Brain Injury Association of North Carolina
Board of Directors
We extend our sincere gratitude to the members of the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina’s Board of Directors for their dedicated time, leadership, and thoughtful advisement. Their commitment plays a vital role in guiding our mission and shaping the future of our organization.
Our Board:
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Develops and maintains BIANC’s annual short- and long-term goals and objectives.
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Maintains authority and responsibility over the organization's policies, procedures, and programs.
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Ensures continued financial stability.
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Promotes a positive and productive work environment for our staff.
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Develops and oversees personnel policies.
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Conducts the annual evaluation of our Executive Director.
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Encourages appropriate non-board individuals to serve on task and ad hoc committees.
We are truly grateful for their unwavering support and guidance.
Board Members
Martha Hoelzer
Dr. April Groff is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialization in neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology. She is the Regional Program Director of Learning Services Residential Neurorehabilitation, Supported Living and Day Treatment services in Raleigh, NC as well as Learning Services Neurobehavioral Institute and Pain Rehabilitation Programs located in Creedmoor, NC.
Dr. Groff received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Boston University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuropsychology & Rehabilitation Psychology at the Stanford-affiliated VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, where she went on to work as a Staff Neuropsychologist and Program Director within the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center for several years prior to her return to North Carolina.
Dr. Groff is an active member of the American College of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), and participates in Cognitive Rehabilitation national task force focusing on implementation of evidence-based practices. She is a contributing author to the upcoming second edition of the ACRM Cognitive Rehabilitation Manual. She publishes and speaks nationally on issues related to the rehabilitation of catastrophically injured individuals and implementation of evidence-based practices in the field. She also has a strong interest in the assessment of clinical outcomes and the effectiveness of treatment interventions following traumatic brain injury.
Bio coming soon!
Jean Andersen
Public Policy Committee Co-Chair
Bio coming soon!
James is the owner of Cox Accounting & Financial Services, Inc, a small accounting firm specializing in assisting individuals and small business owners with their income tax preparation needs and small business accounting. James has over 25 years of income tax preparation and has taken the rigorous IRS exam to become an Enrolled Agent. James has also earned the designation of Certified Tax Resolution Specialist which means he can help individuals and businesses that have fallen behind on the payment of their taxes to the IRS or state taxing agency. His office is located in North Raleigh off Millbrook Road.
Libby Grimes
Elizabeth “Libby” Grimes is a personal injury attorney who represents clients who have traumatic brain injuries and serious bodily injuries. Mrs. Grimes is a native of North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an undergraduate degree in Economics. With a serious passion for helping others she also obtained her law degree from Wake Forest University. Mrs. Grimes is a member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and American Association for Justice. In recognition of her successful results for her clients, Mrs. Grimes is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums. Additionally, Mrs. Grimes is a selectee of The National Trial Lawyers: Top 25 Women Trial Lawyers, 100 Trial Lawyers, and is awarded a North Carolina Super Lawyer. She lives in Huntersville, NC and is married with two children.
Jeremy Wilson is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina and currently lives there with his wife, Sarah, and two children, Addie and Calvin. Jeremy attended UNC-Chapel Hill for undergrad, where he majored in political science and economics. He then taught high school math through the Teach For America program in Henderson, North Carolina. Jeremy earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University, and a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a lawyer at Ward and Smith, P.A. where he leads the firm's Personal Injury and Wrongful Death practice group. Jeremy has a close family member who is a TBI survivor, and is passionate about providing a voice for other survivors and their families.
Carol Ornitz
Carol’s involvement with brain injury began during childhood growing up with a brother who had cerebral palsy at a time when resources and guidance were limited to non-existent.
In July of 2005, her son sustained a severe head injury during a bicycle race and on December 22, 2008, her husband was also injured when a bus hit his car. These experiences and challenges led Carol to advocate for further resources and support for survivors and their families.
With a B.S. in Education from New York University, Carol spent her career as an Occupational Therapist until her retirement. Her work has continued as an advocate for exceptional children and, after her son's accident, an advocate for Brain Injury Survivors and Caregivers. She has been Instrumental in obtaining legislative support for the development and application for TBI Waiver.
Patricia Rogers Babin (Pat)
Dr. Babin received her BA from Wake Forest University, her PhD from UNC-Chapel Hill, and her PharmD from Virginia Commonwealth University. She completed a fellowship in Pain Management from the University Health Science Center in Houston, Texas. Her post-doctoral year was spent working in Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation also in Houston. She is board certified in Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology. She has spent over 15 years in the field of rehabilitation working with survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury, patients with neurological disorders, and patients with chronic pain. Dr. Babin has worked in private practice as a consultant to group homes, as a consulting psychologist for DSS, and as a forensic psychologist. She has a fervent interest in ethics. She was a member of Carolinas Healthcare Institutional Ethics Committee, a committee member of APA’s Division 22 Ethics Committee, and has taught Ethics for Psychologists at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has authored several articles in peer reviewed journals on TBI and chronic pain. Dr. Babin pursued her PharmD in 2005 and after receiving her pharmacy degree, she worked at Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast as a Clinical Staff Pharmacist. Dr. Babin is past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina. She is currently employed as Clinical Director in the Medical Services Department at Cardinal Innovations Healthcare as both a psychologist and behavioral health pharmacist. In addition to her administration duties and supervision of psychologists at Cardinal, she works closely with Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities staff to ensure that people receive appropriate services.
Dr. Robert Baric
Dr. Robert Baric lives a life dedicated to health and wellness and is committed to your long-term health. A 25+ year practitioner and advocate for treating the root of the problems rather than masking the symptoms, he introduced decades-old Neurofeedback Therapy to West Cary in 2016 with the opening of MyBrainDR. Dr. Baric is certified in acupuncture, nutrition, pediatric chiropractic, various chiropractic techniques, therapies, and practices such as applied kinesiology and more.
Adrienne S. Blocker
Adrienne Blocker is the Managing Trial Attorney at DeMayo Law Offices. She has been practicing plaintiff’s personal injury law for over 25 years helping those with traumatic brain and other serious injuries as well as the families of loved ones who have wrongfully died. Adrienne and her husband Dennis moved to Charlotte six years ago to be near their grandchildren (and their parents, too). Adrienne developed her passion for helping others, working at law firms from Guam to North Dakota to North Carolina. She is a member of American Board of Trial Advocates, North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Adrienne believes in giving back to the community having served over twenty years on the Board of Directors and a volunteer for the North Carolina High School Mock Trial Program and now serving on the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina.
JD Freeman
Bio coming soon!
Patrick Gallagher
My journey into the TBI world began with a helmet-less motorcycle ride in the Spring of '80. After an eleven day stint in a coma I came back around and began my walk back to recovery. Good can come from a trauma. Following my release from the hospital my family borough me to a local chiropractor for care. I found a profession that gave me hope, so much hope that I enrolled in college the Fall of '81 with the intent of becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic. I have since become board certified in a technique called Atlas Orthogonal. A branch of chiropractic that focuses on correction of the atlas vertebrae, a bone located around the brain stem while supporting the skull. I have had such a degree of success with this procedure I have written a book titled Is Your Head on Straight? A New Approach for Healing Head Trauma.
Thomas Henson
Thomas Henson Jr. joined Henson Fuerst in 1989. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1986 and his Juris Doctorate in 1989—both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Thomas is the Past Chair of the board of directors of the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina (BIANC), advocating for brain injury victims and their families across North Carolina, and currently serves on its board. He has been a presenter at multiple conferences for victims of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), their caregivers, and brain injury professionals.
In 2012, Governor Bev Perdue appointed Thomas to the first of two four-year terms on the North Carolina Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council. Part of the Department of Health and Human Services, the advisory council is responsible for studying the needs of people with brain injury; coordinating preventive efforts; promoting inter-agency coordination of efforts; and making recommendations to the Governor, the General Assembly, and state organizations about planning, development, and funding.
Thomas remains an active member of the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice. He recognizes that brain injuries can happen to anyone, anytime, and he is passionate about helping victims and families reassemble their lives under the best possible circumstances. Additionally, he contributed a chapter for the book The Miracle Mind: Sonya’s Story, a guidebook designed to help stroke and traumatic brain injury patients, their families, and their caregivers.
In 2002, Thomas formed the Henson Fuerst Cycling Team, which has grown from only a few members into a team of more than 50 people, including top-level triathletes, recreational riders, and brand-new riders. The Cycling Team’s primary event has been the North Carolina Tour de Cure, which benefits the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Attorney Thomas Henson Jr. loves to spend time with his wife and son who are the “center and the joys of his life.”
Laurie Leach
Laurie Leach, Ph.D., ABN, is currently the Director of Neuropsychology services at WakeMed Health & Hospitals in Raleigh, NC. At WakeMed, I work with a variety of patient populations including stroke, dementia, as well as brain injury. I also serve in the role of Program Director of our Brain Injury Rehabilitation System as well as the Program Director for our Neuro Care Unit and Program, which provides services to patients with severe or catastrophic brain injury. These roles allow me to continue to develop services and programs within the hospital continuum to improve the care we provide to persons with brain injury. I joined the BIANC board in 2017, which has allowed me to interact with a diverse group of professionals dedicated to brain injury and has helped me understand the broader impact of brain injury within North Carolina.
Tolu Oyesanya
Dr. Oyesanya is an Associate Professor at Duke University School of Nursing. Her research program centers on care of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in acute and post-acute treatment settings, as well as support of their family caregivers. Her current research focuses on transitional care needs of patients with TBI, with an emphasis on improving patient and family quality of life post-discharge and self- and family-management of care.
Dr. Oyesanya earned her BSN, MSN, and PhD in Nursing from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Brain Injury Research at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA. Her research has been supported by federally- and internally funded awards. Dr. Oyesanya is actively involved in several professional organizations, including serving as Chair of the Mentoring Task Force and Chair-Elect of the Career Development Networking Group of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and as a member of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses and the International Brain Injury Association.
Lee Shuping
Bio coming soon!
Pier Protz
Bio coming soon!
Daniel Fenton
Carol Collins
Bio coming soon!
Kara Noronha
Kara Noronha is the Clinical Coordinator and Brain Injury Program Lead at Carolinas Rehabilitation at Atrium Health. She holds a doctorate in Physical Therapy from Duke University and has extensive experience working with people with brain injuries. She is deeply invested in the brain injury community and has significant research, speaking, and volunteer engagements on topics including mental health, caregiver support, and community integration.
Diane Triplett
Bio coming soon!