BOARD OF DIRECTORS
David J. Gullen, M.D.
Chair
Dr. David Gullen joined the Flinn board in 1989 and has served as chair since 2002. He has practiced internal medicine in the Valley since 1979, currently at Mayo Clinic, and is board certified in geriatrics and internal medicine. In addition, Dr. Gullen serves as an assistant professor in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, and is involved extensively in the medical community both locally and nationally; he has chaired the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians and is a director of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Prior to joining Mayo Clinic in 2000, Dr. Gullen practiced internal medical at Phoenix Medical Associates. He also served in roles at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, including chairman of the department of internal medicine. He also was an interviewer with the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Dr. Gullen earned his M.D. from UA, his Master of Science degree in microbiology at Arizona State University, and his bachelor's degree from Princeton University. He spent his internship, residency, chief residency, and fellowship at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York.
Steven M. Wheeler
Vice Chair
Steven Wheeler currently serves as executive vice president of Arizona Public Service Company, where he oversees customer service, transmission and distribution operations, price, and state and regulatory matters. Prior to joining APS in 2001, Mr. Wheeler was a partner with Snell & Wilmer, where he was chairman of its energy, natural resources, and environmental law practice group and a member of the firm's executive committee. He joined the Flinn board in 1997 and was elected vice president in 2007.
Mr. Wheeler's other board leadership roles have included Valley of the Sun United Way (chair), Fiesta Bowl (life director and chair), Arizona Theatre Company (president), Phoenix Art Museum (vice chair), Commission on the Arizona Environment (chair) and Arizona Board of Legal Specialization (chair).
Mr. Wheeler has specialized in environmental and public utility law since 1974. An honors graduate of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Wheeler received his law degree with distinction from Cornell University, where he served as managing editor of the Cornell Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.
Erik M. Reiman, M.D.
Secretary
Dr. Eric Reiman currently serves as executive director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute. He also serves as clinical director of the Neurogenomics Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute; professor and associate head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine; director of the Arizona Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium; and scientific director of the PET Center at Banner Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. He joined the Flinn board in 1999 and was elected secretary in 2008.
Dr. Reiman’s research has pioneered the application of brain-imaging techniques to the study of normal behaviors and behavioral disorders. Before arriving in Arizona in 1989, he practiced psychiatry at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and was a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Dr. Reiman graduated from Duke University, then studied at Oxford University, and returned to Duke for his medical degree and the first three years of his residency. He completed one further year of residency at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Rosellen C. Papp, C.F.A.
Treasurer
Rosellen Papp joined the Flinn board in 1998. A partner and research director at L. Roy Papp and Associates in Phoenix, she has nearly 30 years of experience in security and financial analysis. Papp joined the firm in 1981 upon moving to Arizona from Illinois, where she supervised strategic planning in G.D. Searle & Co.'s pharmaceutical group.
Ms. Papp is a trustee, treasurer, and former board president of the Desert Botanical Garden. She previously served on the board of the Central Arizona Chapter Arthritis Foundation and is a current member of the Friends of Crisis Nursery. She is also a member of ASU Foundation's Woman and Philanthropy Program and serves on the board of the Economic Club of Phoenix.
After earning her Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Michigan, Ms. Papp graduated with a Master of Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a member of the CFA Institute and was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1984.
STAFF
John W. Murphy
President & CEO
John Murphy guides the Flinn Foundation's programs, which specialize in advancing the biosciences in Arizona. Mr. Murphy is a member of the Governor's Council on Innovation and Technology, and was appointed by Gov. Napolitano to the Arizona Commission on Medical Education and Research, the public-private body planning the expansion of the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix. He also served on the Governor's Task Force that planned the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), and now serves on TGen's board, as well as the board of the Critical Path Institute. As CEO he also oversees the Flinn Scholars Program, and has chaired the Rhodes Scholarship selection committee for Arizona.
Mr. Murphy has held administrative positions with three universities. He joined the Flinn Foundation in 1981 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, N.J., where he directed various management and grant programs. He previously chaired the board of Grantmakers in Health, and in 1999 received the Terrance Keenan Award for his leadership and contributions to philanthropy. Mr. Murphy is also past president of the Conference of Southwest Foundations. A native of West Virginia, he holds a master's degree in mass communications from the University of Iowa.
Saundra E. Johnson, M.P.A., FACHE
Executive Vice President
Ms. Johnson is responsible for implementing all Foundation activities and strategic plans, as well as providing administrative oversight to the Flinn Scholars Program. She has been responsible for increasing public awareness of the Foundation and Arizona's Bioscience Roadmap, the state's long-term plan to advance its bioscience sector, and has served as the primary liaison to the economic development community to advance the Roadmap.
Ms. Johnson is the immediate past chairman of the board and current board member for the Foundation for Senior Living, and serves as chair for both the Northern Arizona University Technology and Research Initiative Fund (TRIF) Oversight Committee and the Biotechnology Career Path Advisory Committee for Pima Community College and JobPath.
Prior to joining the Foundation in 2000, Ms. Johnson served as president and CEO of the Arizona Healthcare Federation, the state's first rural/urban health network, and president of the Arizona Affordable Health Care Foundation. She has more than 30 years of experience in health policy planning and implementation, hospital administration, legislative and regulatory affairs, and program development and planning. Ms. Johnson is a graduate of Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Public Administration and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
William A. Read, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Research and Special Projects
William Read oversees the Foundation's basic and translational research programs, and serves as the Foundation's lead official in interfacing with the scientific research community. He also guides the Foundation's interest in emerging grant opportunities in the biomedical research sector and measures to assess the impact of Arizona's investments in the biosciences. Dr. Read has been responsible for guiding Foundation programming in biomedical research, medical and graduate medical education, health services research, and health policy studies.
Dr. Read joined the Foundation in 1989 after serving as president of the Hospital Research and Education Trust of the American Hospital Association in Chicago. He also designed and implemented the American Hospital Association's programs in aging and long term care. He also was a faculty member of the schools of medicine, dentistry, and public health at the University of Washington-Seattle, and a faculty member of the Graduate School at Washington University-St. Louis.
Dr. Read holds a bachelor's degree from the University of San Francisco and a doctoral degree in the sociology of health care from Washington University, St. Louis. He has received a number of awards and honors, including being named a Givens Fellow of Washington University and a Crosby Fellow of the American Hospital Association.
Don P. Snider, CPA
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Over a professional career that has spanned nearly 25 years, Mr. Snider has developed extensive experience in investment management, accounting and tax issues, as well as business administration.
Mr. Snider has overall responsibility for the administration of the Foundation's policies relating to investments, budgeting, accounting, internal controls, auditing, insurance, and employee benefits. He also oversees the preparation of the Foundation's annual tax returns, provides technical assistance to grantees, and serves on the Boards of the Arizona Grantmakers' Forum and the Conference of Southwest Foundations.
Prior to joining the Foundation in 1992, Mr. Snider held positions in public accounting and private industry. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Arizona and a graduate of the University of Arizona, where he majored in Finance.