Meet the ASAA's Leadership Team

Officers

Board Chair - Adam Amdur, Sarasota, FL he was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in 2008. As he struggled to manage his treatment, it wasn't until he found his way to the sleep center at Stanford University that he received the support needed to adequately control his overall medical condition. Since then Amdur has been passionate about assisting others with understanding this disease and getting the help they need. He is currently writing a memoir, Asleep at the Wheel: Living with Sleep Apnea, in hopes of educating the public about apnea and its effects on both adults and children.

Judith Owens, M.D., M.P.H., is president-elect and chief medical officer of the association. She is also director of sleep medicine at the National Children’s Medical Center in Washington, DC, and an expert in pediatric sleep disorders. Before taking her present position in 2010, she was associate professor of pediatrics at Brown University Medical School and director of pediatric sleep disorders at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, RI.

Nancy Rothstein, Chicago, IL, is secretary of the ASAA and a patient advocate member of the board. She is the author of My Daddy Snores, a children's book about sleep apnea that has reached more than 250,000 readers, and the creator of www.mydaddysnores.com. Rothstein created and hosts The Sleep Radio Show, the only internet radio show dedicated exclusively to the topic of sleep. 

Burton Abrams,  treasurer of the ASAA, is an electrical engineer who lives and works near Philadelphia, PA. Abrams overcame his sleep apnea in 2003, finding that to be an immediate cure for his frequent gout attacks. His research into the connection of sleep apnea with gout led to his insights into many other consequences of sleep apnea, which he published in his book The Perils of Sleep Apnea. He also has described the connection of gout with sleep apnea in several medical journals.

Board of Directors

Rich Bren, an obstructive sleep apnea patient, has more than 25 years of trucking industry risk and insurance experience. His father and sister have also been diagnosed and treated for OSA. He is the vice president for strategic sales at Contractor Management Services in Peoria, AZ. Bren specializes in compliance relative to commercial trucking companies. He brings to the ASAA board a keen awareness of sleep apnea issues and their implications for commercial truck drivers and their employers.

Michael P. Coppola, M.D., is immedicate past president and chief medical officer of the American Sleep Apnea Association. He is vice president for medical affairs and cheif medical officer for NOVASOM, a home sleep diagnostic services company. He also holds board certification in pulmonology, critical care, internal and sleep medicine.

Ann (Pickett) Croft, Atlanta, GA, has been a sleep apnea patient since 2000. She became an outspoken advocate of sleep apnea awareness after the death of her first husband in 2002 from sleep apnea complications. She is convener of an A.W.A.K.E. group in Dallas, GA, appears at health fairs and before groups, and has been featured in magazines and newspaper articles speaking out about sleep apnea. Her second husband also suffers from OSA.

Rochelle Goldberg, M.D., a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine, is medical director for REM Medical Specialists, West Phoenix, AZ, and regional medical director, Arizona, for Sleep HealthCenters. In addition to her ABSM credential, she is board-certified in pulmonary medicine and internal medicine.  She is a past president of the ASAA.

Rick Gordon,

Will Headapohl, San Diego, is a patient advocate, writer and consultant focused on the challenges of getting all undiagnosed apnea sufferers into treatment. He is the co-author of the book Sleep or Die. Overcome Apnea Before It Overcomes You. Three Approaches. His work is aimed at mobilizing all those touched by the disease including partners, family members, loved ones, medical care providers, and victims. Headapohl’s resume includes Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Operating Officer roles in the Internet/IT/Wireless industries.

Kathe Henke, Ph.D., a respiratory physiologist, is laboratory director of the Sleep Disorders Center of Virginia, Richmond, VA. She is also a clinical associate in the department of internal medicine at the Medical College of Virginia and an adjunct professor in the sleep technology program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. She is immediate past secretary of the ASAA.

Tracy R. Nasca, Chaska, MN, is founder of Talk About Sleep (www.talkaboutsleep.com), where she is vice president.  Nasca is an advisory team member of the Sleep Center Management Institute in Atlanta, GA. She is also a contributing staff writer for the American Association of Sleep Technologists, and a member of the Narcolepsy Network and the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation.

David M. Rapoport, M.D., is director of sleep research and of the sleep medicine program at the New York University School of Medicine and is board certified in pulmonary and sleep medicine and director of research at the NYU Sleep Disorders Center at Bellevue Hospital. He is the founder and president of the Foundation for Research in Sleep Disorders, based at NYU.

Michael Simmons, D.M.D., practices dentistry and dental sleep medicine in southern California and is a diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain. He has been a lecturer/course co-chair at UCLA’s dental school in the Department of Oral Medicine and Orofacial Pain since 1987 and clinical assistant professor at the University of Southern California since 2008. Simmons is actively involved in research in dental sleep medicine, has published original peer reviewed articles, lectured nationally and recently completed a children's book on snoring and drowsy driving.

John Sotos, M.D., Palo Alto, CA, is chief executive officer of Apneos Corporation. He is a cardiologist and computer scientist with special interest in sleep apnea and sleep apnea diagnostics.  He is adjunct professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He is the author of Zebra Cards: A Guide to Obscure Diagnosis.

Victoria Thon, Ph.D. has been a diagnosed sleep apnea patient since 1999.  She is a scientist who lives in Southern California.  Vicki became a stanch advocate for both diagnosed and undiagnosed sleep apnea patients after years of misdiagnosis of her own sleep apnea.  She is a moderator for the ASAA sleep apnea support forum.

Directors Emeritus

Elizabeth Johns is former chair of the board of the ASAA and an apnea patient. She also is the executive director of a nonprofit agency providing residential and employment services to adults with developmental and other disabilities.  She served as patient advocate on the National Institutes of Health Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board. Her interest includes increased awareness of the high incidence of sleep apnea in individuals with Down syndrome.

Kingman P. Strohl, M.D., is one of the founders of the ASAA. He is director of the Center for Sleep Education and Research at Case Western Reserve University and a professor of medicine in the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. He is co-editor of the journal Sleep and Medicine. He is also a founding member of the National Sleep Foundation. Strohl stepped down from active service on the ASAA board and was named a director emeritus in 2010.

Executive Director

Edward Grandi became executive director of the American Sleep Apnea Association in 2004. A graduate of St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, previously was director of development for several nonprofit organizations and an independent insurance agent with a specialty in risk management for nonprofits. Click here for his C.V.