Meet the leadership team behind
Aspira Women's Health
Executive Leadership Team
Board of Directors
James T. LaFrance
Chairman of the Board, Aspira Women's Health
James T. LaFrance became a director of Aspira Women's Health and was elected Chairman of the Board in December 2013. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer from April to December 2014. He has over thirty years of diagnostic industry experience. Most recently, LaFrance was head of digital pathology and CEO of Omnyx, LLC for GE Healthcare. Prior to that, he held a series of commercial, strategic marketing and business development leadership roles at Ventana Medical Systems (now Roche Tissue Diagnostics), including general manager of their North American and International commercial organizations. Prior to Ventana, LaFrance served in leadership roles in global marketing and business development at Bayer Diagnostics. Jim currently serves on the board of HTG Molecular in Tucson and Personal Genome Diagnostics in Baltimore. Jim is also on the Advisory Board of PathAi in Boston. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.
Veronica G. H. Jordan, Ph.D.
Dr. Veronica G. H. Jordan became a director of Aspira Women's Health in December 2014. She currently serves as an advisor to companies developing novel healthcare products and services. Previously, from 2001-2006, she was President and CEO of Medelle Corporation, a medical device company in women’s health. Prior to that, Dr. Jordan served for fourteen years in various executive positions at PAREXEL International Corporation. Earlier, she held business leadership roles at Biogen and managed an R&D department for Baxter International. Dr. Jordan currently serves on the board of Albany Molecular Research Inc. as well as a number of not-for-profit organizations working to advance healthcare initiatives. She earned a B.Sc. in biochemistry from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry/cell biology from Oxford University.
Valerie B. Palmieri
President and Chief Executive Officer, Aspira Women's Health
Sandra E. Brooks, MD, MBA
Dr. Brooks was appointed to the Board of Directors in November 2020. Dr. Brooks is Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Center City Division, and a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Dr. Brooks trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and in Gynecologic Oncology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Dr. Brooks also served as Professor and Director of the Division of Gynecology Oncology at the University of Maryland for 10 years where in addition to clinical practice, and teaching trainees, her research focused on health services and cancer disparities. Dr. Brooks received her MBA in Medical Services Management at Johns Hopkins University before transitioning to physician executive roles in multi-site ambulatory and health system settings.
Nicole Sandford, CPA
Ms. Nicole Sandford, CPA was appointed to the Board of Directors in February 2021. Ms. Sandford is a seasoned professional and qualified audit committee financial expert with extensive experience advising boards and senior executives in their most challenging times. She served global accounting and consulting firm Deloitte from 1993 to 2020, most recently as the national managing partner for its Regulatory and Operational Risk practice. As one of Deloitte’s most knowledgeable experts in corporate governance, Nicole wrote Deloitte’s response to the governance aspects of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and was the architect of its award-winning Center for Board Effectiveness. She also served as the audit partner for complex public companies in a variety of industries. Nicole is a frequent speaker on governance, risk, and culture, as well as leading practices for boards and board committees. Nicole is passionate about helping people with cancer as a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society’s “Road to Recovery” program and as the patient advocate/representative on the Greenwich Hospital Breast Center Accreditation Leadership Committee.