Leadership

Founder and President

Roberta Carson

Roberta started Zaggo and created the ZaggoCare System after her experience caring for her son Zachary during his 27-month battle with a terminal brain tumor. Roberta realized patients and families urgently need practical, easy-to-use information and tools. She is dedicated to providing patients and families with the information, tools, and resources they need to become empowered, engaged, effective members of their medical teams for the best possible care.

She is equally dedicated to raising money for research to help find a cure for diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas – the deadly brain tumor that took Zach’s life. To that end, 100% of profits from sales of the ZaggoCare System support The Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund for innovative brain tumor research.

Prior to starting Zaggo, Roberta held leadership roles at the nonprofit organizations The Second Step and the Boston chapter of Hadassah. Roberta worked as an engineer for General Motors and AT&T after earning a BS from Tufts University and an MS from University of Michigan.

Vice President, Secretary

Paul Carson

Paul started Zaggo, Inc. with his wife Roberta, after caring for their son Zachary during his battle with a terminal brain tumor. Paul is the Director of Product Development in Communications Infrastructure at Texas Instruments. He earned a BS from the University of California, Berkeley and an MS from the University of Michigan.

Vice President, Treasurer

Clare Villari

Clare served as a Board Member of The Schwartz Center, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing health care by strengthening the relationship between clinical caregivers and patients. She also served as the President of the Board of The Second Step, a domestic violence agency. Clare’s 25 years of business experience includes her role as Sr. Vice President and Partner at Wellington Management Company, LLP, a global investment management firm, where she was the Director of Sub-Advisory Client Service, Member of Executive Committee, Ethics Committee (Chair), Compensation Committee, Fund Review Group, and Marketing Panel.

Chief Operating Officer

Jeremy Bromberg

Jeremy leads Portfolio Operations for CanWell, LLC, a multi-state cannabis business owner/operator. He has over 30 years of professional experience in Operations, New Product Development, and General Management. He’s worked in industries including semiconductor, automated test equipment, pharmaceutical market research, and independent operations and management consulting. Jeremy focuses on building and growing talented, high quality, high performing businesses, from start-up to full speed.

Sheila Rafter

Sheila is Principal of Rafter Communications, a marketing and public relations firm providing services across a range of industries from consumer-focused businesses to B2B high-technology companies and associations. As a veteran with 25+ years of proven results in product/service promotions, marketing communications, and social media initiatives, she develops and executes strategies that assist companies in building their brands and achieving leadership in their markets. Past and current clients include: Adamas Fine Jewelry, Canon, Lotus, IBM, Iron Mountain, and Woodmeister Master Builders, among others. Sheila holds a BS in Advertising and Mass Communications from the University of Vermont.

Cynthia Sheppard

Cynthia is an independent marketing strategy consultant to the consumer products, healthcare and medical device industries. Her consulting work focuses on driving innovation in healthcare, particularly in the area of patient engagement, achieving two big “wins”: healthier, happier and more engaged consumers and positive business results. Cynthia has worked in marketing management at Gillette, Bausch & Lomb, and MCI Telecommunications. Her experience also includes positions as a writer and editor and as a Capitol Hill staff member. She earned an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

David Diamond, MD, CSS, FACOEM

Dr. Diamond recently retired from being the Associate Medical Director at MIT. After completing his M.D. at Brown University, he did post-graduate clinical training at Mt. Auburn Hospital and the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston followed by a research and teaching fellowship in General Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Diamond is an Instructor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He was an Associate Clinical Professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and was on the staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital and Mount Auburn Hospitals.

Ronald Kahn, MD

Dr. Kahn is the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He served as Research Director of the Joslin Diabetes Center for 19 years and as Joslin’s president from 2001 to 2007. Dr. Kahn is a world-recognized expert in diabetes and obesity research and has received more than 60 awards and honors—including, election to the National Academy of Science and Institute of Medicine. He has authored over 600 publications and serves on the advisor boards for a number of biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

Mark Kieran, MD, PhD

Dr. Kieran is currently the Senior Director of Pediatric Oncology, Bristol-Myers Squibb. He received a PhD in Immunology in 1983 from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, and his MD in 1986 from the University of Calgary. After a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Molecular Biology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France where he cloned the regulatory molecule NFkB, he completed a pediatric residency at McGill University in Montreal and a pediatric oncology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Kieran was named Director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 1998 until his move to BMS in 2018. While in Boston, he developed a large number of first in pediatric clinical trials in the areas of targeted therapeutics, gene therapy, anti-angiogenic modalities and immunotherapy. His ongoing interests include the genomic identification of mutations and incorporation of targeted, biologic, immune and gene therapy for children with cancer.

Rabbi Suzanne Offit

Rabbi Suzanne Offit is a Board Certified Chaplain specializing in hospital palliative care, supporting patients and their families navigate serious illness decision making and coping. Rabbi Offit presently serves on the national boards of American Jewish World Service, Jewish Women’s Archive, and Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains.

Pam Ressler, RN, BSN, HN-BC

Pamela is the founder of Stress Resources in Concord, MA and an adjunct clinical assistant professor of Community Medicine and Public Health at Tufts University School of Medicine. She served as the only nurse on the Executive Board for Medicine X at Stanford University, is a member of the Consumer Health Council of the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners, and sits on the Board of Directors of ChildKind International.

Ms. Ressler’s work focuses on resilience and communicating the experience of chronic pain and illness through mindfulness based interventions, peer to peer healthcare, and narrative practices. Her research is grounded in the science and the art of wellness and human connection. Her work has earned her the distinction as a thought leader in the field and was selected to co-design The Narrative Playbook: The Strategic Use of Story to Improve Care, Healing and Health (2015). She also currently hosts the podcast Raising Resilience.

Luis Salmun, MD

Dr. Luis M Salmun is a pediatric immunologist/allergist, who trained and practiced in the specialty at Children’s Hospital, Boston and Harvard Medical School. He has since spent the past 20 years in various roles in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry. His most recent role, prior to becoming a consultant in the industry, was at DBV Technologies where he served as the Sr Vice President, Global Medical Affairs.

Joan Vitello, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAHA, FAAN

Dr. Joan Vitello-Cicciu is the Dean and Professor of the Graduate School of Nursing at UMASS Medical School in Worcester, MA. Prior to this position, Dr. Vitello spent over 40 years in varied clinical roles including critical care staff nurse and clinical specialist. She has held many management roles including Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Operating Officer and VP of Patient Care Service at hospitals throughout Massachusetts, including Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. Dr. Vitello was President of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, spent 10 years as an editor of the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing and is widely published. Additionally, she has worked as an organizational consultant for clients all over the world.