Bruce Goodman, Chair

Bruce Goodman has been involved with CCBC since its inception in 2008. Bruce is recognized as a dedicated volunteer in the field of medical research. Goodman credits his commitment to CCBC and its visionary mission to his family’s experience following his father’s diagnosis with acute myelogenous leukemia in 2000. Classified as terminal, Goodman’s father was given the then experimental drug Mylotarg, which rendered his father cancer-free. The Goodman family enjoyed another seven years together in which they committed to making a difference in their local community. The Goodman Family Foundation has made a generous gift in perpetuity to CCBC. As Board Chair, Goodman has played an important role in leading the organization through its startup phase and has been instrumental in moving the organization into a key role in the biomedical industry. Under Bruce’s leadership the organization has achieved FACT accreditation, been designated as a HRSA bank, and become a member of the National Marrow Donor Registry.

Barbara Drobney, Treasurer
Director of Finance, Lifebanc

Barbara Drobney has served with Lifebanc for over 18 years, rising to the top financial person in the nonprofit organization. Previously, Drobney served with Forest City Residential Management, working with residential property managers and government contracts. In the community, Drobney’s passion is mission-driven organizations. Barbara is presently serving as the Board Treasurer for Donate Life Ohio, a statewide nonprofit, and is a member of the Finance Committee for AATB (American Association for Tissue Banks). She was formerly a member of the Transplant House of Cleveland. Drobney has Master’s degrees in both Accounting and Human Resources. Beside finance and human resources, Barbara has experience with Malcom Baldrige Performance Excellence, Studer Group, and Lean Six Sigma, to name a few. In 2015, she was named to the class of Crain’s CFOs of the Year.

David Woolf, Secretary
Executive Director, Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation

David Woolf joined the CCBC Board in 2018 after being integrally involved with the organization for four years as Executive Director of The Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation, a generous supporter of CCBC. Woolf has spent his life working in the not-for-profit sector. With degrees in mathematics and music, he began his career with the Dallas Opera and Dallas Theatre Companies in Dallas, Texas. In 1984, he was named Vice President for Development of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and went on to spend much of his career at Emory University, working in development for the Emory Eye Center. Woolf joined The Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation as Executive Director in 2014. He is dedicated to making organizations better and stronger for the constituencies they serve, working directly with organizations in very tangible ways.

Alexander Katz
President, Kason Industries, Inc.

Alexander Katz is the founding chairman of CCBC, which was launched with key support from his family foundation, The Abraham J. and Phyllis Katz Foundation. From inception, Katz has been a guiding force, not only with generous funding, but in helping set a strategic path for its success. With a combination of business acumen and community compassion, he has supported the organization and its staff with guidance in budgeting, financial accounting and strategies for revenue development. Katz has been the president of Kason Industries in Newnan, Georgia since 2009. He holds degrees in mathematics from NYU and finance and accounting from SUNY Binghamton. He is a licensed CPA. Katz proudly continues the mission of the Abraham J. and Phyllis Katz Foundation to support both the arts and science. The Foundation has contributed more than $26 million to nonprofits and institutes of higher learning since its inception.

Mary J. Laughlin, M.D.
Founder, Medical Director, Cleveland Cord Blood Center

Mary J. Laughlin, M.D., is the Founder and Medical Director of the Cleveland Cord Blood Center. Dr. Laughlin is an internationally recognized hematology expert in allogeneic cord blood transplantation for adults and pediatric patients with leukemia and other hematological malignancies, and hemoglobinopathies including sickle cell disease. Dr. Laughlin, who has been a practicing physician in bone marrow and stem cell transplantation since 1992, performed one of the world’s first successful umbilical cord blood transplants in an adult leukemia patient in 1995 and conducted studies over the ensuing 25 years to establish cord blood as a new standard in the field. She previously served as President for the International Society for Cellular Therapeutics. She received her medical degree from SUNY in Buffalo, New York, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Rochester.

Nancy H. Cook, MD
Atlanta Womens Healthcare Specialists, Retired

Nancy H. Cook, MD is health care provider with 41 years of experience and her specialties include Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Cook was instrumental in establishing the public cord blood banking program at Piedmont Healthcare Atlanta. She is active in the cord blood banking space as a member of the Cord Blood Advisory Group and Chair of the Cord Blood Collection subgroup. She is also an active member of the Georgia Ob-Gyn Advisory Group. Dr. Cook became interested in cancer research at a young age due to the loss of her father. She participated in leukemia research while studying at the University of Louisville but ultimately decided to pursue Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Cook’s experience both in the delivery room gives and in educating donating families gives her practical, real world, knowledge of the public cord blood banking space.

Pamela J. Plott, CPA
Principal, Plott Financial Consulting

Pamela Plott has been a certified public accountant for more than 30 years, Pam led her own financial consulting practice for over 10 years serving a variety of nonprofit organizations ranging from healthcare and education to membership and civic organizations. She spent her time in public accounting working primarily with nonprofit, construction and manufacturing/distribution clients, developing strong accounting procedures and enhancing communication between the staff responsible for the day-to-day accounting, management and the Board of Directors. Pam has worked with CCBC from the time of its inception, playing a big part in developing accounting procedures and policies when the organization was first founded. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Lake Erie College and belongs to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Ohio Society of CPAs (OSCPA). Pam sits on the advisory council for the Red Tulip Project and is a former Vision Council Monitoring Committee member for the United Way of Greater Cleveland. She is a Trustee and upcoming Treasurer of the First Congregational Church of Claridon, and has been on the Boards of Leadership Geauga County, Family Pride, Inc., ABC Daycare Center, and Chardon Community Day Care Center.

Dawn Williams, MBA (she, her, hers)
Founder & Consultant, Daybreak Solutions LLC

Dawn Williams joined the board of CCBC in 2024, bringing over 18 years of nonprofit healthcare industry leadership experience. She is the primary consultant for Daybreak Solutions LLC, and she lends clients her expertise in inclusive leadership, organizational culture, talent management, experience design, strategy development, and continuous improvement. She most recently served as Vice President of Experience at a nonprofit organization that serves 49 affiliated healthcare organizations nationwide. She led a multidisciplinary team to design, implement, and monitor improvement efforts, providing best practices, complex data analytics, and expert patient experience and employee engagement consulting. She holds a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Tiffin University and a bachelor of science degree in applied psychology from Franklin University.