Leadership: Staff

K. Kimberly McCleary is the Association's President & Chief Executive Officer. For the past 18 years, Kim has directed the Association's education, public policy and research programs, which seek to bring an end to CFS and the suffering it causes. She also serves on the Association's Board of Directors and all of its standing committees.

While she participates in virtually every aspect of the organization's operations, Kim is most actively involved in efforts to secure a dedicated and effective response from the federal government to this disease.

She has met with dozens of federal officials about the government's research activities, and represented the CFS advocacy community on the Department of Health and Human Services' Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Coordinating Committee from 1997 through 2002. Kim played a key role in bringing the misuse of CFIDS research funds by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to light, which has resulted in an investigation by the Inspector General and General Accounting Office, a public apology from the CDC and restoration of $12.9 million to CFIDS research. She has made numerous presentations at CFS workshops and conferences and has written many articles on research and public policy related issues for The CFIDS Chronicle, the world's largest and most widely circulated publication on CFS.

Prior to taking the President and CEO position with the Association in early 1991, Mrs. McCleary was vice president of a healthcare management consulting firm. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a native of upstate New York and mother of two.

"From the Desk of Kim McCleary” monthly feature from CFIDSLink

Kim Almond who joined the Association in May of 2000, is the Association's Operations & Network Administrator. In addition to handling The Chairman's Circle, and meeting planning duties Kim manages the look and content of www.cfids.org and directs the Association’s online development efforts. In 2002 Kim launched the Association's e-newsletter, CFIDSLink.

Sara Collins, the Association’s public relations and events manager, joined the staff in January 2007 to support the public awareness campaign.  She is responsible for managing the traveling photo exhibit; training patients and health care providers to respond to media inquiries; developing media opportunities for the campaign, the disease and the Association; and generally supporting the Association’s communications efforts.  Sara’s 17 years of communications experience includes work in sales and nonprofit, corporate and internal and external communications. 

Kris Hopkins began her tenure in September 1990 as a temporary employee assisting the Association with its 1990 research conference in Charlotte, NC. As the Association has grown over the past decade, so have Kris' responsibilities and contributions. Today, Ms. Hopkins serves as Chief Financial Officer, and provides vigilant and responsible stewardship of the Association's financial resources. Kris remains involved in the CFIDS Support Network, leading support group leaders nationwide to better serve persons with CFIDS in their local communities. She also helps plan the Association's Education and Empowerment series programs. Kris is the most senior member of the Association's professional staff.

As The CFIDS Association of America's Accounting and Personnel Assistant, Lois Infanti manages the payables and receivables, payroll, and administers the Association's employee benefits program. Lois joined the staff as a temporary employee in October 1997 and became a full-time Association employee in December of the same year. 

If you've called The CFIDS Association in the past few years, you've likely had the opportunity to speak with Gloria Smith. Gloria joined the Association in 1996 as a part-time office assistant. Today, as the Office Manager, Gloria is responsible for directing the myriad of day—to—day office duties, including data entry and processing, the organization of in-house mailings, and coordination of office volunteers.

Suzanne D. Vernon joined the staff of the CFIDS Association as Scientific Director in November 2007. Dr. Vernon began her scientific career in 1990 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. Her research included studying human papillomavirus and how it is associated with cervical cancer. This area of research was extended into studying human papillomavirus as an opportunistic infection in people infected with human immunodeficiency virus. In 1996, Dr. Vernon was selected to establish a laboratory effort specific for CFS research. By 1997, this CFS laboratory was looking for previously uncharacterized and novel pathogens in CFS and applying powerful human genome methods to increase the understanding of the CFS disease process. In addition to managing the laboratory team effort, Dr. Vernon has collaborated with scientists and medical researchers in the United States and from around the world including Australia, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Japan.

In her new capacity as Scientific Director, Dr. Vernon will lead the Association’s research grants program, the nation’s largest philanthropic supporter of CFS research. She will organize and host symposia and other formal opportunities for scientists to exchange information and build collaborative networks. Dr. Vernon will continue her efforts to build strong collaborations with CFS research groups and investigators worldwide, documenting breadth and depth of studies across multiple disciplines and identifying gaps and opportunities that warrant prioritization. She will serve as a subject matter expert in numerous settings, including scientific proceedings, policy meetings, media interviews, development activities and conferences for health care professionals and patients. And Dr. Vernon will maintain her strong scientific background by defining the CFS knowledgebase and surveying other fields of research for findings and scientific approaches of potential relevance to CFS.