Gilles Frydman
Gilles has been a pioneer of online health communities since founding the Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR) in 1995. Gilles is a co-founder of Smart Patients and of the Society for Participatory Medicine. Gilles is a former MedicineX Executive Board Member. He strongly believes patients are the most underutilized resource in healthcare. Gilles is a a sleep apnea patient with long term hypertension history.
Elizabeth Johnson
Elizabeth joined the ASAA in December 2014. She is the Finance Manager and has worked in Nonprofit Accounting since 2000.
She is a single mother of three girls all of which have breathing disorders.
Megan Gramstad
Megan joined the ASAA Team in April 2016. She is the Assistant Program Coordinator and works in the fulfillment center in Tracy, MN. She interacts with a wide range of patients and feels that our program is making a difference. She lives in Tracy, MN with her family which includes her two children.
Valerie Mead
Valerie joined the ASAA in July of 2015. Val serves as a Program Manager for the ASAA and is located in Tracy, Minnesota with her three children. As a former small business owner, Val understands the importance of providing caring and timely customer service. She has a passion for helping others, which makes her a valuable addition to our team assisting patients and medical professionals who utilize our Mask/Supply Program, Peer Mentors Program and our AWAKE Groups.
Alice Rolling
Alice joined the ASAA Team in October 2019. Being a sleep apnea patient herself since 2012 she understands the importance of being dedicated to the PAP therapy and being our own best advocate.
She is a Customer Service Associate and works from her home near Tracy, MN. Alice has a background in Management and Customer Service, and brings with her a passion to make a difference and to help others be their own best advocate.
Kevin Bradley
Kevin joined the ASAA in January 2018 as the video personality of our Facebook LIVE events. He began treating his sleep apnea in 2014. His clinical experience as a registered nurse gives him a sense of what makes patients comfortable and at ease. Now, his career in organ transplant coordination only increases his compassion and warmth toward people with struggles.
Eugena Brooks
Eugena is a social worker with a Master’s Degree and 17 years of experience, and has been politically active for the last 10 years. An accomplished musician, she lives in Brooklyn, NY with her daughter and three grandchildren. Eugena is a sleep apnea patient and served on the AWAKE conference patient panel in 2018.
Jean-Noel Frydman
Jean-Noel was born in Paris and moved to New York in 1981, where he received his BA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Upon graduating, he moved to Los Angeles where he discovered the nascent Internet. In 1994, he founded France.com, a pioneering e-commerce and travel website which won many accolades. A sleep apnea patient himself, he brings more than 20 years of digital experience and innovation to sleepapnea.org.
Hunter Headapohl
Hunter has a Bachelors in International Affairs from The George Washington University, and comes from a background in communications.
He is passionate about patient advocacy since his father suffers from sleep apnea.
Theresa Shumard
Theresa Shumard joined the ASAA in 2016. A speaker, writer, and education specialist, she worked clinically in the fields of Respiratory Care and Sleep Medicine Technology as well as the News Media since the 1970s. She attended the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine, holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications, worked as a news reporter and medical writer for newspapers and radio, and was a television anchor and morning show host. She worked in sleep laboratories at the University of California at San Francisco, Stanford University, and the University Medical Center at Princeton. She was selected for the Coalition for Allied Health Leadership and the National Sleep Foundation Humanitarian Award. She previously served on various organization committees and task forces, ASAA's Board of Directors, the AAST Board of Directors, was editor-in-chief for The A2Zzz Magazine and contributed numerous text book chapters and articles for publications within the sleep disorders arena.
Erin Taylor
Erin is a grant writer with 19-years’ experience in prospect research, grant proposal writing, and grants management.
She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from St. Olaf College and a Master’s of City and Regional Planning from Clemson University.
Erin was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2017 and started working with the ASAA in 2018.
She lives in Colorado Springs, CO with her husband and two sons.
San Juanita Sanchez
San Juanita is an attorney and runs a solo practice in McAllen, Texas, The Law Office of San Juanita Sanchez. She concentrates her practice in family law, probate, estate planning, and real estate.
San Juanita is also a public/motivational speaker on numerous topics such as legal matters and leadership. Mrs. Sanchez is a sleep apnea patient, and served on the ASAA’s 2018 Sleep Summit patient panel.
Will Headapohl
Chair Emeritus Will is board chair (emeritus) and a patient advocate, writer and consultant focused on the challenges of getting all undiagnosed apnea sufferers into treatment. He is co-author of the book Sleep or Die. Overcome Apnea Before It Overcomes You. Three Approaches. His work is aimed at mobilizing all touched by the disorder including partners, family members, loved ones, medical care providers, and patients. Headapohl’s resume includes Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Operating Officer roles in the Internet/IT/Wireless industries. He resides in San Diego, CA.
Joelle Dobrow
After 20 years of misdiagnosis, Joelle was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea in 2006.
A fervent believer that medical schools and the system that oversees healthcare education, licensing, or certification programs should be held to higher state and national standardized requirements, she is committed to achieving change through patient advocacy.
Ms. Dobrow is an Emmy-winning Television Producer and Director. She served on the Board of Directors of the Producers Guild of America, the American Association of Producers, and Women in Film. Having worked with Little Tokyo Service Center and Advertising Industry Emergency Fund, she brings her nonprofit experience to ASAA.
Andres Mendoza
Andres was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea in 2005. He is a Partner in the Corporate Group of the Law Firm of Akerman LLP.
He lives in Miami with his wife and four children.
Gregory Arneaud
Gregory Arneaud is a certified respiratory therapist and USAF Veteran. Mr. Arneaud has years of experience in the sales of medical devices in the North American Region for Itamar Medical and Watermark Medical and experience managing DME Centers for Lincare and Home Care Medical Services. Mr. Arneaud is the Founder and Clinical Director of iSD Health Solutions, a team of US Board Certified Physicians and respiratory Therapists providing the highest level of expertise in Sleep Medicine in the Caribbean Region. He has been instrumental in the development of sleep labs throughout the Caribbean. Additionally, Mr. Arneaud has been a Delegate for World Sleep Day since 2015 bringing awareness to the Caribbean. Mr. Arneaud works to collaborate with medical professionals and institutions to bring greater awareness to the importance of sleep, to help improve the healthcare standards throughout the Caribbean and the rest of the world.
Rich Bren
Rich Bren, an obstructive sleep apnea patient, has more than 30 years of trucking industry risk and insurance experience.
His father and sister have also been diagnosed and treated for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). He is the vice president of business development at TranSharpe Development, LLC.
Bren specializes in commercial auto insurance programs and coverage.
He brings to the ASAA board a keen awareness of sleep apnea issues and their implications for commercial truck drivers and their employers. He resides in Arizona.
Paul Jannace
Paul was diagnosed with moderate obstructive sleep apnea in 2013 and joined the ASAA Board in November 2013. Paul is a sales management executive with Salesforce.com’s healthcare organization, specializing in transformational solutions to improve patient engagement and care coordination. Mr. Jannace also spent 16 years with Verizon where he helped to drive growth of mobility, connected machines and core network solutions in the healthcare and financial industries. He was the President of P.S. & W. Transportation, a licensed medical transportation company, and also the Vice President and Treasurer of the Medical Transporter’s Association. Mr. Jannace has been a member of the adjunct faculty at NYU’s School of Professional Studies since 1998, where he has taught classes on marketing plan development. He has dedicated much of his free time to volunteer work at community programs for children, including Verizon’s Teach for America Program.