Women's Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation

Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation

Founded in 1961, the Barrow Neurological Institute was conceived by three visionaries: Charles A. Barrow, Sister Mary Placida, and John R. Green, M.D. Under the leadership of Drs. Green, Spetzler, and Lawton, Barrow have grown from blueprints to one of the foremost neurological institutes in the world.

Three years after the conception of the Barrow Neurological Institute, the Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation was established, with Lou Davenport Cases appointed the first Chairman. Drs. John Green and Loyal Davis selected the original 27 dedicated women to be on this Board. These women brought a passion for funding neurologic research while fostering interest in the community and the need for financial support for the Institute.

Over the last 60 years, the Women’s Board of the Barrow Neurological Foundation has flourished into a group of 79 steadfast philanthropists, raising more than $110 million for the Barrow Neurological.

The Barrow Grand Ball

Established in 1965, the Women’s Board has raised over $110 million for the Barrow Neurological Institute through its annual gala, the Barrow Grand Ball. These funds have helped Barrow physicians, researchers, and clinicians offer hope through research and treatments that save lives and improve the quality of life. In 2025, the Women’s Board will celebrate the 60^th anniversary of this Valley tradition.

Special Projects, Special Support

A tradition since 2006, the Women’s Board annually selects a specific Barrow research department to receive special funding, designating it as their “Women’s Board Project,” which shines a light on innovative research that can have a measurable impact on patients’ lives. To date, the Women’s Board has raised $8 million for these targeted projects.

The 2024 Women’s Board Project funded the new state-of-the-art anechoic research chamber at Barrow’s Department of ENT & Skull Base Surgery, which will lead groundbreaking investigations into the link between hearing loss and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. The Women’s Board has selected the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Program as the 2025 Women’s Board Project.

Committed to Community Education

Each year, the Women’s Board hosts the Education Enrichment Evening. During this event, donors and members of the community hear directly from doctors and researchers about the vital, cutting-edge research happening every day at the Barrow Neurological Institute. This year, the Education Enrichment Evening will be held on November 6, 2024.

Supporting Barrow Neuro Nursing

The Women’s Board Nursing Fund invests in advanced training, education, and certification for the more than 400 Barrow nurses. This fund supports continuing education at national and world neuroscience nursing conferences and annually funds the keynote speaker at the Barrow Neuroscience Nursing Symposium, which attracts nurses from across the country. The Women’s Board has also supported special projects such as the iPad pilot project, ongoing Nursing Grand Rounds, and Nursing Resilience and Respite Rooms.

FY24 Stewardship Report.

See how the Women’s Board made a difference in 2024 by downloading the FY24 Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation Stewardship Report below.

FY24 Women’s Board Stewardship Report

60 years of Service

60 years of Support

The Barrow Grand Ball

Special Projects, Special Support

The Barrow Grand Ball

Special Projects, Special Support

The Barrow Grand Ball

Community Education

The Barrow Grand Ball

Community Education

Special Projects, Special Support

The Barrow Grand Ball

60 years of Leadership & Philanthropy

The Barrow Grand Ball

60 years of Leadership & Philanthropy

Barrow Grand Ball

In a storied tradition dating back to 1965, the Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation holds the Barrow Grand Ball each year to celebrate Barrow Neurological Institute’s far-reaching medical research and innovative treatments and thank all the generous donors who support its mission.

From the first Ball held on New Year’s Eve in 1965 at Paradise Valley’s former Casa Blanca Inn, which netted $26,000, exceptional women in the Phoenix community have stepped forward to carry on this legacy. Since then, the Women’s Board has raised over $110 million through its annual Barrow Grand Ball, thanks to the generosity of its members and the community.

The 2024 Barrow Grand Ball raised an incredible $10.1 million to fund innovative research at Barrow.

This year, we celebrate the Barrow Grand Ball’s 60th Anniversary. The iconic Phoenix event will be held at the Arizona Biltmore on January 18, 2025.

Please contact, Megan Slattery, Women’s Board Liaison at 602.406.6333 or email contact@womensboardbnf.org for any questions.

Click below to view the 2025 Barrow Grand Ball Website:

Women’s Board Special Project

In 2006, the Women’s Board began a tradition of funding a specific research project on behalf of its members. These projects have been chosen to highlight key areas of research at Barrow that are not only innovative, but also make a measurable impact on patients’ lives. Click the learn more button below for a list of past Special Projects.

The Women’s Board is proud to select the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders research efforts as its Special Project for the 2025 Barrow Grand Ball.

Click below for a highlight on Barrow’s Alzheimer’s & Memory Disorders Program with Marwan Sabbagh, MD, FAAN:

2024-2025 Women's Board

Executive Committee

Dionne Najafi, Chairman
Erin Gogolak, Chairman-Elect
Cathy Kleeman & Susan Westra, 2025 Grand Ball Chairs
Christy Burton & Katie Mueller, 2024 Education Enrichment Night Chairs
Julie Rauch, Recording Secretary
Prue Brito, Corresponding Secretary
Shaun Bracken, Treasurer
Amy Flood, Finance Chair
Terry Roman, Membership Chair
Carole Moreno, Nominating Chair
Barbara Henward, Parliamentarian/Bylaws
Nita Francis, Neuroscience Nursing Fund
Kathy Munson & Andrea Pappas, Communications
Sarah Suggs & Nancy Walker, Traditions
Jan Lewis, Immediate Past Chairman

Full Membership List

Kathleen O. Barrow
Catherine Bentley
Shaun Bracken
Prue Brito
Christy Burton
Jan Cacheris
Martha “Muffie” Churchill
Amy Cohn
Robyn DeBell
Ann Denk
Jacquie Dorrance
Judy Shannon Edens
Jane Edmunds
Stevie Eller
Nancy Hanley Eriksson
Ardie Evans
Amy Flood
Sydney Fox
Nita Francis
Shan Francis

Harriet Friedland
Nancy Gaintner
Dyan Getz
Sandy Getz
Erin Gogolak
Penny Gunning
Betsy Haenel
Carrie Hall
Marilyn W. Harris
Sandy Hecomovich
Barbara Henward
Judy Hewson
Suzi Hilton
Karen Hobbs
Mary Hudak
Carrie Hulburd
Michelle Kerrick
Cathy Kleeman
Julie Kroot
Robyn Lee

Jan Lewis
Janis Lyon
Sandy Magruder
Bonnie Martin
Beth Matthews
Mary Ellen McKee
Tahnia McKeever
Jean Meenaghan
Angela Melczer
Sandy Metzler
Karen Meyer
Diane Might
Kolby Moffatt
Elizabeth “Betsy” Moore
Carole Moreno
Katie Mueller
Kathy Munson
Dionne Najafi
Carolyn O’Malley
Andrea Pappas

Marilyn Parke
Becky Pierson
Vim Phillips
Linda Rakow
Julie Rauch
Terry Roman
Judy Schubert
Judy Shannon Edens
Susie Small
Jean Spangler
Sarah E. Suggs
Kristine Thompson
Amy Thurston
Sharon Ulrich
Nancy Walker
Mary Ward
Christine Watson
Susan Westra
Gay Firestone Wray
Sister Madonna Marie Bolton, Honorary Member

60 Years of the Barrow Women's Board

1965 The Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation is established. Its inaugural Barrow Grand Ball, held at the Casa Blanca Inn on New Year’s Eve 1965, nets $26,000 for neurological research.

1983 With funding from the J. N. Harber Foundation, the Women’s Board endows the Chair of Neurological Surgery, which is used to recruit the Institute's next leader, Robert F. Spetzler, MD.

1998 The Women’s Board holds its inaugural Education Enrichment Evening to increase public awareness about Barrow, its services, and its contributions to medicine.

2006 The Women’s Board initiated a new fundraising concept of selecting a specific Barrow research department and designating it as an annual “Special Project.” In 2011, the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute was designated as the Special Project, providing initial funding for the new center. To date, special projects have raised more than $8M for Barrow departments.

2015 The Barrow Women’s Board celebrates its 50th Anniversary while this same year welcomed Michael T. Lawton, MD as Barrow’s third President and CEO.

2024 The Women’s Board Special Project funds Barrow’s Department of ENT’s new state-of-the-art anechoic research chamber, which will lead groundbreaking investigations into the link between hearing loss and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

2025 The Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation celebrates 60 years of supporting Barrow Neurological Institute. To date, the group has raised a record total of $110M for research, patient care, and outreach for Barrow

In the News

2024

March 18, 2024

Leading Alzheimer’s Researcher Dr. Marwan Sabbagh Receives Moreno Family Chair for Alzheimer’s Research

Barrow Neurological Foundation is proud to announce that Carole and Arte Moreno have established the Moreno Family Chair for Alzheimer’s Research in the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Program at Barrow Neurological Institute. Mrs. Moreno is a longtime member of the Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation, and the generous gift was made through the Barrow Grand Ball, the annual gala of the Women’s Board.

Marwan Sabbagh, MD, FAAN, is a top neurologist in the Barrow Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders program, director of the Applied Alzheimer’s Research Laboratory, Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurology, and the newly appointed Moreno Family Chair for Alzheimer’s Research. Dr. Sabbagh is the author of six books and more than 400 research publications. He also is a principal investigator on more than 100 clinical trials. Dr. Sabbagh was presented with the chair on March 8, 2024, during a ceremony held at Barrow Neurological Institute with the Morenos, members of the Barrow Women’s Board, members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and his colleagues in attendance. Read More >>>

January 24, 2024

Barrow Women’s Board Raises $9.9 Million Through 2024 Barrow Grand Ball

Barrow Women’s Board 59th Barrow Grand Ball Raises Record Funding for Innovations in Hearing Health.

The Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation announced today that it raised $9.9 million for Barrow Neurological Institute through the 59th Barrow Grand Ball on January 20, 2024.

This year’s Ball Co-Chairs, Carrie Hulburd and Kathy Munson, along with the committed members of the Women’s Board and its donors, raised funds to help Barrow physicians, researchers, and clinicians offer hope through research and treatments that save lives and improve the quality of life. Read More >>>

2023

January 31, 2023

$1.5M Gift from the Steele Foundation Launches Fellowship in Barrow Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Program

Barrow Neurological Foundation is proud to announce that the Steele Foundation has endowed the Dan Cracchiolo and Pam Grant Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Fellowship in the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Program at Barrow Neurological Institute. The generous $1.5 million endowment was made through the Barrow Grand Ball, the Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation’s annual gala, which reached a lifetime milestone of $100 million raised since the 1965 inaugural Ball. Pam Grant is a longtime member of the Women’s Board. The Steele Foundation has an extensive history of supporting education at Barrow, including establishing the Horace W. Steele Chair in Neurosurgical Innovation and Education in 1997. Read More >>>

January 26, 2023

Barrow Women’s Board Reaches Milestone of $100M Raised Through Barrow Grand Ball

The 2023 Ball raised an incredible $7 million in support of the neurosciences.

The Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation netted over $7 million for Barrow Neurological Institute through the 2023 Barrow Grand Ball, reaching an unprecedented lifetime milestone of $100 million raised since their 1965 inaugural Ball. This year’s Ball Co-Chairs, Amy Cohn and Erin Gogolak, galvanized Women’s Board members’ and donors’ passion for supporting the research and programs of Barrow’s world-renowned physicians, scientists, and clinicians.

“The magnitude of achievingthe lifetime $100 million mark islaudable, given the first Barrow GrandBall 58 years ago earned $26,000,” said 2023 Women’s Board Chairman Diane Might. Our Board is an accomplished, dynamic, and influential group of women dedicated to supporting Barrow Neurological Institute. Our members’ passionate advocacy for “bench-to-bedside” research and treatment helps save lives and improves the quality of life for those suffering from brain and spinal disorders.” Read More >>>

2022

May 31, 2022

Barrow Establishes Lewis Headache Center with Generous Gift from Jan and Tom Lewis

Barrow Neurological Foundation is honored to announce the creation of the Lewis Headache Center at Barrow Neurological Institute thanks to a generous gift from Jan and Tom Lewis. The news comes just in time for National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, which is recognized during the month of June. “I have personally benefited from the comprehensive approach to migraine treatment and prevention that Dr. Kerry Knievel and her team provide,” said Jan Lewis. “Our family’s support of headache care at Barrow over the years has helped increase the quality and quantity of patient care. This gift will further that, leading to more patient care options and research to find innovative treatments.” Read More >>>

January 25, 2022

Barrow Women’s Board raises record $10.4 million through 2022 Barrow Grand Ball

The Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation raised a record-breaking $10.4 million for Barrow Neurological Institute through the 2022 Barrow Grand Ball. Women’s Board members Jacquie Dorrance and Katie Mueller co-chaired the event, inspiring members and donors during these unprecedented times. To date, the Women’s Board has raised more than $93 million to support the research of the world’s leading physicians, scientists, and clinicians at Barrow. Read More >>>

2021

February 2, 2021

Barrow Women’s Board raises record $8.5 million through 2021 Barrow Grand Ball

The Women’s Board of the Barrow Neurological Foundation raised more than $8.5 million for Barrow Neurological Institute through the 2021 Barrow Grand Ball, “A Grand Toast to Barrow.” Women’s Board members Diane Might and Kolby Moffatt co-chaired the event and galvanized members and donors during one of the most challenging times in recent history.

For the first time in its storied history, the Barrow Grand Ball was celebrated virtually, held on January 23, 2021 via an exclusive invitation for supporters. The video celebration showcased the Women’s Board’s fundraising accomplishments and highlighted its impact on several Barrow programs. Read More >>>

2020

June 5, 2020

Dorrance Family Establishes Vascular Neurology Chair at Barrow

he Barrow Neurological Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the Dorrance Chair of Vascular Neurology for the Stroke Program at Barrow Neurological Institute. Michael Waters, MD, PhD, chief of the Barrow Division of Vascular Neurology and director of the Stroke Program, will be the named chair.

This endowment allows dedicated time for Dr. Waters’ groundbreaking research to identify genetic mechanisms of stroke and to develop drugs to minimize the damage caused by stroke. This critical research could change stroke outcomes for patients in Arizona and around the world. Read More >>>

January 21, 2020

Barrow Grand Ball 2020 Raises Record $8.3 Million for Research

The Women’s Board of the Barrow Neurological Foundation raised a record $8.3 million for Barrow Neurological Institute through the 2020 Barrow Grand Ball. Women’s Board members Tahnia McKeever and Christine Watson co-chaired the black-tie gala held January 18 at the Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort. Amy Thurston is the 2020 chairman of the Women’s Board, which has supported Barrow for 55 years, raising more than $75 million for life-changing initiatives. Read More >>>

2019

July 11, 2019

Najafi Family Establishes Neurosurgical Oncology Chair at Barrow

Francis and Dionne Najafi have endowed the Neurosurgical Oncology Chair at Barrow Neurological Institute. This endowed fund at the Barrow Neurological Foundation will be used to match donations for brain tumor research for the next decade. Dr. Nader Sanai, Director of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, has been named the chair. Read More >>>

January 30, 2019

Barrow Women’s Board Raises $5.2 million through 2019 Barrow Grand Ball

The Women’s Board of the Barrow Neurological Foundation raised net proceeds in excess of $5.2 million for Barrow Neurological Institute through the 2019 Barrow Grand Ball held on January 26 at the Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort. The black-tie soiree was co-chaired by Dionne Najafi and Terry Roman to celebrate Barrow philanthropists who participate in giving through the group. The Women’s Board, led by Chairwoman Robyn Lee, has supported world-class Barrow Neurological institute for more than 54 years and contributed more than $61 million to fund life-changing research. Read More >>>

2018

January 31, 2018

Barrow Women’s Board raises $3 million through 2018 Grand Ball

The Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation raised $3 million for Barrow Neurological Institute through the 2018 Barrow Grand Ball. Held on January 20 at the Arizona Biltmore, and co-chaired by Jan Cacheris and Carrie Hall, the Ball celebrated the philanthropic achievements of the Women’s Board. This year, the Women’s Board, led by Board Chair Ann Denk, focused their efforts on raising funds for Alzheimer’s disease research. Read More >>>

2017

June 17, 2017

Barrow to introduce leading migraine treatment program with $2 million gift from T.W. Lewis Foundation

With approximately 37 million people suffering from migraines in North America, the Jan & Tom Lewis Migraine Treatment Program at Barrow Neurological Institute is set to make a difference in the lives of those affected.

The T.W. Lewis Foundation, founded by Tom and Jan Lewis, recently gifted $2 million in order to establish the Jan & Tom Lewis Migraine Treatment Program, which will offer multidisciplinary patient care options and lead research and clinical trials to improve treatments and find cures. Read More >>>

2016

July 2, 2016

Petznick and Stewart families donate generously to MS research

Beverly Stewart and the Petznick family continue their generous record of support to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center with a $1.1 million gift establishing an endowed chair position in multiple sclerosis (MS) at Barrow Neurological Institute. The donation mirrors a commitment by the family to improve MS treatments by accelerating research that aims to pinpoint causes for this inflammatory disease. Read More >>>