AiArthritis logo showing stylized infinite loop symbol in red with black dots, above organization name for International Foundation for Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Arthritis.

Our Leadership Team

Our Leadership Team is  an award-winning team of passionate individuals who are patient advocates "at the table", serving on advisory panels, participating as research liaisons, and using their stories to influence policy.  This, combined with their professional experience in business, education, and research, makes our organization what it is today.

Tiffany Westrich-Robertson: Woman with long blonde hair, wearing a dark v-neck top, with a warm smile

Tiffany Westrich-Robertson

Chief Executive Officer | Co-Founder | Board President


Person living with non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis & various co-morbidities.


Julie Lopez: Middle-aged woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing rectangular glasses and a dark top, with a warm smile

Julie Lopez

Executive Assistant/Operations Manager

Person supporting family with AiArthritis Diseases

Monika Gransee: Woman with blonde hair swept back, wearing a black turtleneck, with a confident smile

Monika Gransee

Human Resources

Person supporting family with AiArthritis Diseases

Leila P.L. Valete: Young woman with long dark wavy hair, wearing a white top, with a bright smile

Leila P.L. Valete

Health Education Manager

Person living with Lupus & Sjögren's Disease

Kelly Conway: Woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a light scarf, with a natural smile

Kelly Conway

Co-Founder

Community Awareness Lead

Person living with Spondyloarthritis

Mark Hobraczk: Middle-aged man with short hair and glasses, wearing a suit

Mark Hobraczk

Director of Public Policy

Person living with Ankylosing Spondylitis

Michael Guadalupe: Man with full dark beard wearing a black hoodie, with a broad smile

Michael Guadalupe

Volunteer Program

Coordinator

Person living with Psoriatic Arthritis

Ray Patnaude: Man with short dark hair and facial hair, wearing a suit and tie, with a professional smile

Ray Patnaude

Project Manager - Public Policy

Person living with Psoriatic Arthritis

Brian DuVal: Young man with short hair wearing casual clothing, with a relaxed smile

Brian DuVal

Patient Advocacy Manager

Person living with Hemophilia & Family Crohn's disease/UC

Vanessa Lathan

Patient Advocacy - DEIA Lead

Person living with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD)

Support Team

Christy Granzotto

Social Media Manager

Person supporting those with  AiArthritis Diseases

Eileen Davidson: Young woman with long straight light brown hair, wearing dark clothing, with a composed expression

Eileen Davidson

 "Chronic Eileen"

Educational Media Assistant

Person living with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Julia Manis

Program Assistant

Bolaji Bamidele

Administrative Assistant


Ryan Reeves: Man with long dark hair playing bass guitar, captured mid-performance

Ryan Reeves

AiArthritis Voices 360 Production & Audio Engineer

Christina Davis: Young woman with long straight blonde hair, casual outdoor portrait with a bright smile

Christina Davis

AiArthritis Voices 360 Production & Marketing Expert

Desiree Richmond: Woman with straight dark hair and bangs, in casual attire

Keirsten Schaffer

Marketing & Communications

AiArthritis Voices 360 Co-Hosts


Diversity of Perspectives

In 2019, we won a small Innovation Impact Award to launch our version of a podcast, or talk show, that aims to expand vocal diversity among those who lead conversations that influence our work to impact education, advocacy, and research.  The voices leading our show represent a wide variety of people living with our diseases - representative of different geographic locations, biological sex, gender, age, diagnoses, and experience (patient advocacy and professional). The show also plans to "tour", recording live with an audience of those affected by our diseases. These co-hosts will help elevate our mission to include all voices "at the table" to levels no one else in our community has achieved. We are excited they are part of our "team!"

Meet Our Co-Hosts!

Volunteers


Volunteers who are passionate about our cause can become foundation leaders. They help in a variety of ways including:  project development, project implementation, coalition membership, and ambassadors for our organization and in our communities and around the world.

Join Our Team!

Advisors


As people living with these diseases and communicating with others like us daily, we are continuously identifying outstanding issues that our community needs to solve. We then identify the right experts or stakeholders to bring "to the table" - alongside people living with AiArthritis diseases, to help develop and implement solutions together. These are called our Engagement Partners. 

Advisors may include other patient advocacy organizations, healthcare and medical professionals, and various stakeholders who bring value and expertise to each project team.   

Examples of existing advisors include: Rheumatology Nurses Society, FORWARD Databank, Center for Survey Research (Boston), Center for Autoinflammatory Diseases.

Board of Directors


We are  an organization of change agents, working - at times quickly - to tackle the most pressing community issues.  Keeping our Board of Directors small helps to expedite approvals when needed.   Since our primary aim as an organization is to infuse the patient voice in all we do,  which at times may challenge current healthcare practices, our Board members cannot be affiliated with therapeutic practice.  Any medical input we obtain is strictly done in an advisory capacity.   



Tiffany Westrich-Robertson: Woman with long blonde hair, wearing a dark v-neck top, with a warm smile

Tiffany Westrich-Robertson

President

CEO | Business Development | Educator

& Sr. Project Manager

Person living with non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

Florian Klett: Man with short dark hair wearing a collared shirt and dark vest, with a wide friendly smile

Florian Klett

Board Member

Consultant | Patient Expert

Former Member of EULAR & FOREUM

Person supporting family members affected by AiArthritis Diseases

Ami Patel: Woman with long dark hair wearing professional attire and necklace, with a confident smile

Ami Patel

Treasurer

Senior Director of Clinical Education

and Research at  BHOF

Person supporting those with AiArthritis diseases

Julie Baak: Woman with styled blonde hair wearing dark clothing and holding an award, with a friendly smile

Julie Baak

WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR TWO ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBERS FOR 2025

Learn More
Share by: