Leadership Elections 2022

CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT

Olalekan Ajay, PharmD, MBA

As the chief operating officer at Highlands Oncology Group, Olalekan “Lekan” Ajayi is responsible for the regional operations of the company. He brings more than 12 years of experience to Highlands Oncology. His experience and leadership have been focused on operational excellence and developing processes that provide outstanding patient care and drive sustainable growth.

Prior to joining Highlands Oncology in 2022, Lekan was the director of lean transformation at Sheridan Memorial Hospital, a sole community hospital in Sheridan, Wyoming, where he also began his career as an oncology pharmacist and served as a cancer center and internal medicine administrator.

In addition to serving as the secretary of ACCC, Lekan also serves as the chair of the governmental affairs committee and has worked on numerous national policy issues in oncology.

Lekan has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Wyoming.

CANDIDATE FOR SECRETARY

Una Hopkins, RN, FNP-BC, DNP

Una Hopkins, RN, FNP-BC, DNP, is a registered nurse with more than 30 years of experience in oncology, 25 as a nurse practitioner. Dr. Hopkins is currently the director for research and evidence-based practice at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, where she is responsible for the oversight and management of nurse engagement in programs of research and evidence-based practice, academic and affiliations, nursing internet and intranet development, and presentations and publications for the department of nursing. This includes the management of selected staff and operations, academic affiliations and funded educational projects, survey preparation, specialized training initiatives, education related to promotion of nursing research and evidence-based practice, oversight of project management, and funding attainment.

Dr. Hopkins has received numerous awards for her accomplishments in clinical and research work and since 1927, has published over 20 articles in various medical journals. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Nursing Science from the College of New Rochelle where she also studied to become a family nurse practitioner. She received her doctorate from Pace University in New York City. Dr. Hopkins currently serves on ACCC's Board of Trustees, is Chair of the Education Committee, and serves on the Advisory Committee for the Institute for Clinical Immuno-Oncology.

CANDIDATES FOR 2022 TRUSTEES

Jorge Garcia, PharmD, MS, MHA, MBA, FACHE (Incumbent)

Jorge J. García obtained his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in 2010.  Dr. García currently serves as an Assistant Vice President (AVP) at Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF) with responsibility for system-wide acute and ambulatory oncology pharmacy services as well as non-oncology infusion pharmacy services. Dr. García has pioneered pharmacy charge integrity and revenue management in the health-system setting and is a thought leader and national speaker in this area, as well as in the areas of alternative payment models, biosimilars, drug bagging practices, and value-based care. Dr. García leads advocacy efforts at the national level to promote evaluation of safe and effective use of biosimilars, along with stakeholders’ engagement to support a more sustainable biosimilar pharmacoeconomic model.

Dr. García also leads drug bagging regulatory and legislative efforts at the national level. Dr. García has served as a board member at Florida Society of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO) since 2015 and is also a previous recipient of the FLASCO Above and Beyond Award, which honored his exceptional dedication and innovative contributions to the society.  Dr. García also currently holds multiple committee appoints at the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), including the Oncology Pharmacy Education Network (OPEN) and the National Biosimilar Taskforce. In 2020, Dr. García was also appointed to the Board of Trustees at ACCC. Dr. García also serves on the ASHP Specialty Pharmacy Steering Committee and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Health-System Council. In addition, Dr. García currently serves as faculty for the ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Leadership Academy (PLA). Dr. García is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Leigha Senter-Jamieson, MS, CGC

Leigha Senter is a licensed genetic counselor and Associate Professor at The Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute where she specializes in cancer genetics risk assessment in women with gynecologic cancers. Ms. Senter has more than a decade of research experience in hereditary cancers with a primary focus on BRCA gene-related projects with more than 70 peer-reviewed publications. She is a member of the advisory board for FORCE, an advocacy group for patients with hereditary cancers. She’s a past member of the board of directors of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and is currently the Associate Director of OSU’s genetic counseling graduate program.

Jeffrey Kendall, PsyD

Dr. Kendall received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Indiana State University and completed his Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Psychosocial Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. For the past 23 years, Dr. Kendall has directed oncology supportive care departments within NCI-Designated comprehensive cancer centers, academic medical centers, and community cancer centers. He joined the MHealth Fairview Oncology Service Line in 2016 where he is dedicated to addressing the impact of cancer on individuals and families. Currently his professional time is divided among direct patient care, program administration, and program development. To raise awareness of the needs of cancer patients, he speaks nationally and internationally and has published 40 journal articles and abstracts on topics related to psychosocial oncology and cancer survivorship. As a nationally recognized thought leader, Dr. Kendall serves on committees for the American Psychosocial Oncology Society and the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Dr. Kendall has been an active volunteer with ACCC since 2004. He has made contributions to numerous committees and workgroups such as the Education Committee, Awards Committee, Cancer Care Delivery, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Care; Metastatic Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer Care Disparities, and Distress Screening committee.

It is an honor to be considered for a Board position for ACCC because the Mission and Vision of this organization is truly important for improving the care of our cancer patients.

Mark Liu

Mark Liu is the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the oncology service line at the Mount Sinai Health System—an eight-hospital integrated health system in all five boroughs of New York City. He works closely with senior leadership to develop long-term strategy while working collaboratively on critical projects in clinical quality, alternative payment models, new technologies and process improvement.


He first joined Mount Sinai as part of a team to facilitate the build of Mount Sinai Health Partners, an entity advancing population health within the health system. Prior to this, Mark managed ambulatory care operations at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center across nine different solid and hematologic cancers during his eight-year tenure. 


He graduated with a Master of Healthcare Administration from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science double major in Integrated Neuroscience and Sociology from Binghamton University. He was selected as a 2008 fellow of the Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. He recently completed the 2021 Association of Cancer Executives Administrative Fellowship Program.

He is passionate about taking innovate approaches to improve cancer care delivery and the patient experience. As an engaged member of ACCC, he has served on the Alternative Payment Model Task Force, Oncology Care Model Task Force, and planning committee for the Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit. It has been a rewarding experience to contribute to the wider ACCC community by creating forums for leaders from across the country to share insights and build connections with other professionals.

Mark Manning, MD, FASTRO

Matt Manning is a radiation oncologist in Greensboro, North Carolina, with broad experience in community oncology, clinical research and advocacy. Manning earned his degree in chemistry at The College of William and Mary and completed his medical school and residency at the VCU School of Medicine. Manning joined Cone Health in 2001, implementing advanced technology such as IMRT, SRS and SBRT. He served as the Medical Director of Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Medical Director of Radiation Oncology. He also served as the Cone Health Chief of Oncology, leading radiation and medical oncology for six cancer campuses. Manning is committed to successful community cancer research. In the past three years, he has co-authored over twenty articles published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics, the “Red Journal” and mainstream media. In 2016, Manning’s project to drastically reduce costs in oncology received the ACCC Innovator Award. The project focused on “Hotspotters.” Manning is active with his hospital’s Next Generation ACO, having served as the Oncology Division Chief and Operating Committee member. Manning is a member of the Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative. GHDC conducted ACCURE. This study was successful in eliminating racial disparity in cancer care. Manning is board-eligible in Clinical Informatics. He serves on the EPIC Radiation Oncology Steering Committee. Manning is a past President of the Greater Greensboro Society of Medicine and has served on the ASCO Membership Committee. Manning and his wife Allison have three daughters. He loves dragging their suitcases through airports, playing music and walking his dogs.

Lori Schneider (incumbent)

Lori Schneider is an Oncology Operations Manager at Green Bay Oncology. She has worked in healthcare for over 25 years with 20 of those years in Oncology. Lori has lived in the Green Bay, WI area her entire life and is married with three children and three grandchildren.

She joined Green Bay Oncology in 2002. Lori spent 6 years developing and growing the Financial Counseling program to a successful team that is now known nationally and is trademarked as Navigating Hope™. This team has helped train cancer teams nationally and locally to implement programs within their organizations. In 2018 Lori joined the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee sharing her knowledge and expertise of Financial Navigation to others nationwide. She also became the Chairperson for the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College’s Health Navigation Program helping to raise awareness on a local level as well. Her role continued to change and grow and in 2019 she became an Oncology Operations Manager with oversight of the Financial Counseling, Reception, Medical Records, Social Work, Credentialing, Provider Scheduling and most recently the Dietitian teams. During this time she has continued to speak at the national level for organizations including Association of Community Cancer Centers, Association of Cancer Executives, Hematology and Oncology Pharmacy Association, Northeast Wisconsin Oncology Nurses Society, and the Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative. In 2020 Lori became the Chairperson for the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee. Since then she has helped raise awareness for the need of Financial Navigation in Oncology while supporting, initiating and participating in several initiatives including the ACCC Networking Task Force, Coffee Chats, Town Hall and Summit meetings.

Lori joined the ACCC’s Board of Trustee’s in 2021 and is excited to help be a part of the continued growth and expansion of the ACCC’s resources and networks.

Lailea Noel, PhD, MSW

Lailea Noel, PhD is Assistant Professor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin (UT). At the UT Dell Medical School, she holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Oncology and the Department of Health Social Work, she co-chairs the Health Equity in Research Workgroup and serves on the Livestrong Cancer Institutes’ Clinical and Prevention Research Workgroup. Dr. Noel has an extensive practice background in health administration in the field of oncology and non-profit management. Her research interests seek to connect communities most impacted by cancer disparities with cancer care services by exploring patient-provider communication effects on psychosocial barriers to care. She has a passion for conducting community-based participatory research and has a wealth of experience engaging communities, social scientists, and medical professionals in such research pursuits. She also has been successful at recruiting members of marginalized populations into community engaged research.

Ashish Udhrain, MD

Dr. Udhrain was born and raised in New Delhi, India.  He moved to the US in 1992 and attended high school in New Hampshire.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona.  He graduated from Ross University School of Medicine in 2004.  He completed his internship in Internal Medicine at Ochsner Clinic.  Unfortunately, after Hurricane Katrina, he and his family were displaced to Arizona.  Dr.  Udhrain completed his Internal Medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic.  He was awarded and completed Chief Medical Residency at the Mayo Clinic.  Subsequently, he moved back to New Orleans and completed his Hematology-Medical Oncology fellowship at Tulane University.  Upon conclusion of his fellowship, he joined the West Jefferson Medical Center. Thereafter, Dr. Udhrain went to Chicago to work with Dr. Keith Block at the Block Center to learn Integrative Oncology. Dr. Udhrain returned back to New Orleans to join East Jefferson General Hospital as Medical Director of the Cancer Center and helped implement their Integrative Medicine Program at the Yenni Treatment Center. Dr. Udhrain has now joined Thibodaux Regional Health System to help launch a comprehensive, holistic and integrative oncology program for this community. Dr. Udhrain currently serves as the President of Louisiana Oncology Society. Dr. Udhrain has special interests in Integrative Oncology, Cancer-related Pain Management, lung, breast, GI, GU, head and neck oncology and multiple myeloma.

Dr. Udhrain is married to his better half, Amy, and they have three beautiful children, Sofia, Drazen and Luka.  Dr. Udhrain enjoys golfing, playing basketball, and is a NFL football fanatic! WHO DAT! GEAUX SAINTS!

Wendi Waugh, RT(R)(T), CMD,CTR (incumbent)

Wendi’s career has been dedicated to healthcare. She has been employed at Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC) since 1986. Currently, she is the Administrative Director of SOMC Cancer Services & Ambulatory Infusion Clinic.

She is a graduate of the Radiologic Technology Program at Shawnee State University and furthered her education in Radiation Therapy at Weber State University. Wendi completed her Bachelor of Science at Kennedy Western Reserve in Health Administration and Health Informatics. Wendi is also a Certified Cancer Registrar and Certified Medical Dosimetrist.

Wendi resides in Portsmouth, Ohio and has two adult children, Kayci and Mason. Wendi’s passion for community health and community development led her to leadership roles in community health and ambulatory infusion. Wendi is also 16 year survivor of breast cancer.

Wendi’s special interests include community development, public speaking, leadership development, fitness, hiking, and biking.

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