The Wilson Disease Association Board of Directors includes committed and passionate volunteers who have a connection to Wilson disease either as a patient or because someone special in their lives is affected by the disease.

Rhonda Rowland

President
Atlanta, Georgia
Email: rhonda.rowland@wilsonsdisease.org

Communicating medical and health news and information has been my lifelong career.  My compassion and interest is a direct result of being diagnosed with Wilson disease after going into liver failure at the age of 21 while I was a senior in college.  I earned my Communication Arts degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where an internship at the UW’s Cancer Information Service started me on my career path.  In 1986, my husband Bill and I moved to Atlanta where I had a medical reporting career at CNN for 16 years.  I left my full-time career to raise my two children and continued doing freelance medical video production and consulting.  In 2020, I got involved with the Board so I could use my communication skills to help raise awareness for WD. I love golfing, biking, walking the beach, theater, reading and spending time with family and friends.

Zulma Gonzalez-Lombardo

Secretary
Berlin, New Jersey

I’m a native of Camden, New Jersey, and enjoy a career as the Executive Assistant to Drew Katz at Interstate Outdoor Advertising and Executive Director of the Rachel & Drew Katz Foundation. I graduated in 2005 with a master’s in Organizational Development and Leadership from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and received my bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University Camden. I’ve worked in social service and organizational development for the past three decades, starting in 1987 at Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, Inc. In 2020, I began serving the WDA as a volunteer on the Communications Committee and then on the Policy Committee. I’m an avid runner, cyclist and passionate supporter of numerous charitable organizations. Along with my husband Dan, I enjoy spending time with our grandchildren.

Carol Terry

Co-founder and Treasurer
Hampton, Virginia
Email: carol.terry@wilsonsdisease.org

Carol graduated from the University of Utah in 1976 with a B.A. degree in Accounting, and retired after 31 years Federal Government civil service in 2002 as a supervisory GS-15.  She was diagnosed in 1973 with Wilson disease, which resulted in neurological impairment.  She was misdiagnosed for almost two years, and her experience has been documented in an article she wrote which was published in the American Journal of Nursing, as well as an article written about her by Berton Roueche for New Yorker magazine.  She helped found the Wilson Disease Association in 1983 and served as its President for ten years.  She has also served as Vice-President and Treasurer and has been a member of the WDA Board since its founding.

Jean Perog

Past President
Merritt, B.C. Canada
Email: jean.perog@wilsonsdisease.org

I enjoyed a fulfilling career for over 10 years in public practice as a CPA,CA and over 20 years with Interior Health Authority in various management positions in Finance, Information Technology and Primary Health Care.

I became a board member of WDA as both my brother and I have Wilson Disease and I wanted to get involved to help ensure no one need suffer from Wilson Disease.

On retirement, I was determined to continue service to my community, using the skills and knowledge that served me so well in my career. I currently volunteer with the Merritt & District Hospice Society, Municipal Pension Retirees Association (MPRA) and Community Futures Nicola Valle (CFNV) and the Nicola Valley Health Care Endowment Foundation.

When I am not volunteering, my passion is camping with my wonderful husband and freshwater fishing.

Rachel Albert

Patient Registry Director
Middlebury, Connecticut

Volunteering has been an important part of my life since childhood. Over the years, I have committed my time and energy to numerous non-profit organizations. I majored in psychology and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Amherst College. I also earned an M.P.H. in Geriatrics and Gerontology from Columbia University. I am married to an amazing man and the proud mom of two adult children and a grandson. I love to sing, read, learn new things, meet new people and spend time with my family. I enjoy participating on the Board and I am happy to be of assistance to patients, their families, and caregivers.

Steve Walsh

Finance Director
Boulder, Colorado

Stephen lives in Boulder, Colorado and has a daughter with WD. He went to college at the University of Colorado and graduated with a B.S. in finance.

Alice Williams

Communications Director
Toronto, Canada
Email: alice.williams@wilsonsdisease.org

When I first learned that both my young adult children had Wilson disease, I felt blindsided and completely alone. Joining WDA as a board member has given me hope for a brighter future for my kids.

I am thankful to be part of a strong global community of WD patients, caregivers and advocates, united in better understanding, treating and ultimately curing WD.

Having recently retired from a 30+ year career in corporate communications, I look forward to applying my skills to raise pubic and medical awareness about Wilson disease.

In addition to WDA, I am also a board member of the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD) and a Patient Partner with University Health Network (a public research and teaching hospital network in Toronto, Ontario) to offer insights from the patient/caregiver perspective on a variety of projects to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes for patients.

Lana Escamilla

Patient Advocacy Director
Kalamazoo, Michigan

I am a Wilson disease patient who was diagnosed at 22 after experiencing liver failure. I temporarily lost mobility, the ability to read, write and concentrate. I had tremors, slurred speech, and was days away from a feeding tube. I recognize how incredibly fortunate I am to be alive today and to have achieved my goal to work as an attorney. Joining WDA as a board member gives me an opportunity to be a voice for other patients and to work to improve people’s lives that are affected by Wilson disease.

Edward Tabor, MD

Medical Policy Director
Bethesda, Maryland

I am an M.D. who has worked in the fields of hepatitis, liver cancer and parenteral nutrition. Previously, I was Director of two FDA divisions; in addition to regulatory work there, I managed an active laboratory-based research program on viral hepatitis and liver cancer. I also worked at the National Cancer Institute (at NIH) where I supervised a cancer research program with six laboratories. From 2012 to 2020, I was Vice President for Regulatory Affairs North America at Fresenius Kabi, a manufacturer of parenteral nutrition products. With my interest in liver disease and my background at FDA and at a pharmaceutical company, I hope to be able to make a contribution to the advancement of Wilson disease treatment.

Carly Abramson, LCSW, OSW-C

Patient Education & Support Director
New York, NY
Email: carlya@wilsonsdisease.org

I’m a licensed clinical social worker and graduated from the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design and Columbia University School of Social Work. I have nine years of experience as a social worker in New York City and Australia. For the last five years , I’ve worked as an Oncology Social Worker in New York City at The Mount Sinai Hospital. In 2024, after being diagnosed with Wilson disease, I got involved with the WDA by creating copper conscious recipes and launching peer-to-peer virtual support groups. My husband and I like to golf, ski, cook and travel together.

Mary Graper

July 13, 1950 – June 25, 2023

Mary, a mother of three (two of whom have WD) and a devoted wife, raised her family with her husband, Bill. Just over 20 years ago, she joined the Board of Directors of the Wilson Disease Association and, in 2003, became its president.

In 2005, Mary began to address with the WDA Board the possibility that we could designate some medical facilities as WD Centers of Excellence (CoE) if they met certain specific criteria. We began to work with our Medical Advisory Committee to develop the criteria and establish a CoE policy.

In 2008 Mary wrote and had published a 32-page patient handbook titled “Maintaining a Successful Treatment Plan”.  Mary thought it was important that patients and their families have information in lay language about how to take part in their own care.

Mary prepared the first strategic plan for the WDA before she was president to reach those goals. Later Carol Terry pushed to start a Patient Registry, and Mary was the primary supporter of Carol’s initiative. After 13 years as President, Mary became the VP of Scientific Affairs. She also contributed a chapter to Dr. Michael Schilsky’s book, Management of Wilson Disease: A Pocket Guide (Clinical Gastroenterology).

Geniquiya Merideth

Administrative Program Coordinator
Atlanta, Georgia
Email: Admin@wilsonsdisease.org

I am a dedicated non-profit and development professional with experience spanning across many sectors including youth non-profit and higher education. In my spare time, I love to volunteer, exercise, travel, try new foods, and spend time with family.