R. Hal Meeks, Jr. - President and Chairman of the Board

Hal is a native of Waycross, Georgia, but has been living in Atlanta since 1979. He attended the University of Georgia, where he received his B.A. degree in English, cum laude, in 1976, and the University of Georgia School of Law, where he served as Senior Editor of the Georgia Law Review and graduated in 1979. Hal is a practicing attorney with the firm of Pursley Lowery Meeks LLP. His current practice is divided among health care litigation, including medical malpractice defense, construction litigation, with a concentration in wholesaler/supplier representation, and a myriad of other disputes facing business clients.

Hal has been married to Jo Lanier Meeks, formerly of Albany, Georgia, since their graduation from law school in 1979. Jo also practices law with Pursley Lowery Meeks LLP. They have two children: Stuart, born in 1983, and Lanier, born in 1988. Stuart was diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma in his temporal lobe in 1990 and was treated with surgery. Stuart graduated from the Lovett School in Atlanta in 2002 and is currently attending the University of Georgia. Lanier graduates from Lovett School in 2006 and will attend Miami of Ohio in the fall. Hal has served on the Board of the Brain Tumor Foundation for children since 1998 and as President since 2001. Hal and Jo are active in the community in other respects, serving the legal profession in a number of capacities, and assuming leadership roles at Northside Drive Baptist Church, where they have been members since 1979.

Julie K. Earnhart - Vice President

A native of South Carolina, Julie has lived in Atlanta since 1990. She received an A.B.J. degree in Public Relations, summa cum laude with highest honors, from the University of Georgia in 1989, followed by an M.B.A. degree in 1990, also from UGA. Julie is the Director of Development for the Department of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine.

In addition to her work with the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children, Julie serves on the Board of Directors of the National Brain Tumor Foundation and the North American Brain Tumor Coalition.

William A. Guzak - Treasurer

Bill grew up in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. He moved to the Atlanta area in 1996 after living in Huntsville, Alabama for eight years. Bill received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida in 1986 and his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1988. Bill is senior research engineer with the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

Bill married his wife, Mary, in 1988 and they have two sons, Nicholas and Samuel. Samuel was diagnosed with a rhabdoid brain tumor in 1997 and he has been off treatment since 1998.

Bill has been a board member of the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children since 2000 and was elected treasurer in 2003.

Lisa Mitchell - Secretary

Lisa was raised in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1976 she graduated from Jacksonville State University with a BS in Education and moved to Atlanta. Lisa married Keith Mitchell in 1978. They have two daughters: Chloe, a student at College of Charleston, and Sarah who attends Georgia Southern University.

Lisa recently moved back to Atlanta after spending time in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco. She has worked as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and for WHAP Scholastic Academy, a small privately-run school supporting low income children living in Marin County. Lisa was an active member of Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church in Mill Valley, CA.

Lisa’s brother-in-law was recently diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma and has responded well to surgery and follow-up treatment.

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Sarah Batts

As Director of Development for the Department of Pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine, Sarah Batts is responsible for major gifts as well as overseeing the annual fund. Most recently, Sarah developed the department’s first philanthropic strategic campaign, launched a direct mail program and created the pediatric advisory board to help steer major gift efforts. A native of Atlanta, Sarah received her BA from the University of the South and her MBA from Loyola University of Chicago.

Before joining the Emory team, Sarah spent more than eight years in development with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. During her first years with Children’s, Sarah managed special events, public relations and sponsorship for the Festival of Trees and Christmas Parade. In 1998, Sarah joined the Aflac Cancer Center team as a Development Officer. In that role, Sarah developed and implemented a successful $10 million strategic campaign, launched the successful WSB Radio Care-a-thon, managed the Holiday Card project and traveled throughout the U.S. managing a donor base of 8,000 individuals for the Aflac Cancer Center.

Today Sarah continues to volunteer with the Festival of Trees and Children’s Christmas Parade. In addition, she volunteers on a monthly basis with Camp Sunshine to support both their family night and bereavement programs. Currently she serves on the advisory board for Reach Out and Read as well as the Atlanta Food Bank’s Kids In Need program. Other volunteer commitments include her role with the Junior League of Atlanta, University of the South Alumni Association and Buckhead Community Church.

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Robert “Ben” Bell

Ben Bell became involved with the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children shortly after his young son Cooper was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.  Sadly, Cooper passed away in 2006, and Ben became a tireless advocate for children diagnosed with brain tumors.  He co-founded Cooper’s Garden, Inc. to support local missions and the BTFC Butterfly Fund, which offers financial assistance to needy families.  And he established the Cooper Bell Memorial Scholarship, which is dedicated to the University of West Georgia Art Program.  Ben is currently on the Board of Trustees for the First United Methodist Church of Douglasville.

A graduate of West Georgia College in 1993 with a BBA in Finance, Ben works as the National Project and Specialty Sales Manager for Euramax Exterior Products in Duluth, GA. He lives in Douglasville with his wife Donna and three-year-old son Parker.

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Richard Bressler

Richard D. Bressler is President of Bressler Advertising Inc., a 13-year old company that provides marketing, advertising and public relations for a variety of clients, mostly healthcare companies. His clients currently include, among others, DeTar Healthcare System, Ochsner Clinic Foundation and the Henry W. Grady Foundation. In addition to serving on the Board of the Directors of the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children, Richard serves on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta as a Co-Chair of the Marketing Cabinet. He formerly served on the Board of the Greenfield Hebrew Academy and the Executive Committee of Hands On Atlanta.

Prior to starting the agency, Richard worked in several large agencies in New York and Atlanta, on clients such as Tylenol, Slim-fast and NAPA. As a parent of a pediatric brain tumor survivor, Richard has been involved in a variety of pro bono activities for Camp Sunshine and the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children.

A native of New Orleans, Richard received a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Tulane University and a Masters Degree in Science from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Robert Flamini, M.D.

Rob Flamini became involved with the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children following the sad diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumor affecting his 10 year old daughter, Margot. After a short battle, Margot passed away in February 2003. As a recipient of the endless support of  BTFC, and as a provider for other children affected with tumors, the links with the Foundation became stronger. Both Rob and his wife Gail became active with the Foundation, and now both work to raise funds to help support other families in need.
 
Rob is a Pediatric Neurologist currently in practice, and the Medical Director of the Children's Epilepsy Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  He lives in Atlanta with his wife Gail, and their two children Monica and David.

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Eddie Johnson

Eddie Johnson has lived in the metropolitan Atlanta area since 1999 by way of Orlando, Fl; Tampa, Fl; and Beltsville, MD. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, he attended Florida State University were he received a Bachelors Degree in Accounting in 1994. Eddie is employed with Ferguson Enterprises as an Area Credit Manager.

Eddie is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and has served as the Treasure for two different Alumni Chapters. Currently, he sits on the Board of Directors for the Alpharetta-Smyrna Alumni Chapter and serves on various committees. Eddie is an active member of Antioch Roswell Mission and serves as the Chairman of the Finance Committee and a member of the choir.

Eddie’s inspiration for joining the Board of Directors for the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children came from his late son Kendall Alexander Johnson. On July 17, 2003 Kendall was diagnosed with a Brain Stem Glioma, one of the most aggressive tumors found in children. For nine months Kendall fought his illness with a sprit of happiness and love for those around him. Because of the love Kendall showed others and the smile that he kept, Eddie has committed himself to helping others that are experiencing the same walk of hope.

Eddie is a very strong believer that many of us are blessed in various ways so that we can be a blessing to others. He is married to Treza Brooms-Johnson and they have been blessed since 2004 with three children: daughter Kennedy and twin boys Christian and Cameron.

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Kyra Phillips

Kyra Phillips anchors the afternoon edition of CNN Newsroom with Don Lemon each weekday. Based in the network’s world headquarters in Atlanta, Phillips previously anchored the weekday newscast Live From.

Phillips has reported a wide range of breaking news, including the Atlanta courthouse shooting and Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans in 2005. She has also covered the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, CNN's Election 2000 and Election 2002 coverage, and the Elian Gonzalez custody controversy. In 2003, Phillips reported as an embedded journalist aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln for CNN during the war in Iraq. Phillips wrote and reported about Billy Graham's last revival in New York City for a CNN Presents documentary.

In January 2002, she spent a month on location in Antarctica, working on a documentary about the science, the danger and the life on Earth's most frigid continent. Phillips traced the steps of famous explorers, including those of Sir Ernest Shackleton. While there, she also built and slept in an igloo, rappelled down glaciers, introduced viewers to rare penguin colonies and revealed some of the continent's most interesting scientific discoveries.

In 2002, Phillips became the first female journalist to fly in an F-14 air-to-air combat training mission over the Persian Gulf. For a full month, Phillips produced exclusive reports on the U.S. Navy's reconnaissance missions from the P-3 aircraft and maritime interdiction operations from the USS Paul Hamilton. For the first time ever, television audiences got a look inside the training of Naval Special Warfare, the Navy's Special Operations Command. Phillips also observed Navy SEALS and Special Warfare Combatant Crewman training.

Phillips has extensive police, SWAT and weapons training. She also has reported on and participated in specialized aviation training with the Navy's elite TOPGUN School.

In 2001, Phillips was the first network correspondent to gain exclusive access to CAG 9, the elite Navy airwing, as it prepared for the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Her reports took viewers inside the cockpits of the most advanced strike fighter jets in the world and into training as sailors and officers got ready to go overseas and fight the war on terror.

Before joining CNN in October 1999, Phillips served as an investigative reporter in the Special Assignment Unit for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. From 1994-1995, she was a weekend anchor and reporter for WDSU-TV in New Orleans. Previously, she anchored the weekend newscasts and reported for WLUK-TV in Green Bay, Wis. Phillips also has served as morning anchor for KAMC-TV in Lubbock, Texas, and as a field producer for CNN-Telemundo in Washington, D.C.

Phillips has won four Emmy awards, two Edward R. Murrow awards for investigative reporting, and in 1997, the Associated Press named her Reporter of the Year. Additionally, she has won numerous Golden Microphones and other honors. Phillips' investigation into how a convicted murderer could purchase personal information about children triggered national legislation and earned her the Bill Stout Memorial Award for enterprise reporting.

Since 1992, she has been a Big Sister with national Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America mentoring program.

Phillips earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California.

An avid golfer, Kyra became acquainted with the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children shortly after losing her beloved grandfather to a brain tumor in 2002. She has served as Honorary Chair for BTFC's annual golf tournament since 2003 and was elected to the Board of Directors in September of 2006.

Walt Rowson

Bio coming soon!

Kathryn Anderson Weaver

Kathryn Anderson Weaver relocated to Atlanta in 1996 from her home town Buffalo, New York. She is employed by the Atlanta Public Schools as a Media Specialist. Mrs. Weaver earned a Masters Degree in Information and Library Science and a Specialist in Educational Administration from the State University of New York @ Buffalo. Kathryn is married to Dr. William Lynn Weaver who is Chairman and Professor of the Surgery Department at the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Gregory Miller Jr. is the son of Kathryn from her first marriage to Attorney Gregory P. Miller Sr. On April 9, 2001 Gregory was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Multiforme Stage IV, a very serious malignant tumor of the brain. He was on chemotherapy for two years and underwent radiation therapy. In July of 2003 Greg experienced a re-growth at which time he was started on a new protocol. Kathryn believes that "life is just a moment, so respect each second." Kathryn joined the board of the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children in May of 2003. She is excited about serving in this capacity and helping other families.

Rick Sauers - Chairman Emeritus

Until January 2001, Rick was the only President of the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children (BTFC), which he co-founded in July 1983. At the beginning of 2001, he assumed the post of Chairman of the Board where he continues to serve and lead advocacy and pediatric children cancer issues and programs all across Georgia. (Read more about Rick and the history of BTFC in "About BTFC" on this website.)

Rick served on the Board of CURE Childhood Cancer and Leukemia and assisted during his tenure with the initial discussions and planning with Dorothy and Hamilton Jordan in bringing the program now known as "CAMP SUNSHINE" to Georgia.

Sauers is a frequent speaker on behalf of the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children and also as an advocate for all childhood cancer programs at Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Rick is also President and CEO of Atlanta Web Printers Inc., a regional communications company. The Company specializes in high-quality coldset and heatset web offset printing of magazines, publications, directories, catalogs and advertising materials across the southeastern United States.

Locally, Rick was awarded the coveted Ben Franklin Award for 2003 by the Printing Industry Association of Georgia (PIAG). This award recognizes Sauers' lifetime achievements in the printing industry as well as his overall work in the community and in humanitarian service.

On the national level, he is a past President and Charter member of the PIA Non-Heatset Web Section (NHWS) and has held all officers' position since its inception in 1977. His special interest in print excellence led to his activities to create the special NHWS Graphics Arts Awards program in 1978, which he subsequently chaired for three years. This program has continued to grow in its success and expansion over the years. He also served on PIA's SNAP standards committee in helping develop the quality and production standards for non-heatset printing, using the SWOP design as a model.

In 1997, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Business Chronicle recognized Rick as a finalist in the Small Business Person of the Year Award, coming in second place to Charles Brewer, the founder of MindSpring.

Sauers is also a member of Emory's Lamplighters Society and is a charter member of the National Council of Medicine at Emory University for the Dean of Medicine.

Rick is an ordained Elder of the Presbyterian Church and is associated with various programs with Reflections Ministries in Atlanta. This businessman's ministry counsels, teaches, and leads men in Christian life, values, and principles for the home, the community and the marketplace.

Rick has been married to Sheila Anne (Crane) formerly of Decatur for 37 years. They have three children — Ryan (who heads up the Sales and Marketing Division of AtlantaWeb), Rory (an Insurance Executive), and Shaye Marie (who is lead Receptionist at AtlantaWeb) and two granddaughters by Ryan and Lara — Kelsey Noelle (3 1/2 years) and McKenna Danielle (6 months).