Immediate

Parkland Foundation Board of Directors names new leadership

The Parkland Foundation Board of Directors has elected new officers and committee chairs. They are Roslyn Dawson Thompson, chair; Ed Ramirez, vice chair; Katie Robbins, finance committee chair; and Betsy Healy, development committee chair. In addition, Carol Yonack has been named as an ex-officio member of the board. "Parkland Foundation thanks our new board officers for their service. Their dedication to helping those who are underserved is evident through their commitment to Parkland Foundation. We look forward to working with them as Parkland continues to partner with the community to build a new hospital," said David Krause, president and chief executive officer of Parkland Foundation. Board chair Roslyn Dawson Thompson is president and CEO of Dawson+Murray+Teague Communications, the firm she founded in 1986. A veteran in the marketing communications and public relations fields, she has particular expertise in corporate philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. Her career includes management positions with an international public relations firm and with the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce. She has also served as an instructor at Southern Methodist University and Baylor University. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in English literature from Baylor University and Vanderbilt University, respectively. Dawson Thompson has been a dedicated community volunteer for over 25 years, serving on a number of boards, including the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas, the Junior League of Dallas and the Dallas Public Information Task Force. She recently chaired the board of the Center for Nonprofit Management, served as a trustee of Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas, and is chair emeritus of Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park. She is currently on the boards of the Dallas Women's Foundation and the Dallas Summit. "My family and I are bound to Parkland through my husband's experience in the Burn Unit. We know firsthand what an extraordinary institution it is, and believe wholeheartedly in its mission. I am deeply honored to serve Parkland in this way," Dawson Thompson said. New officers Ed Ramirez served as vice president of finance for Nexen Petroleum U.S.A. from 1980 to 2007. He is a certified public accountant. He graduated from North Texas State University with a bachelor's degree in accounting and served in U.S. Marine Corp Reserves from 1969 to 1975. Betsy Healy is program officer for the Harold Simmons Foundation. Prior to that she founded and served as chief executive officer of the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, Inc., a nonprofit agency that provides legal and social services to indigent asylum seekers and victims of international human rights violations. She received a bachelor's degree from University of Notre Dame and a juris doctor from University of Cincinnati College of Law. Katie Robbins is director of finance and human resources for the Greenhill School in Dallas. She is a certified public accountant. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. Her civic activities include the Junior League of Dallas, the American Council on Exercise and the Slipper Club of Dallas. New director Carol Yonack serves as Wachovia's regional philanthropic consultant for Texas. She has more than 25 years of experience in the trust and investment industry, the last 18 years working specifically with charitable organizations and philanthropic individuals. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from Southern Methodist University. Her community involvement includes the North Texas Chapter of The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, the SMU Planned Giving Council, the Dallas Symphony Planned Giving Committee and the Texas Woman's University Foundation.

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For Further Information Contact: Melissa Grych 214.590.8054