Board of Directors

Brian Shirts, MD, PhD

Brian is ConnectMyVariant President. He is an Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Vanderbilt University. His professional goal is to see the end of preventable hereditary disease. In his clinical role, he supports a large range of clinical genetic testing.

Emily Malouf, MGC, CGC

Emily is ConnectMyVariant Secretary and is a licensed certified genetic counselor at the University of Washington Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. Before joining the ConnectMyVariant team, she worked with people that have cancer in them or their families and coordinated diagnostic genetic testing for hereditary cancer conditions. She also has experience working in several other areas of genetic counseling, including hereditary cardiac and neurologic conditions, and research.

Betty Johnson, MBA

Betty is ConnectMyVariant Treasurer. Betty has worked in county and state government, as well as in the non-profit sector. She has extensive experience in cash flow management, budgeting, financial analysis, and auditing.

Wenora Johnson

As a 3 time cancer survivor with Lynch Syndrome Wenora is a strong advocate for cancer prevention. In addition to serving on the ConnectMyVariant Board, she also been and advocate with the College of American Pathologists (CAP), Facing Our Cancer Risk Empowered (FORCE) Board of Directors, and many other organizations.

Leann Seddon

Leann is ConnectMyVariant Vice President and Chair of the Patient / Family Member Advisory Committee. Leann started helping relatives learn about their hereditary cancer risk before ConnectMyVariant started. With the help of other ConnectMyVariant participants she has traced her variant to an ancestor who died in 1688.

 

Chandler Lewis

Chandler is Director of Equity and Inclusion at The Cross Cultural Health Care Program.  He is also founder and director of 360 Social Ventures a social impact incubator in Seattle, Washington.  Chandler has been working with ConnectMyVariant as an Advisor since 2021 and led the process to develop ConnectMyVariant's equity and inclusion statement.

Carole Eldridge

Carole is the Chief Nursing Officer for Synergis Education Inc.  She has been communicating with her extended family about hereditary cancer risk for many years and has been involved with ConnectMyVariant for over 3 years.