Nick Nicholson is the founder of the Judy Nicholson Kidney Cancer Foundation. He was also the founder of Nicholson Properties, Inc. and Coldwell Banker Commercial, Jacksonville, FL, and was a Principal at Century 21 First Coast Realty, Jacksonville, FL. He was President of the Beaches Chamber of Commerce in 1993. He is a retired Special Agent in Charge, Naval Investigative Service (NCIS), Mayport (1986). Nick is an Eagle Scout. Most importantly perhaps, he is the incredibly fortunate Grandfather to 10 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Nick has retired from his service to the foundation.
Linda Ostoski was a dear friend and colleague of Judy Nicholson and has been affiliated with the Foundation since its inception. Linda currently serves as President of the Board and is proud to bring awareness to kidney cancer in Judy’s honor. For the past 12 years, Linda has worked at Watson Realty Corp and is a top producer as a luxury real estate agent in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. In addition to Judy Nicholson Kidney Cancer Foundation, she has been involved with multiple charities including the Hunger Fight and Watson Cares. Linda looks forward to continuing to give back and growing the Foundation under her leadership.
Jayla Barnes FNP-BC, a nurse practitioner in the medical profession for 20 years serving in various capacities and healthcare settings from pediatric trauma/ICU to ICU/ER nurse, hospice and now as a Nurse Practitioner specializing in complex medical conditions and symptom management known as Palliative Medicine. Both my personal and professional experiences have taught me to honor the beauty of life as well as the beauty of dying and more importantly, to appreciate that there’s a lot that lies between the two. Throughout my professional attrition, one of the things that remains a constant is my desire to share knowledge with others and empower people to make better choices about their health and wellness. You may not get to choose what happens to you but how you response is completely your decision. I know I’m here to assist others on their journey.
Adine recently rejoined the Judy Nicholson Foundation board and is currently serving as Treasurer. Adine has over 20 years of experience of administration, financial planning and fundraising for start-up non-profits. Currently, she is the Director of Development for the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians and the Wild Animal Health Fund. Adine remains passionate about finding a cure for kidney cancer and providing kidney cancer patients with important information to help them through their journey to a long health life.
Seasoned Pastor offering 40 years of experience in pastoral care and spiritual leadership to growing church. Committed to creating thriving community and guiding individuals transformed by the gospel. Prepared to bring background in organizational leadership, ministry program development, and mission-oriented strategic planning to growing church. Accomplished leader bringing more than 40 years’ expertise in cultivating and shepherding community. Successful providing discipleship, welcoming new members, facilitating pastoral care and preaching to community. Walter is a kidney cancer survivor and has been cancer free since 2010.
Rachel Ruusma is a caregiver for her husband, who has been battling renal cell cancer for over 6 years. Rachel and her husband advocate for increases in kidney cancer funding. She believes patients and caregivers need more than just a doctor’s care and information in this battle. In her employment, Rachel is a non-CPA manager in a mid-size accounting firm in Indianapolis where she helps to manage projects and internal/external client relations. Rachel’s husband has been battling cancer since 2014.
Megan Conley is a licensed attorney, currently serving as the Head of Operations & Course Development at a global compliance training firm in the financial services industry.
Megan was diagnosed with Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma in January 2020 and is currently in remission. Since her diagnosis, she has become involved in many aspects of kidney cancer advocacy including working with lawmakers on research funding and speaking with patients about taking control of their health and how to navigate the healthcare system. Ms. Conley is passionate about educating and empowering patients. She serves as a board member at the Judy Nicholson Kidney Cancer Foundation and has worked with the Kidney Cancer Association, KidneyCan, Powerful Patient, National Kidney Foundation and the International Kidney Cancer Coalition. She also has served as a consumer reviewer within the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) where she helped with the review and evaluation of kidney cancer research proposals.
Megan resides in Virginia with her husband, son and German Shepherd.
Padraic O’Malley completed his residency at the University of Toronto in Canada. He then completed a urologic oncology fellowship at Weill-Cornell Medical College/ New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York.
At UF Health, he is a clinical assistant professor in the department of urology at the UF Collegeof Medicine. Dr. O’Malley is currently a member of the Canadian Urological Association, the Society of Urologic Oncology, the Endourological Society and the American Urological Association and serves as an active junior international member of the European Urology Association. Dr. O’Malley has contributed as an author to a number of urology-based publications, chapters and abstracts.
Dr. O’Malley’s clinical interests revolve around urologic oncology, primarily kidney and bladder cancer. His current research includes examining gender disparities in clinical trial enrollment, role of renal mass biopsy and patient decision conflict, as well as novel biomarker development for kidney and bladder cancer. He also serves as a investigator on a number of advanced kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer clinical trials.
Joel Stern was the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, Inc. (NAMWOLF) for seven years, recently announcing his retirement effective March 2021. NAMWOLF is a nonprofit trade association comprised of over 210 certified minority and women owned law firms across the United States.
Prior to his CEO role, Joel spent more than 25 years as an in-house counsel for major companies including IBM, Sears, and Accenture. At Accenture, Joel served as Deputy General Counsel from 1996-2010. In this role, he managed all of Accenture’s Americas legal requirements and was the chief operating officer for the global legal group.
Joel is currently a Kidney Cancer Advocate focused on educating society on kidney cancer and how money being raised is leading to advances for those of us who are suffering from this disease including those like him who have Stage IV RCC.
Joel resides in the Chicago area with his wife, Donna, and his now three grown up daughters and three grandsons.
Event/Marketing Advisor
Tracy M. Poyneer, a passionate individual who has recently joined the Board of The Judy Nicholson Kidney Cancer Foundation. Hailing from Baltimore and currently residing in AACO along the picturesque Magothy River, Tracy is a loving wife and mother of six adult children, with the joy of five grandchildren. Her own battle with a rare form of RCC, called Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma “ChRCC” and a rare SDHB genetic mutation, which was diagnosed in February 2021, led her to retire from her well-regarded position as Senior Marketing + PR professional at Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) after 16 years of dedicated service. She held previous positions with Colonial Williamsburg Hotel Properties, Howrey Simon Arnold & White, LLP in Washington, DC and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. in Baltimore, MD. Tracy’s journey as an RCC patient has connected her with prestigious institutions such as the NIH and Lombardi Cancer Center in Georgetown. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Tracy has actively contributed her time and energy to various charitable organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, United Way of Central Maryland, Sarah’s House Catholic Charities of Baltimore, Maryland Food Bank, Kidney Cancer Association, KCCURE and The Judy Nicholson Kidney Cancer Foundation, among others. Her commitment to making a positive impact shines through in her dedication to helping others and raising awareness about kidney cancer.
Spanish/International Liaison
Winston Tan, MD
Naomi Haas, MD
Jaime Merchan, MD
Roberto Pili, MD
Deb Maskins, Co-founder Kidney Cancer Canada
Director of Administration: Linda Anderson
Public Relations: Josh Hendricks
Video Resources: Scott Nicholson
Treasurer’s Assistant: Paula Gibson
Development Consultant: Beth Robbins
Nutritionist: Lori Bumbaco with Cancer Nutrition Care
Fitness Expert: Jenny Spencer with Fight the Fatigue
Mary Rye
Savannah, GA
Peggy Zuckerman
Long Beach, CA
Robin Gigger
St. Leonard, MD
Tom Hopfinger
St. Louis. MO
Yi Jiang
Thornhill, ON Canada
Dennis Murphy
Hastings on Hudson, NY
Tammy Carr
Ocala, FL
Mark Manning
West Chester, PA
Marie Meyer
Kitchener, ON Canada