LGD Alliance Officers & Board of Directors

Officers

Scot Wiesner, Chairman (Acting)

Jack Kelly, President

Sandra Goldfarb, VP & Treasurer

Jana K. Sheets, Secretary (Acting)

Founder

Jana K. Sheets
Bahama, NC

Jana was diagnosed with lymphangiomatosis at an early age and is now in her early 30's. After nearly a lifetime of feeling the absence of information and support for patients like herself, she made it her life-goal to establish an organization that would give hope and help to fellow patients. This dream was temporarily halted in May 2004 when she underwent a bilateral lung transplant at Duke. She is the first patient with lymphangiomatosis to have this surgery.

Prior to her lung transplant, Jana attended Ithaca College, later pursued a career in fashion/retail management and then went on to become a product development manager for a nutritional supplement company. She now resides with her husband, Eric, in Bahama, NC and has a stepson.

Board of Directors

Allan Gammon
Wellington, New Zealand

Allan (familiarly known as "Gammie") Gammon resides in the countryside in Wellington, New Zealand with his wife, Valerie, and their two teenage children, Jack and Malindi. Son, Jack was diagnosed Gorham's disease at the age of 16.

"Gammie" holds an HNC (Higher National Certificate of Engineering) from Canterbury College, Kent, England, and a diploma in Business Management from the N.Z. Institute of Management. Since 2001, he has been British Petroleum's (BP) Innovation Manager, with a responsibility for a changing portfolio of diverse projects ranging from business strategy to long-term energy options including fuelcard technology, development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) & biofuels, and carbon trading and climate change. Gammie has been a Special Advisor to the Ministry for Environment, and is presently the BP representative on the Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Shannon Gareau
British Columbia, Canada

Shannon Gareau lives in the province of British Columbia, Canada. With her husband, Ken, she is the parent of two daughters, Robyn, 4, and Kayla, 2 years old. Kayla was diagnosed at birth with an extensive microcystic/macrocystic lymphatic malformation - believed to be lymphangiomatosis.

Shannon holds a diploma in Radiation Therapy and has been on staff as a Radiation Therapist at the British Columbia Cancer Agency for 10 years. She is responsible for the planning and delivery of radiation treatments to patients with serious malignant diseases and benign conditions.

Sandra Goldfarb
Barrington, IL

Sandy has a 7 year old son who was diagnosed with Gorham's disease at the age of three. She and her husband Scott have one other child.

Sandy received a BS from Western Michigan University and holds a JD from DePaul School of Law. She has experience in the legal field as well as organizing conferences/events.

Sonia Herbert-Brande
Southern Pines, NC

Married to Tim, Sonia has 4 children. She was diagnosed with Gorham's disease approximately 10 years ago.

Sonia holds a RN and an MSN degree in Nursing. She has worked as a critical care nurse for more than 20 years including medical transport. She also has experience working in the field of development of medical ultrasound technology.

John F. Kelly
Boca Raton, FL

Jack Kelly is the father of a daughter with lymphangiomatosis. He is married, has another daughter and 2 step-children.

Jack is retired from the computer industry. He attended St. Peter's College, and holds an MBA from Pace University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Lymphatic Research Foundation in NY.

Kathleen Olson
Wilmette, Illinois

Kathy Olson resides in Wilmette, IL, just outside Chicago, and with her husband, Philip, a trader at the Mercantile Exchange, has three children - all boys - Andrew, 7, Matthew, 4, and Jack, 2. Matthew has multiple macrocystic lymphatic bone lesions - characterized as lymphangiomatosis.

Dr. Olson is a scientist by training, holding a B.A. in Chemistry with honors, a B.A. in Biochemistry, and an M.S. & Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry - all awarded from the University of Kansas. She is employed as a manager of pharmaceutical R&D for Hospira, Inc., which makes specialty injectable pharmaceuticals, critical care devices, and drug delivery systems used in hospitals.

Scot A. Wiesner
Brownsville, WI

Scot was diagnosed with both Gorham's disease and lymphangiomatosis at age one. He now works as a special features representative for a publishing company in Wisconsin, and is the proprietor of a company engaged in air & water quality products.

Scot has been active in his community as an officer of the Lions Club, as well as other organizations. He holds an AD in Marketing from Moraine Park Technical College and is currently working towards a degree in engineering.