Leadership committed to helping all of us make an impact.
Board of Trustees
Sherman L. Cohn, J.D., LL.M.
Chairperson
Professor Cohn is Professor of Law at Georgetown University and a past national President of the American Inns of Court. He received his B.S.F.S. Degree and his J.D., L.L.M. Degree from Georgetown University, respectively. He has served as Chair of the Board of Tai Hsuan Foundation College of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine in Honolulu, Hawaii. He has served as a member of the Board of the National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance. He is currently president of the National Acupuncture Foundation. He is a member of the National Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, the Council of Court Excellence, and the American Law Institute, all of which are elected positions. He has also been President of the Jewish Law Association, an international organization. He is an author and lecturer in the field of ethics of the legal profession. He served many years as Chairman of the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He has been a guide for the development of this Institute since 1975 and now serves as Chair of its Board of Trustees.
Adele Wilzack, M.S., R.N.
Vice Chairperson
Ms. Wilzack received her nursing degree from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, and her MS degree from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She started her career in public health as the Assistant Director of the Bureau of Special Home Services and was later promoted to Assistant Commissioner for Health Services for the Aging in Baltimore City. Ms. Wilzack was then appointed Assistant Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) and administered the Maryland Medicaid program. Later she was appointed by then-Governor William Donald Schaefer to the position of Secretary of DHMH, the only woman and nurse to ever serve in this capacity. Ms. Wilzack is currently the President of the Health Facilities Association of Maryland, Maryland’s leading long-term care trade association, representing over 150 provider members. Ms. Wilzack is Chairman of the Board of the Delmarva Foundation, a member of the Lipitz Center Advisory Board, and a board member of the Maryland Gerontological Association.
Brian M. Berman, M.D.
Dr. Brian Berman is a tenured Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Integrative Medicine, and President and Founder of the Institute of Integrative Health. Trained in family medicine and pain management as well as complementary medical approaches such as traditional Chinese medicine and homeopathy, Dr. Berman has dedicated his career to evaluating the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of complementary and integrative medicine. In 1991, he founded the first U.S. academic medical center-based program for integrative medicine.
Dr. Berman is one of the most highly funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers in the area of integrative and complementary medicine, receiving more than $30 million in the past 16 years. He is currently the principal investigator of two NIH specialized center grants for the study of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). One of the centers is focused on the treatment of arthritis and related disorders and the other is an international collaborative center with Hong Kong and is focused on irritable bowel syndrome. These center grants build on 10 years of work from his two previous NIH center grants and an NIH international center planning grant that has built collaborations with leading institutions in Hong Kong, Australia, and the United States. As part of these grants, Dr. Berman is a principal investigator of a Phase II clinical trial and co-investigator in a second clinical trial. In 2004, Dr. Berman’s landmark study showing acupuncture to be a safe and effective therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee was published as the lead article in the Annals of Internal Medicine. His research publications include three books and more than 250 articles in leading medical journals, many involving systematic reviews in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and clinical trials in CAM and pain management.
A pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, Dr. Berman was honored with the prestigious Bravewell Leadership Award for Integrative Medicine in 2005. The award “celebrates and supports visionaries who have committed their medical careers to transforming healthcare in America and ushering in a new practice of medicine.” He was Chair of the ad hoc advisory committee to the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine when it opened in 1992, as well as the report to the NIH on alternative medicine. Subsequently, he served on their advisory committee for six years. Dr. Berman also helped found in 1996 and now serves as field coordinator for the complementary medicine field of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization dedicated to evaluating all medical practices. He was a panel member of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine’s report on complementary medicine, published in 2005, and was the first Chair of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, which currently has 45 American universities in its membership.
Hamed Faridi, Ph.D.
Hamed Faridi, Ph.D., is Vice President of Research & Development, and a corporate officer of McCormick & Company, Inc. in Hunt Valley, MD. He is responsible for providing overall research, product development and technical services leadership, and developing an enterprise-wide technical strategy that supports McCormick’s business plans worldwide. He is also responsible for the McCormick Science Institute (MSI), which was created to advance the knowledge on health benefits of culinary spices and herbs. Prior to joining McCormick & Company in 1997, he served on the faculty of Washington State University and held R&D executive positions at Nabisco (now a unit of Kraft). Dr. Faridi is a renowned food scientist and has edited and authored six books and more than 70 articles in food science and technology. He has given invited lectures in conferences, and research institutions in 21 countries.
Dr. Faridi has served on several boards of professional and trade associations in the U.S. and Europe and has acted in an advisory capacity to food science departments of Texas A&M, University of Illinois, Rutgers University and Louisiana State University. He is the past president of AACC International, and the Flavor & Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) and currently serves on the Board of Governors. Faridi is a member of the Board of Directors of St. Joseph Medical Center. He obtained his master of science and doctorate degrees in food chemistry from Kansas State University and MBA in management and marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
André J. Gingles, J.D.
André J. Gingles, Esquire, is the owner of Gingles LLC, founded in 2003, where his practice represents a small cadre of clients on large mixed-use real estate development projects and government relations. Currently, Mr. Gingles serves as Chairman of The Foundation Schools, an independent, non-profit school for special education with locations in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties and whose purpose is to meet the educational, social, and psychological needs of students with emotional disturbance who have been unsuccessful in other educational settings. He also works with a variety of civic and community associations and has provided pro bono counsel to the Laurel Boys and Girls Clubs. Mr. Gingles formerly served in the Prince George’s County government in multiple capacities, and also has worked on DBE and MBE outreach activities as a part of public and private procurement or contracting. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce; the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation; the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association; and the Executive Committee of the Washington Area District of the Urban Land Institute. André Gingles is a 1981 graduate of Howard University and obtained his law degree in 1984 from the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1985. Mr. Gingles, an avid golfer, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and has resided for over twenty years in Laurel, Maryland, with his wife and their two children.
Barbara K. Lawson, M.A.
Barbara K. Lawson has a varied career in the nonprofit and government human services sector as well as experience in disaster relief, financial and business consulting. Ms. Lawson served as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Columbia Foundation after working with the American Red Cross, including overseas assignments and with the Department of Health and Human Services as a refugee camp director. She serves on the Howard Bank Board of Directors. Ms. Lawson is an active community volunteer, serving on the boards of the Leadership Howard County, United Way Community Partnerships, Howard County Police Foundation and Healthy Families. She was one of the founders of the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County and the Little Patuxent Review. Ms. Lawson’s leadership has been recognized through numerous awards including induction into the Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame and recognition as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women.
Donald Manekin, B.A.
Mr. Manekin has a B.A. Degree in Early Childhood Development from Towson State University, Baltimore, Maryland. He is Senior Vice President, Seawall Development Company; consultant to Manekin Corporation; Board Chair, Teach for America; Open Society Institute board member; and Adjunct Faculty, Johns Hopkins University.
Simon Mills, M.A.
Simon Mills is currently a Director of Sustaincare Community Interest Company, a new international social enterprise corporation, registered in England, that is becoming a major educational and information resource for empowering local communities in their self care. He was the founder of Tai Sophia Institute’s Masters of Science in Herbal Medicine program and served as the program’s first Director from 2000 to 2006. Mr. Mills graduated in medical sciences from Cambridge University, completed the 4-year professional training program at the 145-year-old National Institute of Medical Herbalists, and has practiced as a medical herbalist since 1977. In 1987, he co-founded the Centre for Complementary Health Studies at the University of Exeter the first such university centre in the world, and pioneered the establishment of clear professional and academic standards in the practice of complementary health care. He was Special Advisor to the seminal report on Complementary and Alternative Medicine by the British House of Lords in 2000. Simon's mission has been to mobilize resilience and self care beyond medical practice. He has recently led a major self care project on behalf of the UK government and spearheads a broad new professional orientation to self care in that country. He has published widely in the scientific literature, including controlled clinical trials and other primary research, and lectures around the world. He has written many books, including two standard texts with Kerry Bone: The Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy (2000) and The Essential Guide to Herbal Safety (2005).
John A. Palmucci
Mr. Palmucci served as the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer at Loyola University Maryland from1994 to 2010. In this role, he served as the College’s Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Treasurer, reporting to the President. Mr. Palmucci participated as a member of the executive management team of Loyola University Maryland, providing leadership and direction for a major operating division enabling fulfillment of the institution’s mission and goals through sound fiscal management, prudent stewardship of resources and student-centered delivery of services.
Prior to his position at Loyola University Maryland, he held the position of Vice President of Fiscal Affairs at Merrimack College from 1980 to 1994. For eight years prior to his tenure at Merrimack College, Mr. Palmucci served as Registrar and Dean of Administration at Northern Essex Community College. He also held a variety of positions at Northeastern University for six years, including as Director of the Undergraduate Program, Assistant Dean of the College of Business Administration, Assistant Director of Student Activities, and Instructor of Accounting in the College of Business.
Mr. Palmucci maintains involvement with several professional organizations in a variety of leadership capacities, including: the National Association of College and University Business Officers, Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers, the Association of Jesuit College and University Business Officers, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, The Investment Management Institute, The Opal Financial Group, The Archdiocese of Baltimore Audit Committee, The Associated Sulpicians Investment Committee, and the Tai Sophia Institute Audit Committee.
He was awarded the EACUBO Distinguished Service Award in 2000 and the NACUBO Distinguished Business Officer Award in 2003. He also was awarded the Cardinal John Henry Newman Medal at the Loyola University Commencement exercises on May 15, 2010.
Mr. Palmucci received a B.S. in Business Management and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University.
T. James (Jim) Truby
Jim Truby is founder of Synthesis Incorporated, one of the most respected architectural firms in the Washington-Baltimore region, providing services in planning, green architectural and engineering design, construction, and development and organizational management in both the public and private sectors for institutional, commercial, office, warehouse, industrial and specialty residential development.
Synthesis has managed projects being certified under the LEED program, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Phillip Merrill Environmental Center, the first building in the U.S. to receive a Platinum Certification.
Mr. Truby holds a B.A. in Architecture from Carnegie-Mellon University and an M.A. in Social Anthropology from The American University. His professional experience includes serving as Principal at Crystal Hill Investments, a real estate company that developed office, warehouse, residential, and mixed-use projects; Administrator at the Maryland Aviation Administration, with overall responsibility for the marketing, air service and physical development, and operation of BWI and Martin State Airports; Director of Planning and Development and then Deputy Administrator at the Maryland Aviation Administration, with responsibility for airport master planning and terminal, airfield and parking improvements; Manager of Policy Analysis at the Maryland Department of Transportation in the Office of the Secretary; Community Facilities Planning Consultant at the National Institute of Mental Health; and as Volunteer Architect with the U.S. Peace Corps in Sfax, Tunisia
Mr. Truby’s recent and current community service includes serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Howard Community College, Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Horizon Foundation, Co-Chair of the Environmental Steering Committee for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, and as a member of Leadership Howard County.
In 2006, Mr. Truby was nominated for the Howard County Volunteer of the Year Award.
Frank Vitale, M.B.A.
Drawn to Tai Sophia by the values and principles that have so ably guided the Institute, Frank Vitale first assumed the role of Vice President for Business and Finance in 2007 and was subsequently elected Executive Vice President and Chief Development and Operations Officer in September 2008. In October 2009, he was named Chief Executive Officer, and in August 2010 he was appointed President. With 30 years of experience in business development, finance, and operations management for major for-profit and public benefit organizations, his career has focused on strategic growth, operational excellence, resource development, public affairs, and advocacy. He has served as a senior vice president of strategic development and corporate affairs for a $4.3-billion international technologies company and, more recently, as president and chief operating officer of a large Baltimore, MD-headquartered 501(c)(3) public benefit organization with programs in mental health and education. Mr. Vitale earned a master’s in business administration from Temple University, a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Delaware Valley College, and completed the executive business management programs at the Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and the Center for Management Design.
Board of Overseers
Anne Bartley
Anne Bartley, the stepdaughter of Winthrop Rockefeller, former Governor of Arkansas, has been involved in civic engagement at all levels and in many different arenas, all aimed at creating a stronger, more just American society. From a Harlem public school to the neighborhoods of Little Rock, from Arkansas’ first woman cabinet member to the Clinton White House, Ms. Bartley has followed her belief that public service is not only honorable but also essential to fulfill this vision. As a foundation board member, an individual, activist funder, and as a co-founder of several donor networks, she has also sought to maximize the potential of financial assets in support of this objective. She is currently on the boards of the Bauman Family Foundation, the Jenifer Altman Foundation, the Faith and Politics Institute, the Grassroots Policy Project, the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Some of the boards she has served on in the past include the New World Foundation, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, the Rockefeller Family Fund, and the Democracy Alliance.
George Bunting, M.B.A.
Mr. Bunting received his MBA degree in Marketing from Columbia University Graduate School of Business in 1964. In July 1991, Mr. Bunting became President and CEO of Bunting Management Group. He formerly served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Noxell Corporation (a Proctor & Gamble Company as of November 1989). Mr. Bunting joined Noxell in 1966 as a Product Manager. In 1968, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Noxell Corporation. In March 1970, he was elected to the position of Executive Vice-President and served as President and CEO from November 1973 until April 1986 when he became Chairman and CEO. He is Director of Crown Central Petroleum Corporation, Mercantile Bankshares Corporation, Baltimore Equitable Society, and Guilford Pharmaceuticals. He served as Chairman of Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Health System, and Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1994 – 1998, as well as Johns Hopkins Medicine from 1996 – 1998. He is currently a Trustee of the above mentioned Hopkins institutions, as well. He also serves on the Boards of many private, non-profit institutions which include the Abell Foundation; Baltimore Community Foundation; the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies; the Maryland Institute College of Art; and is a former member of the Board of United Way of Central Maryland and General Campaign Chair of United Way in1988. He served on both the Board and Executive Committee of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA), having served as Chairman of CTFA from 1990 – 1991 and also from 1979 – 1981. He served on both the Board and Executive Committee of the Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Association from 1975 – 1985. He chaired the Governor’s Employment Training Commission under Governor Harry R. Hughes from 1984–1986.
Guy Hollyday, Ph.D., M.Ac.
Guy Hollyday is a licensed acupuncturist and certified zero balancer in Baltimore, where he works as a volunteer at the Penn North Neighborhood Center. He received his Master's Degree in Acupuncture from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute (TAI) in 1998, the year he was certified in zero balancing. He received a Ph.D. in German studies from the Johns Hopkins University in 1964 and taught German at various universities for ten years. His dissertation was published in 1979 as Anti-Americanism in the German Novel, 1841-1862. Before coming to TAI in 1994, he worked as a copy editor in a medical publishing company and as an administrator and teacher in a community college, studied photography, and self-published an oral history of his Baltimore neighborhood, Stone Hill: The People and Their Stories. As a citizen activist, he has been president of the Stone Hill Residents Association and is chairman of the Baltimore Sewer Coalition.
Wayne B. Jonas, M.D.
Dr. Jonas is the president and chief executive officer of the Samueli institute. A family physician and scientist, he formerly served as the Director of the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, the Director of the Medical Research Fellowship at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, a Director of a WHO Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine, and a member of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. He sits on numerous national and international advisory boards and scientific review groups. He is the author of over 150 publications and five books. He received his medical degree at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Fritz Frederick Smith, M.D., M.Ac.(U.K.), Dipl.Ac.(NCCA), FCCAc.
Dr. Smith received his Osteopathic degree from the Los Angeles College of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, and his M.D. degree from California College of Medicine. Formerly in general medicine, Dr. Smith retired from his practice of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, Osteopathy, and Zero Balancing in 1991. He now devotes himself to the development and international teaching of Zero Balancing, a structural/energetic body balancing system he formulated in 1973. He is a past examiner for the California Acupuncture Examination Board, and is author of Inner Bridges: A Guide to Energy Movement and Body Structure (1986), and Alchemy of Touch, Moving Towards Mastery Through the Lens of Zero Balancing (2005).
John G. Sullivan, J.C.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Sullivan is Powell Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Elon University. He holds two earned degrees: a J.C.D. from Lateran University, Rome, Italy, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was named Elon’s first Distinguished University Professor in 2002. He retired in August 2006 after 36 years at Elon. Dr. Sullivan is also a long-time participant in the ongoing inquiries sponsored by Tai Sophia Institute. He was principal designer and first director of the Tai Sophia’s Master of Arts in Applied Healing Arts program (now called the Master of Arts in Transformative Leadership and Social Change). He is author of: To Come to Life More Fully (1991), Living Large: Transformative Work at the Intersection of Ethics and Spirituality (2004), and The Spiral of Seasons: Welcoming the Gifts of Later Life (2009). His abiding interest is the place where philosophy, psychology, and spirituality – East, West and beyond– intersect and mutually enhance one another.