‘TGen Ambassadors’ recruits 100th member
Wells Fargo vice president is latest member of TGen Foundation network
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Sept. 19, 2018 — TGen Ambassadors, a group of donors and advocates who support the biomedical advances being made by the Translational Genomics Research Institute, an affiliate of City of Hope, has reached a major milestone with the recruitment of its 100th member.
Reine Yazbeck, a Vice President and Non-Profit Business-Banking Manager for Wells Fargo, recently became the 100th member of TGen Ambassadors, adding to TGen’s network of working professionals and emerging leaders.
“I joined TGen Ambassadors because I wanted to learn more about all the tremendous, groundbreaking research happening right here in Arizona. My hope in joining the TGen Ambassadors is to help make a deeper impact in the lives of others,” Yazbeck said. “While it sounds simple enough in so many ways, it truly takes an entire community, tenacious collaborative efforts, and an unwavering commitment to stand united in order to effectuate the medical change needed in impacting and saving precious lives.”
Examples of TGen Ambassadors events include one at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, in which members enjoyed an Arizona Diamondbacks spring training game and had the opportunity to meet Luis “Gonzo” Gonzalez, who made the game-winning hit that won the 2001 MLB World Series for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The March event, on the exclusive outfield patio, was organized by Graham Rossini, D-backs Vice President of Fan Experience — and an inaugural member of TGen Ambassadors.
The next TGen Ambassadors event will be Sept. 25 at the recently renovated ASU Sun Devil Stadium, where members will learn about TGen’s efforts to quickly and precisely diagnose head injuries and brain disease, and TGen’s leadership in the emerging field of genomics-guided exercise.
In 2002, visionary Arizona leaders in science, business and government united through networking, advocacy and philanthropy to establish TGen, making The Grand Canyon State a frontier in biomedical technology.
“Through TGen Ambassadors, we look to a new generation of advocates to take up the mantle of leadership and propel that vision forward,” said Dean Ballard, Development Director for the TGen Foundation, the fundraising arm of non-profit TGen.
Today, TGen is a global leader in genomic science and precision medicine, which is the process of taking laboratory discoveries and quickly turning those breakthroughs into new therapies that immediately benefit patients with disorders such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, infectious diseases and many types of cancer.
“I am so incredibly proud to be a member of TGen Ambassadors,” said David Lodwick, Regional Chief Financial Officer of Alliance Residential Company, and the first member of TGen Ambassadors when the group formed in early 2016. “I had no idea nearly three years ago that I would be joined by so many other young professionals in supporting TGen, and touting the futuristic technologies of this amazing institute.”
TGen Ambassadors annually make a gift of $1,000 to the TGen Foundation, and extend their financial commitment to advocacy within their professional networks and beyond.
To learn more about TGen Ambassadors, please contact Dean Ballard at [email protected] or call him at 602-343-8543.
Current members of TGen Ambassadors are:
Matt Baehr
Brandon Bell
Dave Binsfeld
Brian Bogert
Lorry Bottrill
Anna Brennan
Joshua Bryzelak
Gary Bushkin
Jason Cassidy
Carol Clemmensen
Bill Cook
Sarah Cossette
Drew de Weerd
Roopali Desai
Erika Dickey
Russ Dickey
Alex Dunn
Charles Ellis
Martin Felli
Thomas & Debbie Finn
Andrew Fritz
Jeff Gardner
Reed Glick
Gregory Goldsand
Edward Grass
Christine Gustafson
Jamie Helt
Marci Hersh
William Hinz
Bob Hobbs Jr.
Tom Hobbs
Valerie Hoffmann
Mitch Hundman
Ivan and Janet Johnson
Julie Johnson
Melissa Julian
David Katz
Eliza Kiburz
Craig King
Leon Kochan
Colleen Kucera
Tom La Porte
Kevin Lang
Patricia Lau
Bill and Julie Lavidge
T. James Lee
Xia Li
David Lodwick
Jane Luckman
Larry Lytle
Jennifer Maggiore
Joseph Maggiore
Erik Marsh
Ryan McGuire
Jeremy Meek
Jeff Miksta
Stephanie A. Mitrovic
Natalie Moore
Ryan Moore
Jeffrey Morton
Jennifer Moser
Russell Mueller
Marilynn Niemann
David Odland
Kathryn Odland
Sarah O'Keefe
Robin Orscheln
Desirae Outcalt
Raechel Owen
Glenn Pahnke
Terry Peets
Chris Polityka
Monique Porras
Helene Presutti
Tom Radic
Luis Ramirez
Dee Robbins
Laura Robertson
Jordan Rose
Graham Rossini
Jay Schneider
Jeffrey Seaman
Elizabeth M. Shabaker
Humphrey Shin
Celeste Silvernail
Eric Silvernail
Andrew Soulier
Karen L. Starbowski
Kristopher Stathakis
Clark Stephens
Ian Swiergol
Timothy Thomas
Matthew A. Thorne
Kevin Turner
Vicki Vaughn
Matthew Wells
Lou Werner III
Shawn West
Diane Willian
Tiffany Winnie
Reine Yazbeck
Lois Zapernick
Kathy Zeblisky
Beth Zoneraich
Nathaniel Zoneraich
About TGen
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is affiliated with City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and cancer and diabetes treatment center: www.cityofhope.org. This precision medicine affiliation enables both institutes to complement each other in research and patient care, with City of Hope providing a significant clinical setting to advance scientific discoveries made by TGen. TGen is focused on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases, through cutting edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help our patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. For more information, visit: www.tgen.org. Follow TGen on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @TGen.
Media Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
