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| Carol A. Solimene, President |
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| Carol Solimene, President
Carol has been a friend and volunteer of the Co-Op for several years now. She was a Board Member for part of that time. We are delighted to announce her election as President of the Board since May, 2008.
Carol has resided in Rhode Island for the past 26 years. Currenly she lives in Tiverton, RI. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the Board through her experience as a self-employed business executive. In addition to volunteering at The Healing Co-Operative, Carol works with the Meals on Wheels Program, Waterfire-Providence, is a PPAC Usher and periodically serves with the Providence Preservation Society. Her love of children has led her to become a licensed & certified Foster Mother through BoysTown.
In her leisure time, Carol enjoys yoga, traveling, hiking, boating and playing golf.
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| Linda T. Phelan, Founder & Executive Director |
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| Linda T. Phelan, BS, LMT, founded The Healing Co-Op shortly following her own journey through and beyond cancer.
Diagnosed at the age of 29 following a one-year misdiagnosis, Linda underwent surgery followed by 6 months of chemotherapy and 6 weeks of radiation therapy.
Throughout it all, Linda felt compelled to providing a much needed service to Rhode Islands cancer population. Her dream of a Co-Op was realized and the center came to fruition after years of work and sacrafice - all of which continues. Her daughters, Cara and Meghan, have made this journey with her and fully appreciate a life of service. "Dreams do come true," Linda will say. But not without clarity, very hard work and a strong, unwavering belief in yourself as well as your goal.
The Co-Op has gone from a dream to a reality serving more than 2,000 from Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts.
Linda received her BS from San Diego State in 1979 and later went on to study massage therapy. She is the author of a book, Twenty-Something & Breast Cancer, the writer, producer and co-director of an award winning breast cancer documentary, Beyond Words and the writer/cast member/producer of a play, CHEMO BRAIN!, which is currently being filmed in a documentary format in 2009, Sisters in the Hood, stories from the sisterhood of cancer. She is also the founder and designer of HopeCraft, Handcrafted inspirational jewelry by inspiring women making the journey through & beyond cancer.
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| Christa Johnson, MD, Secretary |
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Christa Johnson, MD physician, public speaker, author and graduate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School is currently devoting all her professional time to the practice of Mind Body Medicine. Prior to this, she was a staff physician in the Emergency Dept. of Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, Mass. for over twenty years. Over the last five years she has been teaching mind body spirit medicine workshops and promoting her new book, LYNN'S LEGACY, Mind Body & Spirit as a companion to her lecture series. Her web site is: www.cfmbh.com
Dr. Johnson was destined to become an integral part of the Co-Op. Back in 1993, Christa was given a gift certificate for a therapeutic massage session with founder, Linda Phelan, as a Secret Santa gift. Neither of the two women knew who the other was. Busy raising her three adopted children and being a wife and physician, she never did get around to using it. But as time went by she kept hearing this woman's name, Linda Phelan. Then one day, an unlikely source brought the two women together and they rest as they say is history in the making!
M.D. and Family Practice Training at University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, MA
Mind Body Medicine Training: Mind Body Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Herb Benson, M.D.
Center for Mindfulness, Stress Reduction Clinic, U. Mass. Medical Center Hypnosis/regression training, Omega Institute, Brian Weiss, M.D.
Prior professional experience: Psychiatric social worker for inpatient and outpatient population at Northampton State Hospital
Medical social worker for geriatric and hospice patients.
Christa lives in South Dartmouth, MA with her husband (also a physician) and three beautiful children.
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| Traci Vaspol, Officer |
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| Traci Vaspol, is a resident of Portsmouth, RI, a mother of three beautiful children and an amazing knitter! She is the owner of Urban Therapy and a licensed Reflexologist: www.urbantherapyonline.com
For years Traci has eagerly volunteered her services to the women of the center as well as our fundraising activities.
Originally from the UK, Traci and her husband, Gary, make Aquidneck Island their home.
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| Terrance Gavan |
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Terrance Gavan, CPA, CFP
Terrence Gavan has more than thirty-five years of varied experience in Finance and Accounting. Mr. Gavan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University. After a stint in the Peace Corps, he attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he earned a Master of Science in Accounting.
Mr. Gavan started his professional career at the Boston office of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, one of the “Big Four” accounting & auditing firms. While at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Mr. Gavan specialized in technology clients and earned a CPA certificate. Later, he worked in a variety of senior-level accounting positions for “Fortune 500” technology companies.
In the early 1980s, Mr. Gavan moved to Newport, RI with his wife Christine, a native Newporter. For fifteen years, Terrence taught Taxation, Accounting & Finance at Salve Regina University. He rose to Associate Professor and Department Chair. Mr. Gavan also started a part-time accounting & tax practice.
He left Salve to develop a full-time accounting practice. In addition to Accounting & Taxation, Terrence expanded into Financial Planning and earned a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation. Mr. Gavan is also a Registered Investment Advisor
He now practices as a complete financial professional, helping clients with Taxation, Financial Planning, Accounting & Consulting.
Mr. Gavan has published several history books on the Newport area.
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| Frank Spinella, Officer |
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| Frank Spinella, President/Owner of FJS Associates, LTD . Affordable Housing and Development Firm
: www.fjshousing.com
Frank and his wife, Kate, have been friends of the Co-Op for several years. He brings to our Board a wealth of knowledge in the nonprofit world as well as his own personal experience in the world of cancer having lost his Mother to the disease. Apart from his business his experiences stretch wide from serving on the Board of the Pennfield School, an independant, nonprofit school in Portsmouth, RI and heading their Construction Committee to developing thousands of units of Affordable Housing.
Frank and his wife, Kate, live in Portsmouth, RI with their two beautiful daughters.
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| Marie Slivia-Phelan |
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| Marie Silvia-Phelan
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Arnold Herman, MD, FACS
Mark Serna, OSB
Kate Baker, LICSW
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