Board & staff members
Board of directors
Benjaman D. Scanlan, Chair
Ben has lived in Arizona for over 7 years now. He has three children, Kamree (7), Gabriel (5), & Preston (1) along with a beautiful wife. He has a Bachelors degree from the University of Utah and an MBA from Arizona State University. He is excited to be able to contribute to the growth of the Spina Bifida Association of Arizona for many years.
Ron Whiteside, Treasurer
Ron has been involved in the lives of people with Spina Bifida nearly all his life. He has been an Orthotist for over 25 years and loves working with people in the Spina Bifida community. He has owned his own orthotics company and now works for Hanger.
Alan Potter
Alan served on the Arizona Epilepsy Foundation Board of Directors for 15 years. He became acquainted with Spina Bifida when his daughter became pregnant while on anti-seizure medicine and the doctor warned them of the danger of birth defects. This was the first time that Alan had heard of Spina Bifida despite his interest in medical science. He is well educated and currently has one year left to achieve his Ph.D. in International Business Relations.
Stephen Anderson, Chair of Governance
Stephen is the director of Network Development for TriWest Healthcare Alliance, contracted by the Department of Defense to administer the TRICARE program in the 21-State West Region. Stephen has worked in the health care industry for 17 years and has held various leadership positions in a number of local and national health plans. He enjoys spending time with his wfe and young daughter and loves the out doors.
Jay Brown
Jay brings experience in the legal field. He was interested in the association because he wants to help people, including children by raising awareness to help decrease the effects of Spina Bifida through education and raise their quality of life by advocating on their behalf. He hopes to network with his fellow legal professionals to assist in raising awareness by their participating with time and donations.
Staff members
Sharri Runnels, Executive Director
Sharri has been a Phoenix transplant since 1999 coming from Orlando, Florida. Sharri and her husband, John, have three adult sons and are enjoying the new stage of 'empty nesters.'
As our Executive Director, Sharri brings to SBAAZ comprehensive experience in business administration and the non-profit arena. Her desire for the association is to see increased participation and peer mentoring among the membership as well as strong, purposeful programs to meet needs and empower those served.
Angela Chaput, Program Assistant
Angela has called Phoenix home since 1997 when she and her husband, Mike, brought their two sons from Connecticut.
As our Program Assistant, Angela keeps all the plates spinning with the ins & outs of SBAAZ's service to our membership. Most of the time, the cheerful voice you hear greeting you on the end of the line at our office will be Angela, ready to direct you to the answer you are looking for!
She has been a great addition to the SBAAZ staff, please let her know how we can make your interaction with SBAAZ a meaningful one.
