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 Accountant with The Supply Room 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. 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.
Shenee McCray, LCSW is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Mental Health Services at the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA), where she has worked for 22 years in various clinical and leadership capacities. As COO at a local community services board, Ms. McCray oversees a wide array of mental
health services to approximately 2500 youth and adults with serious emotional disturbance and/or serious mental illness and provided by over 320 staff. In addition to her work at the RBHA, Ms. McCray has served as the Mental Health Council Chair for the Virginia Association for Community Services Boards where she was highly engaged in various state-wide workgroups aiming to facilitate the implementation of Medicaid Managed Care within Virginia’s public behavioral health system. Ms.
McCray holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Old Dominion University, a Master’s in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University and has held a license as a clinical social worker since 2007. She is a mother to her beautiful daughter and grandmother to her amazing granddaughter and loves on her 16 year-old Yorkshire Terrier.
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.
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.
Kara Keuthan Beatty is a board-certified psychiatrist. She completed her Bachelors of Science in Psychology at Texas A&M University. She attended the University of Texas at Houston for medical school. For residency, she went Virginia Commonwealth University, where she served as chief her last year. After residency, she completed a fellowship in Brain Injury. In July 2018, Dr. Beatty started her own practice, Resilience Health, where she provided general psychiatric and neuropsychiatric services. In November 2023, she transitioned to the Richmond VA Medical Center. Besides being a provider, Kara is also a TBI survivor. During the summer after her freshman year at college a truck sped through a red light and broadsided her driver’s side. She spent 4 days in a coma before going to TIRR for rehabilitation. She stayed out of school for the fall semester to complete outpatient rehabilitation. She was so inspired by her physician that she decided that she wanted to become a doctor.
Kara currently sits on the Board of Directors for Community Brain Injury Services and serves as Vice Chair for the Virginia Brain Injury Council. From May 2022 to May 2023, she served as president of the Psychiatric Society of Virginia. In May 2023, she was recognized by Style Weekly as one of Richmond’s Top 40 Under 40.
Gretchen M. Brophy, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP, FCCM, FNCS, MCCM is Professor of
Pharmacotherapy & Outcomes Sciences and Neurosurgery at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy, Medical College of Virginia Campus, in Richmond. She is also a Neurocritical Care Clinical Pharmacist at VCU Health and a Past President of the Neurocritical Care Society. 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. Dr. Brophy’s research interests include neurocritical care pharmacotherapy, traumatic brain injury, brain injury biomarkers, hemostasis, stroke, sedation and status epilepticus. She is an investigator for the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and industry-funded studies. Dr. Brophy is an invited speaker at national and international conferences and has multiple peer-reviewed publications and book chapters in the area of neurocritical care.
Gretchen has been a CBIS Board Member since July 2019.
Dr. Gabriella Caldwell-Miller joined the Community Brain Injury Services’ Board of Directors in July 2023. Dr. Caldwell-Miller believes that access to quality behavioral health services is a matter of social justice for underserved populations. This belief has shaped her career, ministry, and civic involvement.
For over 25 years, Dr. Caldwell-Miller has excelled as an LPC and a behavioral health leader in non-profit, state, and local government settings. She is the Division Director for Behavioral Health & Wellness at Hanover County Community Services Board, providing strategic clinical leadership for mental health, substance use disorder, and behavioral health wellness programs.
Dr. Caldwell-Miller received a B.S. degree in Sociology and an M.S. degree in Counselor Education from Illinois State University in Normal, IL. She earned a Ph.D. in Human Services from Capella University in 2007. In 2011, she received a Master of Divinity degree from the School of Theology at Virginia Union.
Dr. Caldwell-Miller also serves on the Board of Hanover Safe Place and Leadership Metro Richmond.
Ben Chambley serves as the Business Development Manager for 1st Advantage Federal Credit Union where he leads a team to drive strategic initiatives to foster growth, enhance member relationships, and provide financial solutions to meet the evolving needs of members and the community. 1st Advantage is a full-service financial institution dedicated to serving its more than 70,000 members by working collaboratively as trusted advisors to secure a real advantage for each member.
Ben joined the Community Brain Injury Services Board of Directors in 2024. His brother experienced a brain injury while deployed in Afghanistan and thanks to the personalized care he received, he was able to return to a normal life. Witnessing the importance of such care firsthand, he is committed to helping and advocating for individuals who have acquired traumatic brain injuries through his role on the board.
Ben holds a degree in Public Administration from Auburn University and started his career in Alabama before moving to Hampton Roads. Ben has previously served in business development roles with Labcorp, Pivot Physical Therapy, Reynolds American, and the American Red Cross.
Outside of work, Ben enjoys spending time outdoors and working on his farm in Surry while spending time with his wife, Hillary, and two young boys, Hayes and Sam. As Williamsburg residents, they also enjoy walking down Duke of Gloucester Street and taking advantage of the many outdoor parks in the area.
