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Board of Directors
The Board of Directors was formed by the original co-founders of Surfing Medicine International, Summer Austin, Guy Ragosta, and Steve Bogle after verbal consultation with our team members and during the filing of our Articles of Incorporation.
Steve Bogle was selected to the Board for his inspiration to find natural treatments to help treat his son, pro-surfer Jason Nalu Bogle’s cancer, and for his knowledge and pioneering of surfing big waves in Hawai`i in the 1970’s.
Summer was selected to the Board for her connection and efforts with Jamaican and Ghanaian traditional healers as an Ethnobotanist, her dedication to her PhD dissertation at the University of Hawai`i, her service in Jamaica as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and her experience as a co-editor of the book “Common Medicinal Plants of Portland, Jamaica”.
Guy Ragosta was selected to the Board for his experience working on watershed restoration, environmental education, and fecal bacteria (Enterococci) surface water quality research and management of tropical island marine and fresh water ecosystems since 1999 in the Caribbean (Hispaniola) and Pacific (Micronesia) as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and in the Hawaiian Islands of Kaua’i and O’ahu with multiple local, state, federal, non-profit, and international organizations focused on watershed management issues.
The other Board of Directors include Chad Durkin, Lanie DuPont Jilg, Michael McMahon, Jane Moore, Marcello Parisi, and Jay Oku. Board members were selected from the wider community and voted on by the original founders of Surfing Medicine International (S. Austin, S. Bogle, and G. Ragosta). Board members reflect interests and experiences from a wide range of American culture, demographics, and expertise.
Chad Durkin was selected for his involvement in the community, culture, and environment of Hawai`i and his commitment to improving water quality in costal areas world wide through a cooperative ecological approach. Chad is currently the director of The Green Machine, an `Oahu based constructed wetland project. He also works with a local non-profit company the Malama `aina Foundation, which means “to care for the land” training teachers of public Charter schools to integrate science in their project based curriculum activities. He has written grants in collaboration with the Hawaii Nature Center, the State of Hawaii, the US EPA, USDA, and the US Department of Education for bioremediation systems designed to use locally valuable plants to filter out contaminants from sewage effluent, and reclaim the water to an R2 status that can be used for agricultural purposes. He also is actively involved in the community, offering tours of his facilities to local K-12 schools as well as college level courses. Summer Austin has brought classes from UH to tour and write about Chad’s innovative and sustainable systems. Surfing Medicine International has selected Chad Durkin to be a Board of Directors member because he has already accomplished many of the goals we are striving for. We look forward to his guidance and direction in bringing us closer to our mission.
Lanie Dupont Jilg has been working as an LPN in Brevard County Florida for ten years. She was selected for her staunch commitment to quality health care and her first hand experience in medical issues such as wound care, neurology, geriatrics, diabetes, and home health care. Lanie will impart philosophies and world-views shared by the health-care community in the United States today, and we look forward to her direction and suggestions considering the goals of Surfing Medicine International.
Michael McMahan currently sits on the Tualatin River Watershed council (complete mission statement, list if stake holders and accomplishments, can be viewed on the website www.trwc.org). Michael also serves as Chair for the Natural resource Committee of the Oregon Association of Nurseries (www.oan.org), and works as the Horticulturist for Fisher Farms in Portland, Oregon. Surfing Medicine International feels that Michael McMahon will bring to the table the necessary people skills and non-profit management capabilities necessary for competent, unbiased, and informed decision making.
Jane Moore, RNMS, CS, SRN works at the Department of Veterans Affairs in California and is highly experienced in the areas of Gerontology and Adult Medicine. Jane has an MSN in NursingAdmin/Geron, she is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and is licensed as such. Jane Moore also taught at the University of Hawai`i and Hawai`i Loa College in the nursing program. She has extensive experience working in the political realm with the Hawaii Nurses’ Association for which she still maintains many contacts. Surfing Medicine International is pleased to have Jane Moore as a Board of Directors member and we are confident she will greatly enhance both the ability of Surfing Medicine International to represent the interests of the broader US community as well as facilitate the attainment of our goals and mission.
Marcello Parisi was selected for his interest in non-profit development and his experience with managing a business. Marcello Parisi started his own computer consulting company called PCFive O and is in the process of developing a non-profit organization with the intent of providing second-hand computers to K-12 classrooms in Hawaii.
Jay Oku was selected for his work on the North Shore O’ahu Chamber of Commerce, and his dedication to North Shore Disaster Preparedness.