Award by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona for her impact on the Tucson Community. She currently is the Director of Tacheria Interfaith School for Spiritual Directors and serves as a coach for non-profit CEOs.
Carla Sutter Director
Carla Sutter holds her master’s degree in social work and has spent her 30-year career working with organizations who are dedicated to helping clients and families care for themselves and others whose needs are changing due to age or illness. Ms. Sutter’s focus and specialization on healthcare decision documents and conversations brought her to her position with Contexture Health Information Exchange and the Healthcare Directives Registry. Ms. Sutter has served as a national trainer on Advance Care Directives and Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (”POLST”) documents. Ms. Sutter was trained and certified under Respecting Choices.