Tampa, Fla., December 29, 2008 – Today the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) welcomed two new members to its National Board of Directors. AAKP is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kidney patients and their family members.

The new members of the AAKP Board of Directors are Jess Arceneaux, transplant recipient (Florida) and Richard Knight, transplant recipient (Maryland). They join Brady Augustine (Florida) Mansi Mehta, RD, LDN (Illinois) and Cheryl Thaxton-Roache, ARNP-C (Florida) who were seated at the 2008 AAKP Annual Convention in September. The new Board members will serve two-year terms.

The AAKP National Board of Directors is responsible for establishing goals and policies for the Association. In addition, Board members are responsible for attending three meetings per year, participation in conference calls and committee membership. In keeping with the bylaws of the Association, more than 50 percent of the National Board of Directors must be comprised of kidney disease patients including chronic kidney disease (CKD), dialysis patients and transplant recipients. The president must also be a patient.

“It’s a pleasure to have two more patients serve on the AAKP Board of Directors,” stated AAKP President Roberta Wager, RN, MSN. “The addition of Jess and Richard ensures AAKP will continue to benefit from a diversity of patients and health care professionals. These two individuals also bring strong leadership skills and extensive business management skills to the Board."

The AAKP officers include: Roberta Wager, RN, MSN, President, transplant recipient (Texas); Stephen Z. Fadem, MD, FACP, FASN, Vice President, (Texas); Carolyn G. Price, Vice President, transplant recipient (Mississippi); Kelly M. Mayo, MS, Treasurer (Florida); Amy Friedman, MD, FACS, Secretary, daughter of transplant recipient (New York).

The remainder of the Board include: Renee Bova-Collis, MSW, LCSW, (Virginia); Richard S. Goldman, MD, (New Mexico); Mary Heisick, MSW, transplant recipient (California); Alice McCall, RN, transplant recipient (Virginia); Robert Miller, MD, FAAP, FCCP (New Mexico); Sam Pederson, transplant recipient (Washington); Thomas Peters, MD, FACS, FASN (Florida); Laurie Shore, MSW, LCSW (Florida); Joseph D. White, transplant recipient (Maryland); and Yalemzewd Woredekal, MD, home hemodialysis (New York).

For more information about the AAKP Board of Directors, call (800) 749-AAKP or visit the AAKP Web site, www.aakp.org.

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AAKP is the voluntary, patient organization, which for 40 years, has been dedicated to improving the lives of fellow kidney patients and their families by helping them deal with the physical, emotional and social impact of kidney disease. The programs offered by AAKP inform and inspire patients and their families to better understand their condition, adjust more readily to their circumstances, and assume more normal, productive lives in their communities.