Founder: Natalie Niekro (daughter of Joe) – From the time I was born, baseball has been in my blood. I have had the privilege of watching my father surpass records, obstacles and become one of the most recognized names in baseball. I have been blessed in having two loving parents who have supported, loved and guided me through life’s journeys. Growing up as a child of a professional baseball player has been an indescribable experience and now the torch has been passed to me to leave a legacy just as my father has. Dad’s aneurysm was sudden, unexpected and undiagnosed. Within 18 hours of Dad’s rupture, he was pronounced dead. Upon losing my father, I made a commitment to dedicate my time, energy and focus on the advancement of aneurysm awareness, research, treatment and education. It is The Joe Niekro Foundation’s mission to educate the public on aneurysm factors, causes and symptoms, while providing funds for the necessary research to discover a detection method, available to the public. By providing funds for research and treatment to hospitals, treatment centers and neurological institutions, I am confident that The Joe Niekro Foundation will help families across the world and save thousands of lives.
The Joe Niekro Foundation was established in 2007 in honor of the founder’s father, Joe Niekro, who lost his life from a sudden cerebral brain aneurysm on October 27, 2006. The astonishing lack of public awareness and under-support of research of such a widespread and often fatal condition led to the launch of a crusade to educate and encourage awareness about aneurysms.
Natalie Niekro, the daughter of Joe, is the owner of NLN Media Buying Services, a media research, strategy, planning and placement advertising agency. Natalie has been in the advertising business for 16 years, handling millions of dollars in advertising budgets and solely responsible for the success of her clients. Natalie double majored in advertising and psychology and graduated from Florida Southern College in 1994. In addition to serving as President and Founder of The Joe Niekro Foundation, she is former 12 year reigning president of the AZ chapter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, actively involved in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program through her church and recently nominated as one of America’s Top 10 Professionals in Who’s Who. Natalie is fully dedicated to the success and outreach of The Joe Niekro Foundation and plans to raise millions of dollars to be given to the research and treatment of aneurysms and aneurysm patients. Natalie married her soulmate, Luke Woosley, in December 2006 and resides in Scottsdale, AZ.
Dave, an investment counselor for Sigma Investments, joined Sigma in 1990 after gaining considerable experience as a licensed securities broker with Merrill Lynch, E.F. Hutton and Roney & Co., as well as participating on the Professional Baseball Players Pension Committee for several years. Prior to joining Sigma on a full time basis, Dave played professional baseball for 20 years and is perhaps best known for his contribution to the Detroit Tigers during the latter part of his career. Dave earned his business degree from Illinois State University and is a member of the CFA Society of Detroit, CFA Institute, and the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame Advisory Board.
Barbara Nivala is the Director of Membership & Special Events for the Polk County Builders Association headquartered in Lakeland, FL. With over 25 years experience, Barbara has extensive knowledge of not-for-profit associations and foundations. She has held the position of Executive Director for the National Speakers Association, headquartered in Tempe, AZ for 14 years and the Printing Industries of Arizona, headquartered in Phoenix, AZ for 2 years. She has served on the boards of the Arizona Society of Association Executives in Phoenix; Girls, Inc. and Citrus Center Kiwanis Club in Lakeland. In addition, she volunteers her time to the SPCA and numerous charitable and fundraising events in Lakeland.
George is the President and CEO of the Baylor Company, a real estate consulting firm. He advises government agencies, financial institutions, professional firms, and investment groups in business development, corporate growth strategy, project turnaround, and asset management. George has been nominated for several builder awards; one of his homes was featured on the “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” television show. George is a Texas Real Estate and Mortgage Broker; Member of the Museum of Fine Arts and Houston Association of Realtors; Life Member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Houston Farm and Ranch Club, and America Quarter Horse and American Angus Associations; and serves on the Board of Directors of Oak Park Mortgage, Inc. and C C Corporation. He is a graduate of the University of Redlands in Business Administration and Economics.
Enos Cabell is a 15 year veteran of the Major Leagues. He started 149 games at third base for the Houston Astros and played on two other division-winning clubs, the 1974 Baltimore Orioles and the 1985 Los Angeles Dodgers. Enos was named team MVP in 1978 for the Houston Astros after setting a then-club mark with 195 hits, which ranked third in the National League. He also led the league with 162 games played and 660 at-bats that season. Enos is in his fourth season as a special assistant to the general manager of the Houston Astros and has been serving as a consultant since joining the Astros front office in 2004. He was a member of the Texas Southern University’s Board of Regents from 1995-2001 and served as interim athletic director for the school in 2000. Enos is a graduate of L.A. Harbor Junior College in San Pedro, Calif., where he was an all-conference selection in baseball. He makes his home in Missouri City, Texas, and has three sons, Marcus, Stephen and Cordell. Enos lost his wife to a cerebral aneurysm.
Dan Glazer, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School is an attorney with the New York law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP. His practice focuses on advising domestic and multi-national corporations on intellectual property and technology matters, particularly in the telecommunications, financial services, sports, media and entertainment industries. Nationally recognized in the field of sports law, Dan also appears frequently in the national media as a commentator on legal issues in professional and college sports (including NBC, CNN, ESPN, FOX, MSNBC and NRP). He also is cited regularly in articles as an authority on intellectual property law and sports law, including in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Sports Business Journal, USA Today, Law360, Bloomberg, National Law Journal and CNN/Sports Illustrated.
Lisa Kline is a Public Relation Specialist living in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was raised from birth to love baseball by her late father. Her admiration for the game led her to have the great honor to be stat girl for the baseball team at Beverly Hills High School. A graduate of The University of Arizona, Lisa loves living in the charitable atmosphere of desert life. In 2003, Lisa survived a ruptured brain aneurysm and was released from the hospital after 21 days. She now lives aneurysm-free and treasures every moment of her second chance at life. This opportunity to on the Board of Directors for The Joe Niekro Foundation is an absolute dream and the chance for Lisa to represent the living testimony to the importance of early detection and awareness.
Lance Niekro, the son of Joe, was born and raised in Lakeland, FL. With baseball in his blood, Lance proved he could follow in his father’s footsteps by being drafted in the 2nd Round by The San Francisco Giants in 2000. Lance made his major league debut in September 2003 and spent the next seven years in the MLB system before deciding to retire in 2010. Post retirement, Lance completed his education at The University of Phoenix and graduated with a degree in Global Business Management. Lance’s passion continues to lie in baseball and he now shares that knowledge with others, volunteering his time as a little league baseball coach. He is married to Emilee Riley Niekro and resides in Lakeland, FL.
Lawrence A. Simon is the Director of Doeren Mayhew, a Certified Public Accounting firm in Troy, Michigan. Lawrence focuses on financial audits for closely held corporations, mergers and acquisitions, litigation support and business consulting. For almost 10 years, Mr. Simon has been a member of the firm’s management committee. He has extensive experience with manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and service organizations. He has performed litigation services for numerous clients, including plaintiff and defendant representation, calculation of damages, testimony in depositions, and trial testimony in state and federal courts.
Dolores Stargell was married to Hall of Famer, Willie Stargell for 18 years. As a veteran baseball wife, Dee was there for the Pittsburgh Pirates World Series championships in 1971 and 1979 and witnessed her husband win the 1979 NLCS MVP, World Series MVP and National League co-MVP. In May, 1976, Dee suffered a brain aneurysm and stroke.
Luke Woosley, is the co-founder of Paytactix, an international merchant services provider. He has remarkable business acumen gained from years of managing millions of dollars in financial portfolios. Luke earned a finance degree from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He joined the investment juggernaut, New York Life, as a financial planner and was quickly recognized as one of the company’s premier agents.Medical Advisory Board
Orlando Manuel Diaz-Daza, M.D.
Orlando Diaz, M.D., is an Interventional Neuroradiologist at The Methodist Hospital in Houston and Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Diaz received his M.D. from the University of Cartagena in Colombia in 1985, graduating Summa Cum Laude. From 1986-1989, Dr. Diaz performed his residency in radiology at Hospital Universitario del Valle in Colombia and was chief resident from 1988-1989. His clinical fellowship continued at Massachusetts General Hospital until 1995. From 1996-2000, Dr. Diaz served as Chief of Neurosurgery at Hospital Universitario Fundacion Santafe and Assistant Professor of Radiology at Universitad El Bosque in Bogota. In 2000, Dr. Diaz made Houston his home where he has served as an Interventional Neuroradiologist at Ben Taub General Hospital, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and The Methodist Hospital.
Robert G. Grossman, M.D.
Dr. Grossman is Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the Methodist Hospital Neurological Institute in Houston. A native of New York City, Dr. Grossman received his M.D. in 1957 from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he was awarded the Borden Undergraduate Research Award in Medicine. He took his surgical internship at Strong Memorial Hospital University of Rochester. He served in the United States Army at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington D.C. His post graduate training in neurosurgery was at the Neurological Institute of New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University. Dr. Grossman has held academic appointments at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston where he was chief of the division of neurosurgery, and at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he was professor and chairman of the department of neurosurgery.
Dr. Grossman serves on numerous public advisory boards within the United States Public Health Service. He is currently the chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Neurosurgical Research and Educational Foundation, a member of the Editorial Board of Neurosurgery and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.
Hani A. Haykal, M.D.
Hani Haykal, M.D. is the Assistant Professor and Director of Neuroradiology at The Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston, Texas. Dr. Haykal received his undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry from the American University of Beirut in 1974. His studies continued at the American University of Beirut where he received his M.D. in 1978. Dr. Haykal has held academic appointments at Baylor College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School where he was Assistant Professor of Radiology. From 1983-1989, Dr. Haykal was an Instructor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. In 1996, Dr. Haykal was named Radiology Physician of the Year and Radiologist of the Year in 2000 from The Methodist Hospital.
Richard P. Klucznik, M.D.
Richard Klucznik, M.D., is the Assistant Professor of Radiology and Director of Interventional Neuroradiology at The Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston, Texas. Graduating Summa Cum Laude and receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, Dr. Klucznik went on to receive his M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. His surgical internship occurred at the University of Massachusetts and residency at David Grant Medical Center in Fairfield, CA. Dr. Klucznik performed fellowship in Neurology at Tufts-New England Medical in Boston and Interventional Neuroradiology at Baylor College of Medicine at The Methodist Hospital in Houston. In 1980, Dr. Klucznik received the George Howard Award for Anatomy. Dr. Klucznik has held clinical appointments at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, The Methodist Hospital, Weill Medical College, Texas Neurovascular Center, Methodist Brain Aneurysm Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. Dr. Klucznik currently serves as Assistant Professor of Radiology at Baylor College of Medicine, Clinical Associate Professor of Radiology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Director on Interventional Therapeutic Neuroradiology at The Methodist Hospital in Houston.
Ronald E. Woosley, M.D.
Ronald Woosley, M.D. is a neurosurgeon at St. John’s Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dr. Woosley received his undergraduate degree from Bellarmine College and M.D. from the University of Kentucky School of Medicine. He served as General Medical Officer in the US Navy from 1969-1971. Dr. Woosley performed his internship at the University of Louisville and residency at Duke University and John Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Woosley has held academic appointments with Cameron University as Professor of Physiological Psychology and is Clinical Professor of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Dr. Woosley serves on numerous public advisory boards and is currently active in the Southern Neurological Society, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Association of Christian Therapists, and Congress of Neurosurgery. Dr. Woosley is a member of the Medical Executive and Surgery Committees at St. Johns Medical Center and is also a consultant for both Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southwestern Regional Medical Center and Oklahoma State Medical Center.
Y. Jonathan Zhang, M.D.
Y. Jonathan Zhang, M.D. graduated from Shanghai Medical University and is a neurosurgeon at The Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston, Texas, specializing in neurovascular disorders. Dr. Zhang offers advance diagnostic and therapeutic options for cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, dural arteriovenous fistulas, carotid-cavernous fistulas, carotid and intracranial stenosis or occlusion, brain and spinal cavernous malformations, acute cerebral infarction, and skull base and deep seated brain and spinal tumors. His technical expertise include 3D high-resolution cerebral and spinal angiograms; embolization using coil, liquid embolic agents (NBCA or Onyx), balloon and stents; minimally invasive craniotomy with intraoperative angiogram; cerebral revascularization with extracranial-intracranial bypass or intracranial stent angioplasty; carotid endarterectomy or stent angioplasty with cerebral protection; tumor or epistaxis embolization; stereotactic radiosurgery; complex skull base surgery for otherwise inoperable tumor or vascular lesions. Dr Zhang is also an expert in advanced endoscopic neurosurgery. Dr. Zhang is committed to educating patients and other physicians and to delivering cutting edge treatments for neurovascular problems with safety and compassion.
