IMPROVING THE LIVES OF ADULT CYSTIC FIBROSIS PATIENTS
Board of Directors
The Spiritus Project is managed by the following team, who contribute their time, energy and resources as unpaid volunteers:
- Helen Link (President) - Helen is both Jessica's mother and was her lifelong caregiver. You can find out more about Helen via Jessica's description of her at Jessica's blog. She is committed to seeing Jessica's vision for Spiritus Project to fruition.
- Sarah Beeler Justo - Sarah graduated from Meredith College in 2008 with a major in Fashion Merchandising. She currently works in as Manager at Bassett Custom Shop of Cameron Village. Her past experience includes customer service, sales and management with Nordstrom. In her down time, Sarah enjoys volunteering with Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue, traveling and seeing the world, sampling various restaurants and spending quality time with loved ones.
Sarah commented that "Putting into words Jessica’s impact on my life is near impossible. Her infectious positive outlook on life, selflessness and thirst for knowledge are comparable to no other. Through the most difficult days Jessica always pushed forward with a smile on her face and made the absolute best out of each and every moment. She showed many of us what true strength and courage are, and she still reminds us daily to treasure every precious moment." - Fred Dumas - Fred has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, including experience founding and building highly successful technology companies. Fred has extensive experience in the area of Banking, International Payments, and Trade Finance. His Educational background includes a BA in International Political Science from The Ohio State University. Fred’s professional experience dates to the 1970s and includes successful exits of start up companies as well as leading investments in emerging Technology companies. He has served as both Chairman and non-executive member on several corporate Boards of Directors in both the US and Europe. Fred has also served on the Board of Trustees of several non-profit organizations. In addition to Spiritus Project, Fred serves as Chairman of the Board of Dark Cubed, on the Board of Directors of Dalma Capital Management Limited, and the Board of Trustees of Discovery Place.
- Haynes Brotherton - Haynes is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in History. After serving 5 years in secondary education, he shifted career paths to talent acquisition in software development. He currently works for Improbable, helping to develop teams that build next-generation synthetic environment software solutions for national defense entities in the United States.
Haynes commented that "Jessica was a prominent influence on my early years, and seeing her as a role model helped instill a passion for serving others and doing what you could to make the world around you a better place. Seeing the battles she fought on a daily basis in order to assist other patients afflicted with the same sickness only fueled that zeal. The Spiritus Project gives me another outlet to help foster this belief that she helped to embed into my being and I consider it an honor to be able to help serve through the project she began." - Hannah Bozzini - Hannah is a recent graduate of Gardner-Webb University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She pivoted into a paralegal position with Knox Law Center in the greater Charlotte area. She regularly volunteers to help Helen assemble and deliver Spiritus Project bags for patients and with general office support tasks.
Hannah is Jessica’s younger cousin and close friend. She commented, “Jessica always pushed me to be the best possible version of myself while respecting and showing others love. I want to continue to make her proud and show my love to others through my work with Spiritus Project.” - Dr. Scott Donaldson - Scott is the UNC Adult CF Center Director. He has been providing care to adults with CF, and doing research to bring new treatments to these patients, for more than 25 years. He received his undergraduate and medical education at the University of Michigan (’86; ’90). He trained in Internal Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (’93), and Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine at UNC (’96).
His life’s work is dedicated to making the lives of people with CF better.
- Robby Link - Robby is Jessica's dad. You can find out more about Robby via Jessica's description of him on her blog. His primary role is supporting the efforts of Helen and the other board members as we collectively strive to make Jessica's vision a reality.