Board of Directors

Elliott Buckner is Community Brain Injury Services’ Board President and has served on the CBIS Board since 2011. Mr. Buckner is a partner at Cantor Grana Buckner and Bucci. Mr. Buckner has represented cases in every kind of catastrophic injury claim, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, tractor-trailer crashes, car collisions, and other product liability cases. He also handles wrongful death claims on behalf of families who have experienced loss due to negligence.

Mr. Buckner is widely recognized by his peers for his relentless and effective approach to litigation. He has been named to the list of Best Lawyers in America, been AVⓇ Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-HubbellⓇ, included in the list of “Legal Elite” by Virginia Business Magazine, and has been annually selected to the Virginia Super LawyersⓇ list (on the Rising Star list and as a regular selection) since 2007. He has also been regularly selected to the “Top 100 Virginia Super Lawyers” and “Top 50 Richmond Super Lawyers” lists. These selections mark Elliott as one of the very best Richmond personal injury attorneys, and among the top litigators in all of Virginia.

Karen Grazionale is Community Brain Injury Services’ Board Vice President. Karen is retired after 30 years managing special projects for a major health insurance company.  Her expertise is in human-centered design, project management, and VoIP technologies. In February 2016, her husband was hit by a car leaving him unconscious with polytrauma to his head and body.  Karen used her experience with the clinicians in the ICU and her expertise to develop a process for effective innovation that she patented and has copyrights to.

Karen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and is also certified in Brain Injury Fundamentals, by the Brain Injury Association of America.  She’s a member of the Brain Injury Association of America, co-facilitates a Support Group for Caregivers and volunteers for Meals on Wheels.

Karen lives in Hampton, Virginia with her husband Victor and dog Riley.  They love to travel and have been to Europe, Costa Rica, Canada, S.E. Asia and are currently working their way across the United States in their camper.

Francis Liu joined the Community Brain Injury Services’ Board of Directors in 2021 and is the current Board Treasurer for Community Brain Injury Services. Francis is a Senior Staff Accountant with WellsColeman with over 11 years of experience providing various accounting, auditing, and tax services to not-for-profit organizations and privately-owned businesses in both the United States and Canada. As a Senior Staff Accountant, Francis is responsible for the planning and execution of financial statement audits and reviews of not-for-profit organizations and owner-managed businesses in various industries and sectors. Francis is also a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA).

Stephanie Grana has served on the Community Brain Injury Services Board of Directors since 2013 and is the current Board Secretary. Stephanie Grana is a partner with Cantor Grana Buckner Bucci and for more than 26 years has fought for individuals and families in Virginia suffering from catastrophic injury and wrongful death. In her years of practice, she has recovered more than 50 verdicts and settlements of over $1 million.

Her professional integrity and ability to secure results for her clients has earned her an AVⓇ Rating from Martindale-HubbellⓇ , a leading lawyer rating directory. Steohanie has been selected to Best Lawyers in AmericaⓇ specifically for her excellent work in handling medical malpractice cases. She has also been selected by her peers to the Super Lawyers list every year since 2009 and has consistently appeared in its list of the “Top 100 Virginia Super Lawyers”, “Top 50 Female Super Lawyers in Virginia”, and “Top 50 Richmond Super Lawyers”.

Stephanie Grana is past President of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, leading a 2000+ member voluntary association of trial lawyers from across Virginia. Stephanie was also selected by The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia to serve on the Virginia Model Jury Instruction Committee which writes and edits jury instructions for all Virginia cases.

Mike Weber serves as the Immediate Past President of the Community Brain Injury Services Board of Directors and has served on the Board since 2010. Mr. Weber has in excess of 35 years in the insurance industry specializing in the Risk Management of social services and non-profit organizations. More recently, he will be providing insurance services amongst all aspects of the medical field.
Mr. Weber received his degree from James Madison University and took extensive course studies in international business at San Francisco State University. He achieved his Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) designation in 2006 and a Certified Authority of Workers’ Compensation (CAWC) in 2017. In addition to serving on the CBIS Board, Mr. Weber has also served on the Board of the Children’s Home Society of Virginia.

Lance Elwood is the co-founder of Community Brain Injury Services and has served on the Board since 2006. After completing his undergraduate work at the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in psychology and his Graduate Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University Special Education, Lance Elwood went on to hold numerous management positions with the Chesterfield County Community Services Board (CSB) and in private sector human services organizations. Lance is the Co-Founder of Career Support Systems, Inc., an Employment Services Organization that provides supported employment and related services to individuals with barriers to employment.

Lance has successfully written and managed numerous grant projects and start-ups. He remains most passionate about creating new and innovative services to pave the way for individuals to fully participate in the workforce.

Paula Lumsden is a healthcare marketing professional who is currently the Director of Promotions for the Association of State and Territory Health Officials in Arlington, Virginia. She has previously served as the Director of Marketing for Tidewater Physicians Multi-specialty Group and Tidewater Physical Therapy, both in Newport News, Virginia. Paula lends her extensive expertise to the CBIS Development and Governance Committees. Paula holds a B.S. from Michigan State University, an M.A. from Eastern Michigan University, and an M.S. from Boston University. She has served on the Community Brain Injury Services’ Board of Directors since 2015.

Terrie Glass joined the Community Brain Injury Services’ Board of Directors in 2018. Ms. Glass is the President of Leadership Solutions and has 20 years of leadership experience in a values-based, mission-driven organization. She helps companies and organizations create programs to develop their leaders, focus their work more effectively, and create a culture of excellence in customer service and retain the best of the best.

Hi! My name is Kara Beatty and I am a psychiatrist that specializes in Brain Injury. Besides being a provider, I am also a TBI survivor. During the summer after my freshman year at college a truck sped through a red light and broadsided my driver’s side. I spent 4 days in a coma before going to TIRR for rehabilitation. I stayed out of school for the fall semester to complete outpatient rehabilitation. I was so inspired by my physician that I decided that I wanted to become a doctor. I completed my undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University. After graduating, I traveled to Kaohsiung, Taiwan to teach English. When I returned to the United States, I worked as a case manager for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. I then attended University of Texas at Houston for medical school. During medical school, I was fortunate enough to get involved with multiple projects at TIRR. For residency, I went to Virginia Commonwealth University, where I served as chief my last year. During that time, I fell in love with Richmond and all it has to offer. After residency, I completed a fellowship in Brain Injury Medicine under the supervision of Dr. Gregory O’Shanick. I now have my own practice, Resilience Health, where I treat patients with TBI or stroke that need psychiatric care. In 2018, I joined the Board of Directors of Community Brain Injury Services.

Gretchen M. Brophy, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP, FCCM, FNCS is Professor of Pharmacotherapy & Outcomes Sciences and Neurosurgery with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy, Medical College of Virginia Campus, in Richmond. She is also a Neurocritical Care Clinical Pharmacist, VCU Health System. Dr. Brophy received her PharmD from the University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy in Tucson and her postgraduate training includes residencies in Critical Care and Pharmacy Practice at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington. She is currently the Treasurer of the Neurocritical Care Society. Dr. Brophy’s research interests include effective treatments strategies for traumatic brain injury, neurocritical care, stroke, hemostasis, sedation and status epilepticus. She is an investigator in NIH and DoD funded studies, an invited speaker at national and international conferences, and publishes in the area of neurocritical care.

Gretchen has been a CBIS Board Member since July 2019.

Phyllis Mutchnick has served on the Board since 2014. Before her retirement in 2023, Phyllis Mutchnick was a partner with Wells Coleman with over thirty years of experience in public accounting, specializing in small business accounting and tax issues. She worked with clients in a variety of industries, with an emphasis on construction and personal and professional services providing comprehensive family business tax services, coordination business, individual, retirement and estate tax issues. As a partner in the firm, she focused internally on the firm’s quality control, providing the primary technical review of financial statements and business and individual tax returns. Phyllis served as the CBIS Board Treasurer for many years and brought her professional expertise to ensure excellent financial controls at Community Brain Injury Services.

Ian Slinkman is the Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations for Patient First. He is responsible for all aspects of advertising, marketing, online presence, community relations, and public relations for Patient First and its 76 urgent and primary care medical centers throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Ian began serving on Community Brain Injury Services’ Board in 2020. He is excited for the opportunity to assist CBIS realize its vision of “every survivor of brain injury to have the opportunity to realize a life of purpose and self-determined value.”

Ian first joined Patient First as an unpaid intern while a student at university. He quickly grew into leadership roles through hard work and his passion for Patient First’s mission to provide convenient, cost-effective medical care. Ian has directed all marketing to support the opening of 39 new medical centers in four states. He has overseen two website redesigns, as well as the creative development and execution of multiple advertisements, including award-winning television spots. He also initiated and developed Patient First’s digital marketing efforts, including its engaging, patient-service focused social media program.

Ian graduated Cum Laude from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications, with a focus on Advertising Strategy. When not at work, Ian enjoys traveling with his wife, Anne-Marie, and outdoor activities like mountain biking, road biking, hiking, and whitewater kayaking.