President
Laura Solano, PA-C, DMSc
Laura Solano is a Physician Associate, team leader, professor, and author. Laura brings over a decade of experience in family medicine, has leadership experience in healthcare, has several published medical articles, and has a pending book publication. She teaches genetics at A.T. Still University. She has a passion for public health in adolescent medicine, medical technology, and genetic therapies.
President Elect
Donna R. White, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC
Donna White, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and has practiced in retail health, internal medicine, occupational health, and family practice for over 29 years. She currently holds a position as a Clinical Assistant Faculty and the Director of Graduate Clinical Faculty & Clinical Affairs at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. White has been an RN for 38 years and an FNP for 29 years, earning her BSN & MSN/FNP degrees from the Univ. of Pittsburgh and her DNP from the Univ. of Alabama-Tuscaloosa. She has experience in leadership of faculty teams and online teaching, helping students transition from learned skills into clinical practice. Dr. White has also coordinated and executed several study-abroad student trips to the Crow Nation, MT to work with vulnerable and underserved populations.
Dr. White is also a CPR/BLS instructor with the American Heart Association, teaching in the community for over 30 years. Her interests also include church mission work in the Dominican Republic, travel, tractor pulling, and spending time with family. She is married with 3 grown children and 2 golden retrievers.
Immediate Past President
Ghayathri Devaraj, FNP
Graduate Christian Medical College Vellore
Post-Masters UT Arlington FNP
Hobbies are Gardening and spending time with family
Treasurer
David C. Reesman, APRN
David Ressman, APRN, is a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with a career dedicated to the intersection of clinical excellence and occupational health. A member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), David earned his Master’s degree with a unique dual concentration in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care and Occupational Health, providing him with a specialized lens for treating the modern workforce. Before his retirement, David served as an Occupational Health Nurse Practitioner for HCA Healthcare. In this role, he was a vital resource for hospital employees, managing everything from on-the-job injury treatment and Florida Workers’ Compensation reporting to specialist referrals and comprehensive case management. He also oversaw the clinical onboarding for new team members and physician residents and played a leadership role in pandemic response by managing hospital-wide COVID-19 immunization and testing clinics. David’s extensive experience also includes his tenure with BayCare Urgent Care, where he provided acute care to adult populations across the region. During this time, he acted as a key liaison for large local employers, providing expert occupational health services and dedicated case management for their staff. With a proven track record of clinical leadership and a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape, David has spent his career ensuring that patients and professionals alike receive the highest standard of evidence-based care.
Secretary
Lori Jo Slavick, PA-C
Lori Jo Slavick is a PA-C at Franklin Family Services. Ms. Slavick is a is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy Physician Assistant Program. She is a Past President of the Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants. (AFPPA). Ms. Slavick was brought to Maryland with her new husband and had worked in the Maryland Prison for 5 years in general medicine and psychiatry.
Ms. Slavick had been working at St John Detroit Riverview Hospital, an underserved hospital in Detroit. She was Lead Physician Assistant for the practice of Leonard Ellison in Southfield, Michigan. Ms. Slavick feels compelled to help the indigent population because they are the ones in need of the most medical services. She has run numerous workshops on depression, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, computers, and thoroughly enjoys mentoring PA students. She was also speaker coordinator for the AFPPA conferences and has written grants for their funding
In 2002, she received the William Montgomery Community Service Award. In 2003, she lobbied with the Michigan Academy of Physician Assistants to make elected officials more aware of the PA profession and its positive contribution to the health care system.
She is married and has 2 sons. Her husband Stephen is supportive of all her endeavors.
PA Member at Large
Rafael Pomales Jr, MHS, PA-C, DFAAPA
Pomales is a practicing Physician Associate in primary care in Plano, TX and holds a Master of Health Science degree from the Univ. of Oklahoma Physician Associate program since 2000 and is board certified in Advanced Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy. PA Pomales has been involved with the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) as a member and Chairman of the Constituent Relations Work Group and past president for the Physician Associates for Latino Health (PALH) and la Academia de Asociados Medicos de Puerto Rico, as well as being a member with other constituent PA organizations. In 2018, PA Pomales was awarded with the title “Distinguished Fellow” of the AAPA.PA Pomales is also a US Army veteran as a mechanized infantryman and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and as a trumpet player in the Army until his release from the Army in 1998.
NP Member at Large
John Manna, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, DipACLM
Manna is an Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner and a certified family NP and lifestyle medicine provider. He currently serves as the clinical lead for the lifestyle medicine and Shared Medical Appointment (SMA) services at Prisma Health, where he has pioneered innovative, group-based care models to address chronic disease. Dedicated to advancing the field of lifestyle medicine, Dr. Manna also serves as adjunct faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Nursing, where he co-created and implemented a specialized curriculum. His leadership extends to the broader professional community as a co-founder and leader within the AANP Functional and Lifestyle Medicine Community, driving national collaboration and education among advanced practice providers.
Blended with his clinical leadership, Dr. Manna is a dedicated researcher, educator, and entrepreneur. An invited speaker at national conferences and healthcare forums, his clinical expertise spans diabetes remission strategies and the integration of lifestyle interventions with modern pharmacotherapy, such as GLP-1 receptor agonists. Whether mentoring future clinicians, publishing, presenting or developing peer-led medical appointment frameworks, Dr. Manna remains committed to transforming healthcare delivery through the evidence-based pillars of lifestyle medicine.