TMF’s board of trustees provides corporate oversight and direction. The board of trustees is comprised of physicians, non-physicians and consumer (Medicare) beneficiary representatives. Between quarterly board meetings, operations are overseen by an Executive Committee elected from the board. TMF’s day-to-day operations are managed by its president and chief executive officer and senior management team, under direction of the board.
Number of Members
The TMF Board of Trustees has up to 15 members. The TMF board includes at least one doctor of medicine, one doctor of osteopathic medicine, and two consumer representatives. The board may not be comprised of a majority of physicians or any other type of practitioner or profession, but will include no less than two physicians at all times.
Length of Appointment
Trustees are elected for three-year terms and no person may serve more than six years.
TMF Board of Trustees
David C. Mason, DO, MBA, FACOFP - Chair
Dr. David Mason works in Fort Worth, Texas and specializes in family medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine. He obtained a doctoral degree in osteopathic medicine from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Dr. Mason also has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. Mason is certified in family medicine as well as neuromusculoskeletal medicine, and osteopathic manipulative medicine. Throughout his career, he has received many awards and honors, including the American Osteopathic Association Mentor Hall of Fame, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award, and the What Others Want Award for Clinical Service from University of North Texas Health Science Center. He currently serves on the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians’ Osteopathic Clinical Research Committee, and has previously served on several other national committees and boards. Dr. Mason joined the TMF board in August 2019.
Lisa Ehrlich, MD - Vice Chair
Dr. Lisa Ehrlich is an active staff member at both St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. She received her Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Texas Medical Branch, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Dr. Ehrlich has received a variety of awards, including the Texas Monthly Super Doctor (14 years), the AMA Foundation Leadership Award, America’s Top Physician (two years), and she is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. In 2017, Dr. Ehrlich was President of the Harris County Medical Society. She has been a delegate to Texas Medical Association (TMA) since 2003. She has served on several TMA Councils and is currently a member of the TMA Council on Socioeconomics. She was previously the Vice Chair, and then the Chair, of the TMA Council on Healthcare Quality. Dr. Ehrlich joined the TMF board in August 2020.
Laurie East, MBA, CPA, FACMPE - Secretary/Treasurer
Ms. Laurie East is a leader with extensive health care finance, physician practice, small business and nonprofit experience. She is currently a managing partner at Cardinal 360, LLC, a health care consulting business. In this position, she assists physician medical and dental practices in practice setup, operations, revenue maximization, reporting, finance, governance, payer contracting, compliance, and project management, as well as electronic medical record implementation. Prior to her position at Cardinal 360, she gained experience as a COO, a CFO, and a finance consulting manager. Ms. East volunteers for organizations including No One Dies Alone, as well as leads a team for Mobile Loaves & Fishes and acts as an advisor to the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Foundation. She has a Master of Business Administration in accounting from Tulane University. Ms. East joined the TMF board in August 2019.
Ruth Atkins, BSN, MA - Chair of the Operations Committee
Ms. Ruth Atkins is an independent consultant who focuses on Medicare and Medicaid health plan management and operations, including assisting Medicare/Medicaid clients and special needs clients with product design, application submission, document preparation and more. Prior to her current position, Ms. Atkins gained experience consulting in different capacities and most recently held a position as the vice president of dual strategy at Universal American. She is an honorary councilwoman for the Kentucky Opera and is a member of the board for the Dare to Care Food Bank. In addition, Ms. Atkins formerly served on boards of the Kentucky Opera and the Dare to Care Food Bank. Previously, she served as a board member for Volunteers of America. Ms. Atkins has a Master of Arts in Health Services Management from Webster University, in addition to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bellarmine College. Ms. Atkins joined the TMF board in October 2019.
Eddie L. Patton Jr., MD, MS, MBA, FAAN - Officer-at-Large
Dr. Eddie Patton is a clinical assistant professor in the department of neurosurgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center. Dr. Patton earned a Doctorate of Medicine from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, a Master of Business Administration from Rice University, Jones School of Business in Houston, and a Master of Science, Biology from Alabama State University in Montgomery. He served as a neurologist in Houston for 10 years before starting his own consultancy in 2019. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Dr. Patton is also on the boards of directors for Ucardia and the Harris County Community College Foundation. He has served on the board of the Texas Neurological Society (TNS) since 2011 and is the current president of TNS. Dr. Patton joined the TMF board in August 2022.
Jeffrey Schmeltekopf, CLU, ChFC, CFP, AIF - Non Physician Officer-at-Large
Mr. Jeffrey Schmeltekopf is co-owner, partner and chief compliance officer (CCO) of Dean, Jacobson Financial Services, LLC. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University and has completed multiple executive education programs at some of the nation’s most prominent business and management schools. Mr. Schmeltekopf is active in the health care industry, serving as past chair of the Baylor Scott & White (BSW) North Texas Operating, Policy and Procedure Board, which governs nine BSW hospitals in North Texas. He also serves on the board of BSW All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth. Mr. Schmeltekopf’s community activities also include serving as past chair of the executive committee for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, chair of the Board of Advocates of Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, member of the Board of Advisors for Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, along with several other charitable board roles. Mr. Schmeltekopf joined the TMF board in August 2019.
Nancy Adams, RN, MSN, FAAN, Retired Major General
Major General Nancy Adams has more than 25 years of clinical, administrative and senior management experience in large, complex government health care systems. She has demonstrated expertise as an organizational leader, effective communicator and resource manager with results that produced performance improvements. She recently served as the source selection authority for five major health care procurements for the U.S. Department of Defense. All procurements were accomplished on time and two awards were sustained on appeal with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Her areas of expertise include clinical nursing, health care administration, managed care, personnel management, performance improvement and the acquisition process. Maj. Gen. Adams holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Cornell University, as well as a Master of Science in Nursing from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Maj. Gen. Adams joined the TMF board in August 2019.
Wendy Chung, MD, SM
Dr. Wendy Chung has served as chief epidemiologist at Dallas County Health and Human Services and as clinical adjunct assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Chung is the chair of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) COVID-19 Task Force, past-chair of the TMA Council of Science and Public Health, and past-chair of the Infection Prevention and Control Committee for the Dallas County Medical Society. She is board-certified in pediatric infectious diseases and a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. She has a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a Master of Science in Tropical Public Health from Harvard University. Dr. Chung has received a variety of awards; most recently, she received the Charles Max Cole, MD, Leadership Award for outstanding service to the profession of medicine. Dr. Chung joined the TMF Board in August 2021.
Mathew C. Garber, PharmD, MA, PhD
Mathew Garber is an associate professor of pharmacy at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. He has a doctorate in social and administration sciences from the University of Michigan, a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of South Carolina, a master’s degree in economics from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Ferris State University. Dr. Garber was in the U.S. Navy from 1995 to 2015, serving in many roles, including positions with the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In addition to his naval service, Dr. Garber also served in the U.S. Army from 1988 to 1994. Dr. Garber joined the TMF board in August 2023.
Janet Marie Lieto, DO, FACOFP, CMD, CPPS
Dr. Janet Lieto is the director of Health Systems Science, Leadership and Innovation at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. Dr. Lieto has earned numerous honors and awards for her teaching and curriculum development throughout her career. Most recently, she helped develop a patient safety course at TCOM designed to prepare students for the Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS™) examination—the only course of its kind in the country. Dr. Lieto has been a Master Trainer for TEAMSTEPPS Interprofessional Education since 2014; she is also a scholar in the American Medical Association’s Health Systems Science Academy Scholars Program. Dr. Lieto earned her Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa. Dr. Lieto joined the TMF board in August 2022.
Elizabeth Lopez, BA, LBSW
Mrs. Elizabeth Lopez is the chief development officer, deputy director and compliance officer at the Community Health Center of Lubbock (CHCL). She is also a member of the Health Care Compliance Association. Previously, Mrs. Lopez was the integrated services delivery initiative coordinator at CHCL. Prior to her time at CHCL, she was the director of special programs and home health administrator at Cuidado Casero Home Health Services. She has experience developing and administrating community-based organizations. Mrs. Lopez has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas Tech University, and she has been licensed by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners since 1995. Mrs. Lopez joined the TMF Board in August 2021.
Keri Pearlson, DBA, MS
Dr. Keri Pearlson is a nationally recognized leader in the areas of cybersecurity and information systems management. Her current research studies issues pertaining to cybersecurity governance, leadership and culture. She is the executive director of the research consortium Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan (CAMS) at the MIT Sloan School of Management, as well as the managing partner and president of KP Partners, a consulting and executive education firm that specializes in IT-business strategy formulation and digital transformation management. Dr. Pearlson holds a doctorate in business administration (DBA) from the Harvard Business School, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Stanford University. Dr. Pearlson joined the TMF Board in August 2021.
Glenn A. Robinson, MHA
Glenn Robinson has more than 30 years of hospital and health care management experience and is board certified in health care management. He served as president of the Waco, Texas, region of Baylor Scott & White Health from 2007 to 2020. Upon his retirement from his role as president, Mr. Robinson launched Pacer Consultants, LLC, which specializes in leadership coaching and consulting for health care organizations throughout the country. He teaches in the MBA program at Baylor University and serves as an adjunct lecturer for Trinity University in San Antonio. Additionally, he works as a consultant for Baker-Tilly — an international financial and accounting advisory firm — in Waco, Texas.
Linda Villarreal, MD
Dr. Linda Villarreal maintains her internal medicine practice in her hometown of Edinburg, Texas. She established Memorial Medical Clinic in 1989 in honor of her brother who tragically died one week after she received her medical license. She is the immediate past president of the Texas Medical Association (TMA), serving as TMA’s president for 2021-2022. Dr. Villarreal began her career as a pharmacist before attending medical school at Universidad del Noreste in Tampico, Mexico, finishing her clinicals in San Antonio, Texas, before an internship in Cleveland, Ohio, and residency at Texas Tech University Health Science Center in El Paso. Dr. Villareal became the first woman chief of staff at Edinburg Regional Medical Center in 2003 and has also served as the president of the Hidalgo-Starr County Medical Society. Dr. Villarreal joined the TMF board in August 2022.
Betty Wharton, MS, CEN, APRN-CNS
Mrs. Betty Wharton is the director of Choctaw Nation’s Healthy Aging program, an adjunct for instruction and clinical education in Eastern Oklahoma State College’s Nursing Department and a National Council Licensure Examination specialist for registered nurse and licensed practical nurse reviews, nationwide. Mrs. Wharton serves with Network 13, Patients, Practices, and Academic Resource Team for New Evidence from Research (PARTNERS) and the Advisory Council for the Eastern Oklahoma State College Nursing Department. She has served on numerous boards through her career — including as a long-time member of the Eastern Oklahoma State College Alumni Board — and been selected to serve on numerous task forces developed by the governors of Oklahoma to improve health care and health promotion in Oklahoma. Mrs. Wharton holds a Master of Science in Nursing: Clinical Nurse Specialist from the University of Oklahoma. Mrs. Wharton has served on the TMF board since 2021.
TMF Board Compensation
Trustees will be compensated $2,500 for Trustee meetings. This amount is for their time spent in preparation for the meeting, attending the trustee meeting, committee meetings and for their time spent traveling to and from the meeting. Trustees will be compensated $250 per hour for time spent in preparation for and participating in executive committee conference call meetings.
Trustees will be compensated for telephone conference call meetings, special meetings, or special assignments of the trustees and/or executive committee at the rate of $250 per hour with a minimum of $250 per call.
The chair will be compensated at the rate of $1,700 per month in months in which there is no board meeting and compensation will increase to $2,500 per month in board meeting months. This will cover communications with TMF staff, review of written materials, etc.
Board of Trustee compensation is provided through TMF corporate funds and no board compensation is charged to contracts.
Affiliations: No member of the TMF Board of Trustees is affiliated with TMF in any other capacity than their board service.
TMF Certificate of Formation, Bylaws and IRS Form 1023
TMF's Certificate of Formation, Bylaws and the IRS Form 1023 are available upon request.