National Board of Advisors
The primary purpose of the Board of Advisors is to oversee and promote all activities intended to secure philanthropic support for Duke Children's. This includes but is not limited to:
- Philanthropy and Development
- Advocacy/Outreach
- Strategic Planning in Development and Marketing
Our National Board members give their time and resources to Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center ensuring its placement among the top pediatric programs in the United States. They help to further Duke Children's mission to provide excellence in the clinical care of infants and children, innovation in basic and applied research, leadership in the education of health care professionals and advocacy for children's health. We are all truly grateful for their leadership and dedication.
Don and Mary Tucker
Chairs
Raleigh, North Carolina
Don and Mary have several meaningful ties to Duke but none quite as special as the one that ties them to Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center. Both completed their undergraduate education at Duke (Trinity) in 1981, and several other family members have graduated from Duke and Duke School of Medicine. Don went on to law school at UNC and is now a partner with Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan in Raleigh, specializing in complex litigation centered around business disputes. Mary has been active in several volunteer-driven organizations including Junior League of Raleigh and served as president of the Wake County Bar Auxiliary and president of the Episcopal Church Women at Christ Church (Raleigh). Together they served as 20th Reunion co-chairs at Duke. Don and Mary have two children -- Mary Conyers and Don.
In May 2001, daughter Mary Conyers, then 13, was diagnosed with liver cancer at Duke Children's. That summer doctors determined that a liver transplant was her only hope and she was placed on the transplant list. A few short months later on October 6, 2001, Mary Conyers underwent a successful liver transplant at Duke and the family's ties to Duke took on new meaning. The Tuckers have become extremely active as advocates for Duke Children's life-saving care and research and speak on behalf of the hospital frequently at fundraisers like the MIX 101.5 Radiothon, Teddy Bear Ball, and various Children's Miracle Network events. Mary is also a member of the Duke Children's Road-to-Life Parent Advisory Committee in support of pediatric cancer care and actively advocates transplant/organ education within the school system's driver education program. Don and Mary also served as the 2004 Chairs of the Duke Children's Teddy Bear Ball. Don and Mary's oldest child and Duke Children's patient, Mary Conyers, started as a Duke University freshman in the Fall of 2006.
Michael T. Gminski
Chairman Emeritus
Charlotte, North Carolina
In his 14-year professional basketball career, Mike played for four NBA clubs - New Jersey, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Milwaukee - before retiring in 1994. After spending eight seasons as a television and radio commentator for the Charlotte Hornets, he joined Fox Sports Net in 2002 to serve as an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men's basketball analyst.
A three-time Academic All-American, Mike graduated from Duke University in 1980, magna cum laude, with a bachelor's degree in history. While at Duke, he was named All-American twice and in 1979, ACC Player of the Year. He led Duke to the 1978 NCAA Championship and his number 43 was retired by the Blue Devils.
Mike has had a longtime commitment to public service. He served as honorary chairman of the 1989 and 1990 Winner's Ball to benefit Special Olympics while in Philadelphia. He has also served as honorary co-chair of the 1991 and 1992 Top Hats and High Tops Ball, a Charlotte, N.C. charity event that also benefits Special Olympics.
Mike has been on the National Board of Advisors at Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center since 1997 - serving as chairman from 2001-03 - and presently serves as chairman emeritus. He has served on the boards of the Orthopedic Research and Education Foundation and the Carolina Computer Access Center. Mike has also served on the Duke University Medical Center Board of Visitors since October 2003.
Mike received four noteworthy athletic honors in 2003: He was chosen to the Atlantic Coast Conference's Top 50 All-Time Basketball Team and elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame, and the New England Sports Hall of Fame.
Mike and his wife, Stacy Anderson, have one son, Noah.
Hugh W. Allen
Charlotte, North Carolina
Hugh is a senior vice president for Wachovia Bank where he serves as Real Estate Financial Services Regional Executive over North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio. In the past, Hugh has served as a Wachovia Bank regional president, business banking manager, commercial real estate relationship manager, and market manager for the Real Estate Financial Services Group. Prior to joining Wachovia in 1996, Hugh worked for PNC Bank in Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC as a real estate lender.
Hugh received his MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business in 1989. A Texas native, he graduated from the University of Texas in 1986 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
Hugh is active in many civic and professional organizations. He is chairman of the Board of Trustees at St. Augustine's College, and currently serves on the board of the Wade Edwards Foundation. He is a past member of the Raleigh Convention Center Steering Committee and the Raleigh CIAA Steering Committee. Past Board memberships include Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, United Arts of Raleigh and Wake County, the Triangle Urban League Board of Directors, National Association of Corporate Directors, Wake Education Partnership, and African American Real Estate Professionals. Additionally, Hugh is active in NAIOP, ICSC, Triangle United Way, National Black MBA Association and is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
Prior to initiating his banking career, Hugh made a brief visit to Hollywood, as a consultant to his sister, Debbie Allen, as she directed the NBC sitcom "It' s A Different World". He also had the opportunity to play the role of Quincy in three episodes of the show.
Hugh lives in Charlotte, NC with his beautiful wife, Natalie. They are the proud parents of son, Andrew, and daughter, Chloe.
David Crabtree
Raleigh, North Carolina
David is anchor of the Triangle's leading news station, WRAL-TV. The Emmy-award winning broadcaster can also be heard doing news briefs on MIX 101.5 WRAL-FM during the morning show. He has won many journalism awards including the Gabriel Award, NC Journalist of the Year (named four consecutive years by the Radio and Television News Directors Association of the Carolinas), and 10 Emmy Awards. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, David graduated from Middle Tennessee State University. In 2004, he was ordained as vocational Deacon in the Episcopal Church with a focus on death row and hospice care.
Rick Anicetti
Morrisville, N.C.
Rick is president and chief executive officer of Food Lion, LLC. He joined the company as chief operating officer in 2000 after 20 years of service at the company's sister banner Hannaford Bros. Co. Anicetti was promoted to CEO in 2002. A native of Oakland, Maine, Rick graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in political science. He serves as a member of the board of directors for numerous organizations.
Dr. E. Stephen Edwards
Raleigh, NC
Dr. Edwards is a retired pediatric doctor. He attended Duke University School of Medicine and was a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He has served as president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Edwards is married with three children and six grandchildren.
A.E. Finley, II
Raleigh, North Carolina
Earle was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to William R. and Louise Finley, the fourth of four children. He grew up in Maryland and Florida and attended Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia. He attended Western Maryland College 1953 - 1957, graduated with B.A. in Psychology and Reserve Commission in the U.S. Army. Earle married Sara Ellen Price in June 1957. They had five children, one who is deceased. He served in the U.S. Army on active duty from June 1957 through December 1957 with an eight-year reserve obligation. Earle worked in construction equipment business in sales and management from January 1958 through July 1968 and founded Finley Realty in 1969, which he then sold to his son in 1990. Earle founded Evergreen Properties in 1990.
George L. Grody
Durham, North Carolina
George recently retired from Procter & Gamble after 26 years of service. He moved to Durham in September of 2007 with his two black Labs, Coco and Jil. In addition to sharing his business skills with Duke Children's Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, and Duke Athletics, hs is also teaching at Duke in the Markets and Management Studies program.
Following his graduation from Duke in 1981 with a B.S. degree in Management Sciences, George joined Procter & Gamble in Charlotte, NC. After numerous assignments in the U.S., George lived overseas for 11 years and worked on start-ups, mergers, acquisitions, and developing and implementing new business models for P&G. He has lived in the Bahamas, Australia, Taiwan, Germany, Switzerland, and Romania; and has worked in an additional 34 countries. George moved back to the U.S. in 1999 and worked in P&G's North American New Business Development Group focusing on corporate organizational redesigns and post-acquisition integrations. Prior to his retirement, George was the Director for Global Strategic Alliances in the Household Needs Business Unit for Procter & Gamble where he was responsible for developing and marketing and technical alliances with a wide variety of partners across the world.
Eric Hinshaw
Durham, N.C.
Eric has been chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Kingsdown Inc. since 1981. A native of Mebane, NC, Eric graduated from Duke University in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in management science. An avid supporter of Duke University, he is a member of the Advisory Board of the Fuqua School of Business as well as winner of the university's Charles A. Duke Award. He serves as a member of the board of directors for numerous organizations. Eric has led Kingsdown to raise more than $1 million for children's hospitals in the United States and Canada.
Arthur M. Pappas
Durham, North Carolina
Art is founder and managing general partner of A. M. Pappas & Associates, a Research Triangle Park, North Carolina-based venture capital firm that invests nationally in the life science industry.
Art has more than 29 years of experience as a pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry executive and venture capital investor in life science companies. Among the companies for which he serves as a member of the board of directors are: AtheroGenics (Nasdaq: AGIX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of genes that regulate atherosclerosis and cancer; Dynogen Pharmaceuticals, a neuroscience-based company focused on genitourinary and gastrointestinal disorders; and Genstruct, a systems biology drug discovery company focused on streamlining drug discovery and improving clinical trial design and implementation. He also previously served on the boards of several public life science companies including Embrex (Nasdaq: EMBX), Glaxo (NYSE: GLX), Quintiles Transnational (Nasdaq: QTRN) and Valentis (Nasdaq: VLTS).
Prior to founding A. M. Pappas & Associates in 1994, Art held senior level leadership positions at several multinational pharmaceutical companies. He was an executive member of the board of directors of Glaxo Holdings plc (now GlaxoSmithKline), for which he was responsible for international operations including research, development and manufacturing. He previously was vice president of Commercial Operations for Abbott International Ltd., and he held various executive leadership positions with Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals and the Dow Chemical Company, in the United States and internationally. Art received his BS degree in Biology from Ohio State University and his MBA in Finance from Xavier University.
Charles "Bucky" Oliver II
Chapel Hill, NC
Bucky is Chairman and Founder of Jetcraft Corporation, which offers worldwide solutions for aircraft sales and acquisition services. He was formerly the owner and operator of Raleigh-Durham Aviation. Bucky served as Teddy Bear Ball Chairman in 1999. Along with his involvement with Duke Children's, he serves as a board member for The Hill Center and is co-chair of The Hill Center Campaign. Bucky and his wife, Wendi, have two children--Emily and Todd, and four granchildren--Caroline, Jackson, Henry, and Bruce.
Rhonda Foxworthy
Alpharetta, GA
Rhonda Foxworthy lives in Alpharetta with her husband, Jay, and their three children--Blake, Landyn, and Sydney.
Federico van Gelderen
Raleigh, NC
Federico is in new business development for Univision Communications. Formerly he was publisher of the triangle edition of Que Pasa, a Hispanic newspaper and radio station. Prior to this, he worked in the banking and insurance industries in both Raleigh, N.C., and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Federico has served as a board member o many organizations, including the School of Journalism and Mass Communication Foundation of North Carolina Inc., High Five and Wake County Human Services. He holds a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Catolica in Argentina and has three children.
