Board Members

Board of Association

The Board of Association shall be the President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, five Board Members-at-Large, and one Ascending Professional.

The Board of the Association shall be the governing body when the Annual Meeting is not in session. All actions of the Board must be presented for consideration at the next Annual Meeting of the House.

The Secretary, Treasurer, and Board Members serve 3 year terms.
The President, President-elect, and Immediate Past-President serve 2 year terms.
The Ascending Professional serves a term of 1 year.

A representative of the Developing Professional Forum, whose selection is specified in the Standard Operating Procedures, shall be an ex-officio member of the Board.

Elected Officers

President: Vanessa Coonrod

President-Elect: Tiffany Wafford

Past-President: Stephanie Snow

Secretary: Monique Nathan

Treasurer & Website Manager: Luis Gilbert Swink

Ascending Professional: Felix Morales

Developing Professional: Emilio Pineda

Board Members:

Maria Corriveau
Cheryl Burns
Leonor Crumley
Kirk Newport
Rajendran Rajkumar

2023 Board Members

Past-President
Stephanie Snow

In order to meet the challenges of the changing healthcare world, I am prepared for this worthwhile opportunity where my leadership and creative abilities can be utilized in accomplishing the goals of the organization. As President, I will demonstrate distinct abilities that drive organizational growth and will align with the ASCLS mission and core values. I believe my education and professional experience will be utilized more fully and that I can contribute favorably toward your expectations for the TACLS organization.

Stephanie Snow graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Science. She was inspired by her professors’ enthusiasm for the profession and became proactive in the ASCLS organization at the State and National level. She has worked as an ASCP-certified Medical Laboratory Scientist in the Austin area for 6 years. She began developing an interest in Laboratory Industry and became a National Automation Specialist for Beckman Coulter. She has recently transitioned to a Territory Sales Executive for Beckman Coulter and currently resides in New Braunfels, TX. Stephanie enjoys spending time with her pets and hiking. She received her MBA in the Summer of 2020.

President

Vanessa Coonrod

Vanessa graduated with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology in 2008 from Tarleton State University. During her final semester, she discovered the career field of Clinical Laboratory Science. She directly continued her college education at Tarleton State University and completed their Medical Laboratory Technology program in 2009. She worked in the Dallas/Fort Worth area as an MLT for over a year and then moved to the Corpus Christ area where she has worked for both the Christus Spohn and Corpus Christi Medical Center hospital systems. After two years of working as a generalist in the field, she achieved her Medical Laboratory Scientists ASCP certification. In 2012, she graduated with her Master of Health Administration with an emphasis in Health Education from the University of Phoenix. She has over 11 years of experience working within different hospital settings. In 2012 while working in the field as an MLS, she began as an adjunct professor in the MLT program at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. In 2014, she became the full-time Program Director and Instructor for the MLT program. She is very passionate about the career field and is looking forward to taking on the new role at the state level within the professional organization. One of her main goals is to help promote the career field and raise awareness of the important role MLTs and MLSs play within the healthcare system.

President-Elect
Tiffany Wafford

Tiffany Wafford is an Assistant Professor at UT Health San Antonio, School of Health Professions in the Division of Medical Laboratory Sciences where she serves as course director for the immunohematology and research courses. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sciences from UT Health San Antonio, a Master of Science in Transfusion Medicine from University of Texas Medical Branch and is a PhD in Health Sciences Candidate at UT Health San Antonio currently completing her dissertation in anti-HLA antibodies and HLA eplet patterns associated with platelet transfusion refractoriness in Hispanic patients. Tiffany is a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist and Specialist in Blood Banking through the American Society for Clinical Pathology. Prior to becoming an educator, she supervised the immunohematology reference laboratory at the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center where she specialized in overseeing complex antibody consultations. She has over 10 years of experience working in transfusion medicine laboratories. Her previous research includes evaluating the prevalence of red blood cell antigen of various blood groups in Hispanic Donors. She serves on national and regional laboratory, blood banking, and healthcare education committees. She enjoys educating future generations of medical laboratory scientists and advocating for the laboratory profession.

Secretary
Monique Nathan

I am Monique Nathan, a passionate Medical Laboratory Scientist with over 20 years of experience in the field. Currently, I serve as the Vice President of Laboratory Operations and Compliance, where I lead initiatives to enhance efficiency and ensure the highest standards of quality in our labs.

In addition to my role in laboratory operations, I proudly own Allegiance MedLab Consulting, where I provide expert guidance to organizations seeking to elevate their laboratory practices. My mission is to empower healthcare facilities to deliver accurate and timely results that positively impact patient care.

With a strong commitment to excellence and innovation, I am dedicated to advancing the field of medical laboratory science and making a meaningful difference in the healthcare community!

Treasurer & Website Manager
Luis Gilbert Swink, MLS(ASCP)CM
He/Him

Howdy,

My name is Luis "Gilbert" Swink, MLS (ASCP)CM, and I am the TACLS Website Manager and Treasurer. I am currently the Clinical Lab Supervisor for LabCorp at Ascension Seton Hays. I oversee Evening and Night shifts, as well as interviewing, training, mentoring, and other administrative work. I have been involved with TACLS for six years now and have worked my way up the ranks. I recently obtained my MSCLS from UTMB-Galveston. I have a BSCLS from Texas State University (2017) and a BS in Microbiology from Texas A&M University (2014). I am very passionate about our profession and love to serve. As treasurer, my focus is to streamline payment options through our website and other payment sites. Please feel free to contact us with questions or comments on how we can better serve you.

Public Relations Chair
Dr. Rodney Rohde

Rodney E. Rohde, Ph.D., M.S., SV, SM, MB (ASCP)CM received his Bachelor of Science (microbiology) and Masters (Biology, emphasis in virology) degrees from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University). Dr. Rohde received his Ph.D. in Education in 2010 (Adult Professional Community Education) with a focus on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from Texas State.

Dr. Rohde is a Professor in the College of Health Professions and was appointed as the Chair for the Clinical Laboratory Science program in 2013 at Texas State University. In June 2011, he was appointed as Associate Dean of Research for his college. He is also a clinical assistant professor (joint appointment, non-paid) at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Laboratory Sciences & Primary Care, Clinical Laboratory Science Program. Additionally, Dr. Rohde continues to enjoy being an adjunct associate professor of biology in the nursing program for Austin Community College. He holds certifications as a Specialist in Virology, Specialist in Microbiology, and Molecular Biologist from the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

For more specific information about his projects, please see: http://rodneyerohde.wp.txstate.edu/

Ascending Professional:
Felix Morales

To achieve great things in the lab, we need to spread the word about who we are and what we do. We need to say loud and clear “we are here and what we do in the healthcare world provides key data to solve, diagnosis, and cure/treat patients suffering from a disease.” My goal is to provide this community with more resources to talk, share and assist each other across the state of Texas. My team members are planning on creating a more diverse community with an introduction to new social media platforms, such as Discord and Slack, where professionals, ascending professionals, developing professionals, and others can communicate. I hope each platform will lead to new members and further the goals of ASCLS and TACLS.