Leadership

Sunny Roller, MA, graduated from Central Michigan University and completed some doctoral work at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. She currently is a part time research study consultant at Michigan Medicine in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Before her official retirement in 2005, she was employed there as a Research Program Coordinator for 19 years.

Sunny has a long-held interest in helping polio survivors find the information and support they need. As a polio survivor, herself, she has been a post-polio support group facilitator since 1985; and has been actively involved with PHI since 1987, serving as a PHI Board member since 2004.

In 1997, Sunny was conferred an Honorary MD degree by the Regents of Central Michigan University. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Ann Arbor Garden Club. She enjoys writing and publishing essays, teaching, gardening, reading, handicrafts and traveling. She writes a blog about aging well with a disability that can be accessed at www.sunnyrollerblog.com.

Emeritus Professor of Applied Behavioral Science
Director, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence
Graziadio School of Business
Pepperdine University

2003-2010 Associate Dean of Full-Time Programs, Graziadio School
1984–2012 Pepperdine University, Chair of a number of committees and task forces

"As a polio survivor I have been aware of the work of PHI for many years. I attended PHI’s 11th International Conference in St. Louis in 2014. I was a panelist on a session titled My New Reality, which led to my further engagement with the organization and my relationship with Joan Headley. In 2017 I applied for and was accepted as a Board member.

"I was on the faculty of Pepperdine University for 32 years, in the field of Organizational Behavior until retiring in in 2012. I continued teaching one course per year in our Executive MBA program, as well as teaching part-time in Germany at the European Business School. Currently, I’m the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at the Graziadio School of Business. My position is part-time which I have held for the past three years.

"During my time in the classroom, I received a number of teaching awards including the Charles Luckman Outstanding Teaching Award. I have published dozens of research articles, presented at numerous conferences, and continue practicing as an independent consultant in the field of leadership and management.

"My interests include cooking, reading, active viewer of multiple forms of entertainment, and committed to regular exercise. I’ve been married, for 36+ years, one daughter, and two grandchildren."

Ann Crocker is our newest member to PHI’s Board of Directors. A co-founder of the Post Polio Support Group of Maine, she remains active in the group, including compiling and writing the newsletter sent to nearly 500 people. Ann’s career included working as a paralegal, property manager, financial analyst, and oversight manager in a number of areas at the state housing authority of Maine. While working fulltime, she completed her BS degree and MBA by taking evening classes through the University of Maine system.

Now retired, Ann pursues her interest in health-related topics, such as nutrition and research. She has been a spokesperson for the importance of protecting our children through vaccination against so many potentially diseases, such as polio. Volunteerism also included chairing public suppers and being treasurer of her local fish and game club for over 25 years.

She values the wonderful work PHI offers polio survivors, medical professionals and the general public, and cites PHI as a topnotch source of credible information and services. With her strong analytical background, she is looking forward to working with other members of the Board to help continue PHI’s quality services.

Mike Mrozowicz had a 42-year career with John Deere and has extensive experience in accounting, finance, and operations. He is a CPA and has a BS in Accounting from the University of Illinois and an MBA (finance emphasis) from the University of Nevada - Reno. He currently resides in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and has served as PHI's treasurer since 2018.

"I believe that my greatest strength is my ability to work cooperatively with others from different disciplines and backgrounds to accomplish complex organizational objectives. I am also a polio survivor (1952 at the age of 2), so I have been dealing with the after effects of polio almost all my life. I joined the Board because I felt that I had the background and experience to help PHI achieve its organizational objectives.

"I have been on the Board of a number of non-profits and have also lent my finance skills to support other non-profits.

"I particularly enjoy outdoor activities like biking, golf, and even skiing."

Marny Eulberg, MD, earned her BS in clinical laboratory technology from South Dakota State University and MD from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She is a retired family practice physician residing in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Dr. Eulberg is polio survivor and has served on the board of PHI since 2002. She is Rotary District 5450 Polio Committee chairperson and Medical Advisor to Colorado Post-Polio Organization.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time at her cabin in the Colorado mountains and serving on the boards of several non-profits involved in healthcare to underserved, education for girls in Senegal, senior housing, and a medical clinic in Zimbabwe.

Jennifer Thieme Kehres grew up in her family business, Amigo Mobility, and joined the company full time in 2007 after graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in Marketing. Founded by her dad, Al Thieme, in 1968 when he invented the first mobility POV/scooter, Amigo continues to be a family-owned business and manufactures all products in Michigan. As Director of Business Development, Jennifer is involved in marketing, sales, product development and on the company’s Leadership Team. Passionate about Amigo’s mission of Improving Lives Through Mobility®, Jennifer has been an advocate for people with disabilities and was a guest on John Stossel’s TV show on Fox News in 2011. 

Outside of Amigo Mobility, Jennifer was board secretary and board member for six years on CAN Council, Child Abuse and Neglect Network in Michigan, and is currently on the marketing and membership committee for the Stevens Center for Family Business. Jennifer and her husband Dan have four children and live in Saginaw, Michigan.

Bonnie is a 1951 polio survivor who was paralyzed from the neck down. After many months in a Sister Kenny rehabilitation hospital, Bonnie credits that treatment and the doctors who cared for her, for her remarkable, but not complete recovery.

Bonnie has received community service awards for outstanding service from Kiwanis, the local school system, and the Michigan Polio Network, Inc. She brings, to the PHI board, many years of experience as the Director of Student Activity at a major suburban high school. Her duties included, but not limited to, event planning, public speaking, fundraising, philanthropic projects, and daily interaction with students, parents, administrators, teachers and the general public. While serving in this capacity, Bonnie initiated and developed new programs including a foreign exchange program for teens, which promoted greater appreciation and understanding between cultures.

For 10 years, Bonnie actively served on the board of the Michigan Polio Network, Inc. She helped organized statewide conferences, public presentations to many Rotary groups, facilitator for the newcomer group, etc. Additionally, for the past fifteen years, she has served as facilitator to a very active Southeast Michigan Post-Polio Support Group.

Additionally, Bonnie voluntarily worked with a major health care system in Detroit, to develop a specialty clinic treating polio survivors. And currently, 20 years later, it is one of only a very few in the United States. The Medical Director of the clinic asked Bonnie to join the staff in a volunteer capacity greeting and educating patients about the late effects of having had polio.

Bonnie remains passionate about advocating for polio survivors. She believes polio remains an issue of relevance and concern and she continues to bring current information to anyone interested in this deadly or crippling virus.

Frederick M. Maynard, MD is a 1968 graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) and is a Board Certified Specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). He was a faculty member of the UMMS for 16 years and started a post-polio clinic there in 1984 and led a Post-Polio Research & Education Center for 8 years. He then served as Professor & Chairman of PM&R at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, for 6 years before moving to Marquette, Michigan, in 1999 to practice community-based PM&R.

He was drawn into the post-polio community by Gini Laurie as a speaker at the first Post-Polio & Independent Living Conference in 1981 and has been a planner and speaker at all of the subsequent ten GINI/PHI Post-Polio & Independent Living Conferences. He joined the Board of Directors in 1990 and has served as President and as Chairperson of several Board committees, including the Medical Advisory Committee. Before his retirement from medical practice in 2015, he began organizing and/or inspiring Post-Polio Health & Wellness Retreats that have been held in three states and three foreign countries. He has written the “Ask the Doctor” column for PHI’s newsletters for over 20 years and still enjoys speaking to post-polio groups. In his leisure time, he enjoys music, gardening and outdoor activities in his beloved Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Michelle Minner got polio in 1959, while living on the Pacific Island of Guam. She was 2 and a half years old, and spent 9 months in recovery at the AFB hospital in Kyoto, Japan. Upon returning stateside, her parents decided that since the recovery from polio was complete, that they should hide the fact that she had polio. Years later, after debilitating nightmares of spinal taps, she remembered. She was told by her parents, that she should never tell anyone. (This is a common problem: first the myth of complete recovery and the second myth that you should hide the disease.)

Years later, Michelle had a successful life with lots of physical activities. She was a collegiate swimmer, golfer, Bicycling, tennis, camping, hiking, on a softball team, on a volleyball team, bowling, sailing and more. Later she also devoted a lot of time to becoming a glider pilot and running sailplane races. She hiked 1800 of the 2200 miles of the Appalachian Trail. She went to college at Florida State University, finishing her degree at University of Connecticut. She took a job installing computers and training users on the computer systems developed for the Radio and Television Industry. This job was 99% travel around the world. After tiring of the constant travel, Michelle settled in Atlanta and worked as a freelance computer- training, software analysis and marketing presentations.

While living in Atlanta, there was a constellation of health issues, and one of the specialists sent her to Shepard Spinal Center for an evaluation for some mysterious neurological condition. After three full days of evaluation, there was a diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome.

Since 1992, Michelle has been online in search of help, education, guidance and information. The journey started with SJU (St. John’s University Bulletin Board), and AOL’s equal access café. After attending many conferences, seminars, chat groups, and meetings; Michelle moved to Arizona and married another polio survivor. Michelle also became a board member of the Arizona Polio Survivor support group called Polio Epic, Inc. Michelle’s networking has given her a lot of acquaintances around the world with other polio survivors. If Michelle has not met you yet, she has met one of your polio acquaintances. She looks forward to being a part of Post Polio Health International’s mission of giving education, guidance, help, direction, and support to other groups helping polio survivors.

Daniel Ryan, MD, grew up in southeastern Michigan and graduated from Kalamazoo College with degrees in political science and health science. After graduating from Wayne State University School of Medicine where he served as President of his graduating class, Dr. Daniel Ryan completed a residency at the Detroit Medical Center. He served as Chief Resident.

Dr. Ryan is a founding partner of the Center for Physical Medicine P.C. and has been Medical Director for St Johns Home Health Care, Medical Director at St John’s Detroit Riverview Rehabilitation program, longtime Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Macomb/Oakland hospital and has been rehabilitation director for several subacute and long-term acute care rehabilitation programs. Dr. Ryan served as President of the Medical Staff at Ascension Macomb/Oakland Hospital and has received several awards for high achievement in patient satisfaction including being voted by the nursing staff as a top caregiver.

He has been the medical director of Southeastern Michigan’s post-polio clinic for over twenty years. He has spoken at numerous events regarding polio and post-polio syndrome. He is a member of many national and local medical societies, is past president of the Michigan Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, as well as past president of the Macomb County Medical Society. Dr. Ryan is an assistant clinical professor at Wayne State University of Medicine and Michigan State University School of Osteopathic Medicine and is a member of the board of the Michigan State Medical Society.

Dr. Ryan spends time volunteering for several local charities and is an active member of his local Rotary Club. He enjoys spending time with his family and continues to play multiple sports. He follows all Detroit sports teams, and college sports, and enjoys gardening, the beach, and reading history.

Dr. Carol Vandenakker Albanese is a Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at University of California, Davis, School of Medicine.  Both her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology and her medical degree were earned at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was completed at New York University Medical Center/ Rusk Institute in New York City.

Before joining the faculty at UC Davis, she held faculty positions in the Columbia University Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine and the University of Miami Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation.

She established and maintained a busy Post-Polio clinic at the University of Miami in 1994 and has continued her work with polio survivors at UC Davis since 2001.  Her research and publications have focused on exercise, post-polio syndrome and aging with disability. She has served as medical advisor to several polio support groups, joined the Post-Polio Health International Medical Advisory Board in 2012 and was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2015.

Dr. Vandenakker serves on committees for the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the Association of Academic Physiatrists, the American Board of PM&R and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Martin Wice, MD has been involved with PHI since 1987 in multiple capacities, including being president of the board for eight years. He presently is on the PHI medical advisory committee. He initiated and ran the post-polio clinic at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, for 25 years before joining the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. As part of his WUMS practice, he treated post-polio patients until his retirement in July, 2019. He has lectured on post-polio syndrome locally and at the PHI international post-polio conferences. He was also medical director of the rehabilitation program at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. He maintained a general rehabilitation practice throughout his career. He served as liaison of the state physical medicine and rehabilitation societies to the American Academy of PM&R.

He received his undergraduate degree at Grinnell College, his medical degree at Northwestern University School of Medicine where he was introduced to rehabilitation at the then Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He did his internal medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and rehabilitation medicine residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is boarded in both internal medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation and is a fellow in the Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Wice grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He has grown twin sons, one an internist, geriatric and palliative care physician and the other a lawyer who works for the Security Exchange Commission in Washington, DC. Dr. Wice has also had an interest in cancer rehabilitation and is on the medical advisory board for the Cancer Support Community St. Louis. He collects crafts and is on the board of Craft Alliance. He plays the violin, enjoys traveling, does mindfulness/meditation/spirituality studies and attempts to stay in physical shape with exercising.