Board of Directors

Antonio Capone, Jr., M.D. - President

Dr. Capone is President of the PRRF.  His primary role is developing PRRF’s strategic plan while making sure its program and operations support its mission on a daily basis.  Dr. Capone is an internationally recognized clinician, surgeon and educator. He has authored or co-authored over 300 publications in peer-reviewed medical journals, book chapters, and publications from clinical trials. He is currently a Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Oakland University, and Professor at the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology, Lugano, Switzerland. Dr. Capone is recognized in particular as a surgical innovator.  He also serves as Co-President of Associated Retinal Consultants (ARC), the leading academically-oriented private retina practice in the world, and has held a number of leadership positions in ophthalmology over the last 25 years.  He completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at Brown University, his residency at the University of Pittsburgh, and fellowship at Emory University.

Mohamed Al-Shabrawey, M.D., Ph.D. - Board Member

Dr. Al-Shabrawey is an expert on the study of diabetic retinopathy, a major cause of blindness worldwide, and has published more than 65 refereed articles on the disease in the past 20 years. His research funding since 2007 has included major grants from the National Eye Institute and the American Heart Association, and he currently possesses an NIH R01 grant that extends to 2024. Dr. Al-Shabrawey has garnered both national and international recognition for his work, as evidenced by his frequent invitations to speak at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and the International Society of Eye Research (ISER). His research area is perfect for stimulating future scientific collaboration with ERI basic science and clinical vision researchers. In addition, Dr. Al-Shabrawey has exhibited an impressive record of mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and medical students in his laboratory. He was appointed to Director of the Oakland University Eye Research Institute in August 2021.

John Capone, J.D. - Board Member

John is an Associate General Counsel at Quadient and specializes in IP and technology litigation and corporate matters and contracts. In his spare time, John also serves on several other non-profit boards, including Italia Lacrosse North America, and the Italian American Lacrosse Foundation. He is U.S. legal counsel and serves as an assistant coach for the Italian Lacrosse Men's National Team and travels often for clinics and all levels of national and international competition.

Alex J. Dobin, B.B.A. - Board Member

Alex Dobin is the director and head of the HR business advisor team at NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a leading clean energy company. Dobin is responsible for leading a team of human resources professionals that support the over 40 business units that comprise NextEra Energy, Inc., located across the United States and Canada. In this role, he is responsible for leading daily operational HR functions and supporting the strategic initiatives of the enterprise. His focuses include policy development, data & analytical review and solution deployment, talent & succession planning, cultural & engagement strategy, organizational design, and change management leadership. He provides counsel regarding employment & labor relations, leadership development, training, mergers & acquisitions, targeted recruiting, and organizational effectiveness. In addition to his work at PRRF, Alex is a director of the board of directors for CareerSource Palm Beach County, Florida, a director of the board for Families First of Palm Beach County, a governor of the board of governors for Leadership Palm Beach County, president of the Olympia Master Association, president of the Easton Village Association and a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County, class of 2021.

Kimberly Drenser, M.D., Ph.D. - Board Member, Research Committee Co-chair

Dr. Drenser is dedicated to promoting translational research in retina, making benchtop to bedside a reality.  She has an extensive background in retinal research, which started with her PhD thesis (completed at the University of Florida Neuroscience Center and UC San Francisco Beckmen Vision Center) which created a gene therapy for an inherited retinal degeneration.  The foundation of this gene therapy has been developed into an FDA approved therapy which is now available for a rare blinding disease.  While completing her ophthalmology residency at the Jules Stein Eye Institute followed by a vitreoretinal fellowship at Associated Retinal Consultants she continued to develop patient focused retinal research for therapeutic development.  Her development of the Ophthalmic Biobank allowed for the discovery of the role of Wnt-signaling, and specifically norrin, in eye development and retinal regeneration.  Dr. Drenser has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed medical journals, book chapters, and publications from clinical trials, including Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.  She continues to treat children with blinding retinal disease and extend research opportunities to collaborators at Oakland University and other Institutions.

Patrick J. Droste, M.S., M.D. - Board Member, Grassroots Development Chair

Patrick J. Droste, M.S., M.D. graduated medical school from Wayne State University in 1980, completed his residency in ophthalmology at Henry Ford Hospital, and a fellowship in Pediatric ophthalmology at Indiana University.  He returned to Michigan in 1987 to begin his practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan now known as Pediatric Ophthalmology, P.C. Dr. Droste is a Clinical Professor at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in the Departments of Neurology, Ophthalmology, and Surgery as well as a Clinical Professor at Michigan State University College of Osteopathy in the department of Neurology and Ophthalmology.  He has served as past president of the Michigan Society of Eye Surgeons and Physicians, and serves on many committees for county, state and national medical/ophthalmology societies.  Dr. Droste has published numerous articles in peer review journals, presentations and courses, and lectured internationally. He actively participates in clinical research at the community level with our local hospitals, and at the national level as a principal investigator for Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG).  Philanthropy has been an important focus throughout Dr. Droste’s career.  He created the Visually Impaired Sports Day which has occurred annually since 2002 in sponsorship with Spectrum Health, was a charter board member of Project Access which provides free medical services to the disadvantaged in Kent County, has cared for indigent children of third world countries through Heal the Children, and was a charter member of the ROPARD Board.

Kelli Matthew, M.B.A. - Board Member, Strategic Planning Committee Chair

Kelli Matthew is a principal with Kelmar Consulting LLC.  She brings over 30 years of experience as a client service professional and senior operations leader to her engagements.  Kelli assists senior executives by partnering with them to design and execute plans which develop, focus and engage their people to ultimately achieve their financial objectives.  Kelli has often been tapped to lead in a newly-created role within an organization.  Her expertise in building infrastructure and expansion of service firms includes financial and human resources management, process design and improvement, and service delivery methodology.  A native of Michigan, Kelli has been involved in several community efforts throughout the Metropolitan Detroit area, including holding key leadership positions and developing new processes and programs for local nonprofit organizations. Kelli currently serves on the HAVEN Gala Committee, the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation Board of Directors, and the St. Joan of Arc Finance Committee. Kelli holds a Master of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Management from Albion College.  She is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management and is a Droste DiSC certified trainer.

Kay White Meyer, B.A. - Board Member-at-Large

Kay White Meyer is a community volunteer who began to work with ROPARD when she chaired its first fund-raisers, The Artful Garden". She joined the Board of ROPARD in 1996. Kay has been active in many organizations, including the DSO, American Heart, American Lung and especially Common Ground where she has answered the crisis line for 34 years and served 4 terms as Board Chair. Kay graduated from Colby College with a B.A. She is on the Advisory Board of The Art Experience and is a member of two garden clubs. She also loves to play tennis and is an avid gardener.

Charles S. Walls IV, MEM, MIM - Board Member, Family Development Chair

Chuck Walls first came to Associated Retinal Consultants PC (ARC) in 2007 after his son, Collin, was diagnosed with X-Linked Juvenile Retinoschisis. He is passionate about treatment for this retinal disease, and wanted to do more, so he joined the VRRF Board in 2014. More recently he is excited to work with families who have children with retinal diseases as the Family Development Chair on the PRRF Board.  Chuck is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and a combat veteran aviator with multiple combat and peace keeping tours.  Chuck is also an Experimental Test Pilot, and after his retirement in 2009, continues to serve the US Army as a Department of the Army Civilian working as the Chief, Engineering Design and Analysis and still flies as an Experimental Test Pilot conducting tests for the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, VA.. LTC(R) Walls received a Bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1989, and a Masters degree in Engineering Management from University of Central Florida in 2002, and a Masters degree in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University in 2002.  Chuck, and his wife, Donna, also have experience as Co-Founders and Co-Directors of an educational non-profit 501(c)(3) foundation for 10 years.

Staff

Stephanie E. Saville – Foundation Manager

Stephanie passion is partnering with community leaders to ignite meaningful and impactful change for the mission’s they care about most. With over 20 years working for nonprofit organizations, Stephanie is the guiding force behind millions raised for local and national organizations. Stephanie has led the Hope for Vision Walk since 2019 and is now serving as Foundation Manager for PRRF. She is also the owner of a nonprofit consulting company, Guiding Force Consulting, LLC. Stephanie is a proud graduate of Davenport University with a Master’s of business Administration and currently serves on the board of Guiding Harbor.

Luisa Recchia - Community Outreach Coordinator

Luisa Recchia's passion for adding value to people who add value to others finds herself at the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation. For years, she has worked with both for profit and non-profit organizations. Growing up in a large extended family, the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" brings a lot of meaning. If one child suffered, we were all impacted and all pitched in and rolled up our sleeve. Luisa and her husband Jim have three adult sons working hard to pass on family traditions. As an entrepreneur, Luisa works as a coach for business owners and leadership teams helping them get what they want from their business.

Heather Tull - Administrative Coordinator

Heather has been working in the nonprofit industry for over 17 years in various administrative roles. She brings a passionate, dedicated and thoughtful approach to every interaction with clients. She specializes in streamlining processes, anticipating client administrative needs, and keeping the PRRF team organized and on track with data management. You’ll also see Heather at outreach events and industry conferences. When Heather isn’t making a huge difference in the lives of her colleagues, she’s spending quality time with her husband and playing with her rambunctious dog, Murray.

Our Founder

Michael T. Trese, M.D.

(1946 - 2022)

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