Eileen Rice joined the NRFTD board in March 2008, two years after one of her family members became ill with Lyme Disease .

Ms. Rice has worked in public relations for corporations and for nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years.  After working for a hospital in the Boston area, she moved to New York where she worked as an account executive for Adams & Rinehart, a financial public relations firm.  Later she established her own public relations consulting business servicing several local corporate clients and nonprofit organizations.  She has also worked as a free-lance writer for local publications.

Leo J. Shea III, Ph.D. is Clinical Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Rusk Institute, a division of the New York University Medical Center. Prior to his present work with tick-borne and immunological disorders, he was Assistant Director of the NYU Brain Injury Day Treatment Program. Dr. Shea has served as an organizational consultant to national and international corporations on human resources, administrative and executive training and development, trauma response and health care issues. His clients have included both political and public institutions such as the United Nations.

He maintains a private practice both in New York and Massachusetts focusing on traumatic brain injury, tick-borne diseases, neurological injury/illness, chronic illness, trauma and loss, contingency and disaster management, as well as psychotherapy and cognitive remediation with individuals and groups in corporate, entertainment and religious settings.

Serena Sarnoff Benenson has a history of dedication and commitment to support and promote awareness of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. This grows out of her personal experience of having been diagnosed with a Lyme brain infection in 1995 and treated for years with intravenous antibiotics. Furthermore her eldest son was diagnosed with Lyme in 1994, and subsequently home schooled for two years. Her arduous journey through the controversial medical maze of diagnosis and treatment compelled her to become more actively involved in the Lyme community and to support research for a cure.

Ms. Benenson received her Master's degree in Social Work from Columbia University and prior to her illness, worked with a variety of patient populations. Presently, she has an interior design firm, Serena Benenson & Associates and most recently was the Director of Marketing & Communication for a jewelry company, Eclipse-Jewelry in Motion.
 

Deborah Burnaman has been active in a variety of Lyme-related causes since her encounter with the bacterial infection in 1992. She has been a vital member of the NRFTD since 1997 and joined the Board of Directors in 2005 where she has concentrated on fundraising, education and event planning.

An educator by training, Deborah’s passion for teaching led her to engage in education and awareness of Lyme disease and its myriad manifestations. Additional Lyme disease organizations she has helped include: Turn the Corner Foundation, Open Eye Pictures, and Time for Lyme. A graduate of Ithaca College, Deborah earned a Masters in Education from Sarah Lawrence where she focused on early childhood development.

After teaching for several years in the Westport school district, Deborah retired from teaching to raise her four children. She has been active in their education through a variety of volunteer activities for the American School in London, St. Luke’s School, the Wilton Public School System, The Weir Farm, and other local charities. Deborah is an avid tennis player, an aspiring golfer and would like to write a children’s book about Lyme disease. She lives in Wilton, CT with her husband, children and assorted pets.
 

Carolin Buttrick has been committed to a number of Lyme-related causes since her 1997 bacterial infection. In addition to the NRFTD, she has been involved with Turn the Corner, Open Eye Pictures, and Time for Lyme.

Mrs. Buttrick received her BA from Iona College. She currently works as an associate with BG Development of New Canaan. Previously, she worked at Gullans and Brooks – a New Canaan based architectural firm. She also worked as an associate consultant at a Norwalk based pension consultancy.

In her free time, Carolin enjoys tennis, golf, and gardening. She lives in New Canaan with her husband, their five children, one dog, and one lizard.
 

Laura Sibert-Cardoza who graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a dual degree in Fine Arts and Business, enjoyed a stellar 20 year career in the apparel business. As a Designer and Senior Executive, Ms. Sibert-Cardoza lived and worked throughout Europe and Asia. Ultimately, she rose to be the President of Robert Stock, an international men’s and women’s apparel company.

During the past six years, Mr. Sibert-Cardoza has adapted her well-honed international management skills to the field of non-profit fundraising. Presently, she sits on the board of directors for the National Research Fund for Tick-Borne Diseases, Inc. and is also a member of the New York Board of Advisors for Jumpstart. She has been an active spokesperson in the fight against Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases through her numerous national presentations and lectures.

Ms. Sibert-Cardoza is married and splits her time between her home in Connecticut and her apartment in New York City.
 

Martha S. Schram joined the NRFTD because she has personally experienced Lyme disease and she believes scientific research will lead to faster diagnosis of tick-borne infections. With sooner and more accurate diagnosis she hopes all patients can be treated before neurological symptoms develop.

Martha is a resident of New Canaan Ct, where she lives with her husband and their two children.  During her seventeen years in New Canaan, she has served in many volunteer roles at St Luke’s School, West School, the American Cancer Society and New Canaan Cares. Before having a family she worked in the Securities Industry in New York City. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and an MBA at Fordham University. In June 2006 she graduated from the New York Institute of Integrative Nutrition and plans to practice as a private nutrition counselor.
 

Greg Torski, CPA CCE CPIM  NRFTD Treasurer, has been associated with the NRFTD for seven years. He was a Board Member for several years and now holds the position of Treasurer. Greg became involved in Lyme Disease as a result of the devastating impact it had on the lives of his wife and children while living in Connecticut.

 He is VP of IT at Sentient Flight Group. Greg has over twenty years experience in organizational leadership resulting from executive roles in international consulting, business and IT management. He focuses on the innovative use of operations management best practices to enhance business processes and increase productivity. His domain expertise includes manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, electronic commerce, and customer relationship management initiatives. Greg specializes in the design and execution of strategic business and technology plans. He has filled officer positions in both private and public companies. His experience covers business process re-engineering; business planning and related shareholder value matters; technology and technology adoption; and, leadership techniques and coaching. Greg brings international business experience from North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

 Greg received his Industrial Engineering Degree from Lehigh University and his MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He received his CPA (Certified Public Accountant), CCE (Certified Cost Engineer), and CPIM (Certified in Production & Inventory Management) certificates while consulting with Ernst & Young in Boston.
 

Barbara Walsh graduated from the University of Iowa. Prior to having children, she worked as Vice President at Nomura Securities in Asset-Backed Securities. Prior to that Ms. Walsh worked at Cargill, Inc. in the Financial Markets Division. Ms. Walsh volunteers with Time for Lyme and is on the Parents Association Board of Convent of the Sacred Heart. Ms. Walsh lives in Greenwich, CT with her husband, three children and one dog.

Barbara became interested in supporting the fight against Lyme Disease when her 2-year-old daughter went undiagnosed for 9 months.  She has witnessed many of her friends (and their children) struggle with the effects of the disease.
 

Research Board Members
 

Carl Brenner, a marine scientist, has been involved with Lyme disease issues since the early 1990’s. He has authored articles for numerous Lyme disease groups and publications, including the New York Lyme Coalition, the LymeNet Electronic Newsletter and the Lyme Times. In addition, he has had Lyme-related correspondence published in two leading scientific journals, Science and Nature. In 1993 Brenner testified at a Lyme disease hearing before the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, and he served on the Advisory Panel for the National Institutes of Health’s Chronic Lyme Studies from 1996-2001. Carl was very instrumental in creating the fundamental written materials for the NRFTD Research Grant Program.

From 1985-1993, Brenner managed the ODP Site Survey Databank, a component of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. He is currently involved in ODP’s successor project, the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), an international partnership of scientists and institutions dedicated to exploring Earth’s history and structure. IODP deploys multiple drill ships and platforms to extract core samples from the ocean floor and monitor subseafloor environments.
 

Barbara Goldklang first became interested in Lyme disease in 1976 when one of her daughter’s contracted the tick borne disease long before it was known to be a bacterial infection. In 1990, Barbara co-founded the Westchester Children’s Lyme Disease Support Group and in 1993, she presented a collection of pediatric patient testimonies to the Senate Sub-Committee Hearing on Lyme disease in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Goldklang was also a member of the Lower Hudson Valley Lyme Disease Advisory Council. In 1992, Barbara co-founded the Lyme Disease Coalition of NY/CT, Inc. She successfully maintained an ongoing relationship with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through dialogue and meetings regarding the study of chronic Lyme disease. Mrs. Goldklang co-published the first Lyme disease patient abstract/paper entitled “Lyme Encephalopathy: Impact on Quality of Life” which she presented at the poster session of the Center of Disease Control’s (CDC’s) VII International Congress on Lyme Borreliosis in San Francisco, CA. Since its inception, Barbara has been involved in the NRFTD and has been instrumental in the creation of the SAB.

Prior to contracting Lyme disease herself in the early 1980’s, Barbara owned a successful antique and interior design business. For the past thirty-five years, she has lived with her husband in the Armonk/Pleasantville area of Westchester County, NY. Barbara has two grown daughters and three beloved grandchildren with whom she enjoys spending time. Barbara also likes to antique, travel and read.