The new officers and board members bring leadership and expertise to advance PHA's mission.
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Pulmonary Hypertension Association Board of Trustees began its new term July 1 with new officers and five new members.
The new officers, who will serve two-year terms, are:
- Chair: Mitchell Koppelman
- Chair-elect: Diane Ramirez
- Treasurer: Mike Lentz
- Secretary: Nicole Creech
- Immediate Past Chair: Traci Stewart
Officers
Mitch Koppelman, PhD, is a retired vice president of strategic planning for Minerals Technologies and principal consultant for Mineral Solutions and Strategy, where he provides consulting and advisory services to multinational clients. He and his wife Debbie, who has pulmonary arterial hypertension, lost two daughters to pulmonary arterial hypertension. Koppelman is involved in local government and planning in Sanibel, Florida, and Seaside Park, New Jersey.
Diane Ramirez, of Lexington, North Carolina, has served on the PHA board for 14 years. In September 2023, she underwent heart and lung transplant after living with PH for 36 years. Her primary motivation to help PHA with its mission comes from losing a brother and two sisters to PAH. She wants to help as many patients as possible. She has been involved with PHA advocacy and awareness since 2006.
Mike Lentz, of Louisville, Kentucky, lost his wife Maureen to PH in 2016. He is managing director of the Jacksonville market for Nelson Worldwide, which specializes in the design of large-scale, mixed-use real estate developments throughout the United States. He has a long history of fundraising and supporting PH-related causes and served on PHA's finance and development committees.
Nicole Creech, of Lexington, Kentucky, joined PHA in 2016 and became a volunteer to help find a cure. She also wanted to be empowered by hope and share that hope with others. She formerly chaired the Finance Committee and sits on several committees to provide a patient perspective. In her spare time, Creech serves her community as an end-of-life doula. She's also a court-appointed child advocate and enjoys visiting assisted living facilities with her Morkie, Teddy.
Traci Stewart, RN, MSN, of Columbus Junction, Iowa, is a PH nurse clinician at Iowa Health Care's Heart and Vascular Center. She coordinates care as patients transition from inpatient and outpatient settings. Stewart has over 20 years of clinical expertise in managing pulmonary hypertension and heart failure patients. Her focus is providing patient, nurse and community education.
New board members
Jessie Dunne, PharmD, BCPS, BCCP, FACC, is a clinical pharmacist for advanced heart failure and transplant at Oregon Health and Science University.
Dan Grinnan, MD, is medical director of the PHA-accredited PH Care Center at VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia.
Marcie McGregor joined PHA in 2012 soon after she was diagnosed with PAH. She founded and leads a PHA support group in Augusta, Georgia.
George Peoples, MD, FACS, of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, became a PHA volunteer five years ago after his daughter was diagnosed with PH. A retired Army colonel, he is the executive medical director of Avance Clinical's Oncology Center of Excellence.
Jim White, MD, is the founding director of the pulmonary arterial hypertension program at the University of Rochester Medical Center, a PHA-accredited Comprehensive Care Center.
About the Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Pulmonary Hypertension Association is the oldest and largest nonprofit patient association dedicated to the pulmonary hypertension community. Pulmonary hypertension is a rare, chronic and life-threatening lung condition for which no cure currently exists. PHA's mission is to extend and improve the lives of those affected by PH. To achieve this mission, PHA engages people with PH and their families, caregivers, health care providers and researchers worldwide who work together to advocate for the PH community, support patients, caregivers and families, offer up-to-date education and information on PH, improve quality patient care, and fund and promote research. For more information, visit PHAssociation.org and connect with PHA on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Karen Smaalders, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, 1 240-485-0750, [email protected]
SOURCE Pulmonary Hypertension Association
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