Board Members

2011 Governance Board 

We are pleased to announce the Affiliate’s 2011 Governance Board and its Officers:

President:  Laura Pomerenke, MD, FACS, Private Practice Breast Surgeon

Vice-President:  Robin McGrath, Interim CEO, Silver Key Senior Services

Secretary:  Debbie Griffin, Lead Analyst, Colorado Springs Utilities

Treasurer:  Lyrae Williams, Director of Budget, Colorado College

Members-at-Large:

Zelna E Joseph, MA, President and CEO, S.E.T. Family Medical Clinics
Sharon McDermott, Owner CHADCO Executive Search
Kristine Rivera, DO, University Family Medicine Center
Joan Schulz, Former Board President, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Southeastern Colorado
James A. Young, MD, MMM, US Oncology

 Zelna Joseph - Board Member-at-Large
Zelna Joseph has over 20 years’ experience in leadership of non-profit organizations. She worked to prevent teen prostitution in the nation's Capital, started an AIDS prevention outreach program in Russia and most recently led the effort to provide affordable health care to low-income residents of Colorado Springs. She is a former City Councilwoman, and has served on numerous boards and commissions including the Colorado State Board of Health and former Governor Ritter’s Interagency and Community Council on Homelessness. A 40-year resident of Colorado Springs, Zelna has devoted her life to helping the underserved and working to build strong communities. She has a Bachelor's in Organizational Management from Colorado Christian University, a Master's in Liberal Studies/Language and Communication from Regis University, and is currently completing a PH.D. in Pastoral Counseling with an Emphasis on Women in the Ministry.

 Debra J. Griffin - Board Secretary
Colorado Springs has been Debra Griffin’s home for the last 37 years. Her daughter has been the passion that drives her. She recently married and gained 3 adult children and a grandbaby. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, she has been cancer-free for 18 months. Debra is active in Komen Southeastern Colorado Affiliate fundraising projects and also organized a brassier drive to help other breast cancer survivors for the American Cancer Society.  She is currently serving on the Board of Governors for the Colorado Springs Institute of Internal Auditors Chapter. She was recognized for volunteerism twice in 2008 by the Mayor of Colorado Springs and served on the Colorado Springs Police Department Citizens Advisory Committee. She also sat on the Board of Trustees as an ambassador for Colorado Springs Utilities and is a graduate of Leadership Pikes Peak. Debra served on the Colorado Springs Women’s Network steering committee whose goal is to “recognize and promote strengths, contributions, and leadership capabilities of women in Colorado Springs.” She has been actively involved in Junior Achievement, the Mayor’s 100 Teens Program, and numerous city-wide community events such as Metro Rides, Arbor Day Tree Planting, the Pikes Peak Ascent, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, and fundraising for the Ronald McDonald House.

 Laura K Pomerenke, MD - Board President
Dr. Laura Pomerenke was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended the University of Arizona for both her undergraduate and Medical degrees.  She moved to Portland, Oregon, for her General Surgery training, which included a year of research in breast cancer.  She moved to Colorado Springs in 1995 and practiced General Surgery until 2002 when she decided to dedicate her practice exclusively to managing breast diseases.  She is currently in solo practice at the Audubon Medical Campus. Dr. Pomerenke is a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is certified in Breast Ultrasound by the ASBS.  She is past president of the El Paso County Medical Society and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts Wagon Wheel Council and Pikes Peak Hospice.  Dr. Pomerenke was blessed with twin boys at the ripe age of 43.   She and her husband enjoy hunting with their dogs in the great outdoors of Colorado.  She also enjoys cooking and gardening, when the dogs and children let her!

 Joan L. Schulz - Board Member-at-Large
Joan Schulz has lived in Colorado Springs since 1974. She moved here with her Army Captain husband and their 2 boys. Ten months later her husband succumbed to renal carcinoma. She had attended college wherever they were stationed and after he died she decided to go back to college at UCCS. It was there that she met and later married her current husband of 32 years. After completing her BS, she went to work for Systems Development Corp. where she was the only woman on a defense contract. She completed her MBA and had a 26-year career in Defense Contracting with Lockheed Martin where she was a Program Manager for large ICBM programs. Her mom developed breast cancer and eventually died after it metastasized to her bones.  After multiple breast biopsies she opted for bi-lateral mastectomies. Upon retirement she became part of Komen as the President of the BOD and was instrumental in forming the current governing board. She is also on the BOD of TheatreWorks, she and her husband are founders of Hausmusik and she is active with the Six Women Playwriting Festival.

 Lyrae Williams - Treasurer
Lyrae Williams moved to Colorado Springs in 2007 after being recruited to be the Director of Budget at Colorado College.  She has a Master’s in Higher Education Finance & Economics and a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance & Accounting. She has been in the higher education industry for 14 years and, prior to that, worked in the behavioral health industry for 7 years.  She says her education prepared her for the world of finance and accounting, but her passion is education. Lyrae volunteers professionally with WACUBO and currently co-chairs a committee that coordinates up to nine “1-2 day workshops” on business and leadership topics throughout the western United States. Her other volunteer work is at the CC Community Kitchen and she was instrumental in helping to develop the governing board for the local Susan G. Komen Affiliate. She enjoys playing golf, hiking, traveling and sports. Other interests include dancing, music, food and just plain relaxing with her newly adopted cat.

 James A. Young, MD MMM - Board Member-at-Large
Dr. James Young is a native of Topeka, Kansas, who received his BA at Harvard and his MD at Duke University. He practices at the RMCC Penrose Cancer Center Office in Colorado Springs and currently serves as the Medical Director of the Penrose Cancer Program and Chair of the Centura Health Care Cancer Committee.  He is also a founding member of the Penrose Breast Multidisciplinary Conference and Thoracic Multidisciplinary Conference. Dr. Young’s specialty interest is management of patients with breast cancer, but he also sees patients with thoracic and head and neck malignancies, and a wide variety of adult cancers and hematology disorders.  He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. He says his first love is his family, including his wife of 32 years, Sarah, and three grown children. He serves on the Board of Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care as well as Komen’s Board and is an active member of the First United Methodist Church. His hobbies include gardening, reading, hiking, and fly fishing.

 Sharon McDermott - Board Member-at-Large
The majority of Sharon McDermott’s life was been spent on the East Coast. She was an Occupational Therapist for 20 years working primarily with special needs children and their families. Her interest in behavior led her to a new career as a corporate consultant, working with blue chip firms in the metropolitan area on issues such as product innovation, strategic planning, and developing effective teams. During 4 years of treatment, the McDermotts lived the tumultuous life of those in the grips of cancer and lost their son at the age of 12 to leukemia. In 2007 the family packed, left a great job with JPMorgan Chase managing 14 offices in 18 countries, and moved to Colorado Springs.  Sharon discovered the joy of volunteering. In addition to working as a Recruiter, she supports her kids’ involvement in school by serving on the School Accountability Committees, the Girls STEM conference, and is actively involved in Boy Scouts.  She has served on the Women’s Foundation of Colorado and participated in the United Way Fund allocation committee.  She currently serves on the board for the Women’s Community Leadership Initiative (Leadership Pikes Peak,) the board of the Ronald McDonald House, and was thrilled when asked to join Komen.

 Kristine Rivera - Board Member-at-Large
Born and raised in Omaha, NE, Kristine Rivera received her B.A. in Biology and English Literature from Hastings College in Hastings, NE.  While there, she met her husband of 10 years on the track & cross country teams. She went to medical school at Des Moines University, Osteopathic Medical Center in Des Moines, IA, and completed Family Medicine Residency at Southern Colorado Family Medicine/St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center in Pueblo, CO. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine. She worked at the Pueblo Community Health Center serving primarily uninsured and under-insured patients in Pueblo and then joined a private practice. Kristine is a 3-1/2 year breast cancer survivor having had stage III disease at 33-years-old which has had a profound effect on her perspective as a health care provider. Her mother is also a breast cancer survivor and has been an inspiration to her. Kristine has two young daughters and the family enjoys camping, hiking, swimming, bike riding, and attending musicals and concerts. They are members of Christ the King Catholic Church, and feel very fortunate to have faith in their lives.

 Robin McGrath - Board Vice-President
Although a native of Hastings, NE, Robin McGrath grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. Both her parents modeled the importance of giving back to community. Robin majored in accounting and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She started her career as a CPA in Omaha. In 1981, she was offered the opportunity to move to Denver as a bank controller. There she met her husband and left the banking business. In 1987, they were transferred to Colorado Springs. She has enjoyed the luxury of working primarily for extraordinary non-profits, both in paid and unpaid positions. She is proud of her daughter who is the ED of COPPeR. Robin was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 (her mother and aunt are also breast cancer survivors.) The support of friends, family and strangers across the country praying for her throughout her treatment brought home the importance of community.