BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Roots & Roads Community Hospice Foundation is led by a dedicated, volunteer board of directors. The Board governs and supports the work of the Foundation and provides mission-based leadership. Board members are elected annually and may serve three-year, renewable terms.
Kasey Hill, TMP Board President
Kasey Hill became the Chief Executive Officer of Greater Tucson Leadership in July 2016. Prior to that, she served as communications director for Develop Danville — a public-private economic development organization in central Kentucky. Kasey is a Kentucky native, and received recognition as a Kentucky Colonel in 2015. Kentucky Colonel is an honorary commission given by the governor of Kentucky to individuals noted for their public service and their work for the advancement of Kentucky.
She is a proud graduate of two community leadership programs, including Greater Tucson Leadership. She is a member of Women at the Top, and currently serves as President of the board of directors for Roots & Roads. She also serves on the Leadership Council for the Arizona State University Lodestar Center for
Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation and the board of directors for the Association of Leadership Programs. She is a 2020 recipient of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber's 40 Under 40 awards; has been recognized as a “Woman of Impact” by IMPACT of Southern Arizona; and was recognized as one of Tucson’s 20 “Next Gen Leaders – Rising Stars” by BizTucson Magazine.
Kasey graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2005 with a bachelor‘s degree in journalism. She has since received certification as a Gallup®-Certified Strengths Coach. She has also received certification as a Travel Marketing Professional from the Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College in Dahlonega, Ga., and graduated from the University of Kentucky Institute for Economic Development in 2014.
“After the loss of both of my parents, I realized the importance of supporting organizations like Roots & Roads Community Hospice Foundation. I am honored to be able to serve an organization that offers supplemental support to patients and families who are navigating the end-of-life, as well as provide resources to help individuals plan for and share their end-of-life wishes with loved ones. Through the work of the Foundation, we’ve been able to offer educational opportunities that promote a quality end-of-life experience for all and create a platform where individuals can have important conversations about death and dying.” –Kasey Hill
Rachel M. Sass Vice President
Rachel Sass is an Associate Attorney at Rimon, P.C. Rachel concentrates her practice in estate and tax planning, probate and trust administration, and business succession planning. She enjoys helping individuals develop estate plans in a wide variety of circumstances, from simple plans to complex plans for high-net-worth individuals and families.
Rachel is a Tucson-native and double Wildcat. She graduated summa cum laude and with honors from the University of Arizona in 2013 with her bachelor’s in political science, and later graduated cum laude from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law in 2018. Rachel additionally graduated in 2021 from the Greater Tucson Leadership program. She is a former Miss Arizona United States and enjoys serving her local community. In her spare time, she and her husband and can be found hiking around Southern Arizona with their three dogs.
“As an estate planning attorney, I help guide my clients through end-of-life issues. While, for most, it is not a pleasant conversation to have, it is an essential one. The work that the Foundation does in Southern Arizona is pivotal to bringing more awareness about end-of-life issues and supporting individuals and families in our community. I am honored to serve on the Board of the Foundation to continue the great work that it’s been doing, and to help guide it in the future.” –Rachel Sass
Ed Fix Treasurer
Ed Fix is a retired banker after working 44 years in the industry. He worked in several major US cities and 5 Asian countries as a commercial banker. He has been a long-time volunteer, serving as a patient companion, at Casa de la Luz Hospice. He and his wife’s parents both benefitted from hospice care at the end of their lives. He also volunteers at other organizations in Tucson. His wife owns an antique mall in Tucson, and he helps her with that business.
“I am serving on the Foundation Board because it plays an important role in the community to support individuals on hospice care who are in need of financial assistance and education about the supportive process hospice plays at the end of life.” -Ed Fix
Alex Ryckman Secretary
Alex has been in the real estate industry for over 15 years and has a unique background in operations management, leadership, and team-building experience. She is currently an Asset Manager with The Wolff Company and oversees their Las Vegas, California, and Arizona multifamily assets along with their national commercial portfolio. Alex earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northern Arizona University.
Alex has always sought out opportunities to engage in her community in ways that speak to her personally. She serendipitously learned of the Foundation at the beginning stages of the rapid deterioration of her mother’s physical and mental health, shortly after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As an only child planning for long-term and end-of-life care for a parent, she leaned into much of the support made available to her by her community, resources she had no idea existed until they were needed. It is Alex’s hope to grow the conversation around end-of-life planning and care within her community, and to ensure that resources and education around this topic are accessible to everyone.
In her spare time, she and her husband enjoy training Muay Thai together, traveling, hiking, and any other activity that they think their dogs Charlie and Tucker might enjoy.
“I know firsthand how difficult it can be to plan end-of-life care for a loved one who thought they had plenty of time to figure it out, and no longer has that chance. I serve on this board because of the great support and education we provide to all individuals impacted by or operating within this space. I hope to grow the conversation around end-of-life planning and care within my community, and to ensure that resources and education around this topic are accessible to everyone. “–Alex Ryckman
Alan Barreuther
Alan Barreuther was born in Chicago, but grew up in Tucson where he received most of his education. He graduated from the University of Arizona and the University of Michigan College(s) of Pharmacy. He was a clinical faculty member at the U of AZ College of Pharmacy for 17 years and then pursued activities in the area of Medical Affairs for a number of pharmaceutical companies working in the pharmacological/therapeutic areas of pain and sleep.
He first became interested in pain control while teaching at Tucson Medical Center. He helped establish a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) program on a surgical ward and became interested in hospice philosophies and activities. After TMC established its hospice, he was active in the training of volunteers and served on the TMC Hospice Advisory Board for many years.
“I am on the Board of Directors because I have a deep interest in providing information/reaching/teaching about preparation for end-of-life issues. In my past clinical experience, derived by working in an intensive care unit, I saw many instances where families were not prepared for the impending death of a loved one and, acting as proxies, opted for aggressive care at all costs. Many times, this aggressive approach was unwarranted, but because the families did not know they had options, this became the usual choice for continued care. I feel strongly that families and individuals educated as to their options at the time of death, handle the situation more confidently and live their lives with a greater appreciation of life itself.” – Alan Barreuther
Andrew Bevington
Andrew Bevington, M.Ed./MFA, has over 20 years of experience in education and workforce development and currently serves as the Director of the Business & Education Partnership Program for the Pima County School Superintendent’s Office. He develops programs that bring industry, local government, and education together to provide career awareness, job skills training, and job placements to youth and adults seeking employment. Andrew is also a United Way Public Policy Committee member and a strong proponent of keeping private equity out of hospice care in Arizona and ensuring quality end-of-life care for all citizens of Pima County.
Andrew was the primary caregiver to his maternal grandmother during the final years of her life, and the experience shaped his understanding of death and dying. After recently reading Five Invitations of Death: Discovering what Death can Teach us about Living Fully by Frank Ostaseski, he had the good fortune to meet Kasey Hill and Julie Evans through GTL, which brought him to the Roots & Roads Board.
“We can harness the awareness of death to appreciate the fact that we are alive, to encourage self-exploration, to clarify our values, to find meaning, and to generate positive action. It is the impermanence of life that gives us perspective. As we come in contact with life’s precarious nature, we also come to appreciate its preciousness. Then we don’t want to waste a minute. We want to enter our lives fully and use them in a responsible way.”
-Frank Ostaseski
Dr. Kevin Carmichael
Dr. Kevin Carmichael was born and raised in Miami, FL. After completing his higher education, he returned to Miami for Medical School and his residency in Family Medicine. His medical education coincided with the beginning of the HIV epidemic and as Miami was an early epicenter, he cared for many people with HIV and AIDS. Along with his sister, Kevin wrote a textbook on HIV care.
In 1990, Kevin moved to Tucson with his wife, Tejal. He worked at the University of Arizona’s Immune Deficiency Clinic for two years and then moved to El Rio CHC. While at El Rio CHC, he began their HIV program, Special Immunology Associates. The early days of HIV were difficult with many hospitalized patients and many deaths. In 1995, 14 of every 100 patients he cared for that year died. Over the next 27 years, the clinic grew to include 5 physicians, as well as medical case managers, clinical pharmacists, and on-site psychological and psychiatric care. Dr. Carmichael retired from SIA in December of 2018.
During the darkest days of HIV, he partnered with Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospice to develop a dedicated HIV Hospice program. He developed a deep appreciation of the care Hospice could provide at the end of life. Shortly after his “retirement”, he joined Casa de la Luz Hospice serving as a Hospice Physician in their inpatient unit until May of 2020. During COVID he worked at MHC Healthcare in Marana and then returned to HIV care in Phoenix at Valleywise McDowell. He is currently working with ASU's Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center in partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services doing Academic Detailing around Sexual Health including HIV, HCV, Mpox. PrEp and PEP.
As a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, Kevin is eager to continue his support of the hospice mission.
Kevin and his wife, Tejal Parikh, MD Associate Dean for Admissions at UA College of Medicine, have two sons. Deven who is in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and Rajan who is a student at the University of San Diego.
Antonio C. Estrada (Tony)
Tony is currently the Older American’s Act Program Director at Pima Council on Aging where he oversees the Contracts area and PCOA’s Nutrition and Home Repair programs. Tony has 45+ years of experience in the fields of Banking, Managed Care and Social Services Data Collecting/Processing. He has over 30 years of Managed Care and Social Services experience and was Operations Program Manager with Pima Health System (PHS) with oversight for the Contracts, Provider Services and Claims departments.
Tony has Project Management experience at both Pima Health System and Pima Council on Aging, directing the activities of conversion/system configuration teams for both organizations. In addition, Tony was a Senior Encounter Correction Specialist with Bridgeway Health Plan and has extensive experience in the provision of home and community based services while working with the AHCCCS Ambulatory and Long Term Care programs as well as with the State of Arizona’s Department of Economic Security, Aging and Adult Administration. Tony also has over 16 years of experience in Bank Operations while working for with First Interstate Bank, Southern Arizona Bank, and Western BanCorporation in both Arizona and California and was an Assistant Vice President with First Interstate Bancard Operations in Simi Valley, California, overseeing bank credit card operations for the 11 western states.
In February of 2021, Tony was selected as a recipient of the 31st Annual FBI/LULAC Community Service Awards, created by William Sessions, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Jim Perez, Human Resource Director for the FBI and Richard Fimbres, Tucson City Council member for Ward 5 in conjunction with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). The award honors “those in our community, giving their all, to help those in need”. In March of 2020, Tony along with his wife Gloria, were honored by Ramon Valadez, then Pima County District 2 Supervisor, with a Community Leadership Award for “their tireless work for making your immediate neighborhood, and by extension the entire region, a better place to live and raise a family”.
“Having been on the receiving end of benefits from a social service agency in my youth and seeing first-hand the workings of these agencies in my community, I feel that it is my obligation and honor to “pay it forward” and to serve my community in any way that I can. I feel a real connection to the Roots and Roads Foundation and serving on their board helps me to give back to a very worthy organization and their extended community”
MaryAnn Juarez, MSN, BSN, RN
MaryAnn Juarez has dedicated 20 years of her expertise in clinical nursing and currently is providing Leadership in Care Coordination to El Rio Health. She leads the Care Management Department and helps care for the most vulnerable population and helps coordinate their health care. MaryAnn is a transformational leader with a vision and a passion for people as shown in her commitment to providing excellent patient care in the safest and most effective manner possible. MaryAnn earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix and her Master of Science in Nursing Leadership from the Grand Canyon University. She is a lifetime learner and gets inspired by others who want to make a difference in the community. Being a graduate from Greater Tucson Leadership in 2021 has allowed her to continue her networking with other Leaders in the community in making a difference. She is also a Board Member for Dependable Hospice and Palliative Care LLC as it created great insight in the need of our community. In her spare time, MaryAnn enjoys cooking and spending quality time with her family which includes three grandkids.
“Serving and being a Member of Roots and Roads Foundation is a privilege to share awareness and educate loved ones on the circle of life with Grace and Support as their hearts are hurting “
Beatrice Krauss
Beatrice Krauss is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Methods and Measurement in the Social Sciences, a Richard L. Gorsuch Postdoctoral Fellow, and a Designated Campus Colleague for the psychology department at the University of Arizona. She is an Emerita Professor of the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. Until 2012, she was the Executive Director of the Hunter College Center for Community and Urban Health. She is also a harpist; she plays as a certified healthcare musician at Casa de la Luz Hospice in Tucson, AZ.
Dr. Krauss has been involved with over 40 privately-, city-, state-, nationally- or internationally-funded research projects regarding family and community adjustment to health threats. Until May 2012, Dr. Krauss co-chaired the Non-Governmental Organization Committee on HIV/AIDS for organizations in consultative status to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. She was a visiting investigator at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 2011, transferring insights about the destigmatization of HIV to lung cancer.
“I have been a widow now for over six years. I have worked through the documented invisibility of widows and assumptions about widows, and through shade after shade of grief. My solace has come not only from an excellent grief group, but the same as for many, from art, nature, friends, family, and activities that promote the common good. I bring the personal and professional to the Board. Every life ends with death. What we all hope for is a fitting end to our biographies.”
Elhadj Ndoye (El)
Elhadj Ndoye (El) was born and raised in Senegal, West Africa. Back in 1995, he relocated to the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a degree in Operations Management. He has served as a volunteer at Casas De Los Ninos, a not-for-profit shelter for children in abusive households. He also volunteered at Big Brothers and Sisters. He is very active in his community and currently has affiliations with the Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce as Past Chairman. In 2010 El created The Forgotten Children, a non-profit geared towards helping the street children in Senegal by achieving goals of self-sufficiency.
El is the Director of Business Development for CorporateCare Solutions. As a new member of the CCS team, El is excited to bring the concept of National Backup Child and Adult Care to the forefront of employee benefit discussions. In his role, El will be responsible for developing and growing current client relationships, identifying prospective clients, and contributing to the overall growth of CCS. He is dedicated to educating employers on the unique benefits they may offer to their employees, creating a family-friendly work environment, and assuring the recruitment and retention of top talent.
El has more than 20 years of banking experience in the local Tucson area. He is a University of Arizona alumnus and a Wildcat through and through. Prior to joining CorporateCARE Solutions, he served as the Market Executive and Senior Vice President of Canyon Community Bank.
“Death is inevitable but to be able to educate, support, and promote a quality end of life experience is an experience worth having.”
Ways to Give
Honor a special person in your life with a gift to Roots & Roads Community Hospice Foundation.
Family Stories
Read the stories of families who have been supported by Roots & Roads Community Hospice Foundation.