The ArmadaCare Advisory Board

Raymond J. Brusca, Vice President, Black & Decker Corporation
Mr. Brusca is Chairman and President for Black & Decker Healthcare Management, Inc. and Vice President of Benefits for Black & Decker Corporation, a Maryland based company (www.blackanddecker.com). He is responsible for the design, compliance, communication, implementation and administration of all welfare and retirement benefits for all U.S. based employees and retirees. Mr. Brusca is a nationally recognized expert in the employee benefits and executive compensation fields, with a specialty in the area of innovative health benefits design, administration, and funding. He currently serves as Commissioner for the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission. He is also an active member of International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Society for Human Resource Management and W.E.B.

Mr. Brusca holds a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law (1984) and a B.S. in Political Science from Towson State University (1980). A frequent national speaker, Mr. Brusca has served on the Board of Directors of the Washington Business Group on Health, the American Accreditation Healthcare Commission/Utilization Review Accreditation Commission, Epilepsy Foundation of the Chesapeake Region, GBMC Healthcare Inc., St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, and the Boy Scouts of America/Baltimore Area Council.
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Thomas J. Graham, M.D.
Dr. Thomas J. Graham is a renowned hand surgeon who serves as the Chief of the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore, Vice-Chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Union Memorial Hospital and is an Associate Professor of both Orthopedic and Plastic Surgery at Johns Hopkins. In addition to his administrative duties related to the Congressionally-designated National Hand Center, he is Director of MedStar SportsHealth, the sports operations division of the mid-Atlantic’s largest healthcare system.

He is perhaps best known for his work with professional athletes and sports organizations, as he serves on the medical staff of the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Flyers and is the Medical Director of the Washington Nationals, as well as being the Hand Surgery Consultant for many other teams, leagues and agencies.

A graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts, Dr. Graham received his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and then served his residency in Orthopedic Surgery at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Dr. Graham completed his fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the Indiana Hand Center and his elbow training at the Mayo Clinic. He is Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery, and holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand. He has been inducted into fellowship of the American Orthopedic Association, the specialty’s highest academic honor.

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Earl S. Wellschlager, Partner, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary LLP
Sam Wellschlager is Partner in the law firm DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP (www.dlapiper.com). He has a business law practice and focuses on closely held companies and shareholder dispute resolution. He currently serves as outside general counsel to approximately twenty-five domestic companies, both publicly and privately held, and represents the U.S. interests of several foreign corporations.

Mr. Wellschlager has lectured extensively in the areas of estate and financial planning, and served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland Law School and the University of Baltimore School of Law. He serves on the boards of several companies, including Phoenix Color Corp and Webb/Mason, Inc. For several years, Mr. Wellschlager served on the judging panel of the Baltimore/Washington Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. He is the past Chairman of the W. S. Baer Board Corporation, the holding company for Children’s Hospital in Baltimore City, Maryland.
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Benjamin Safirstein, M.D. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Flagship Global Health
Dr. Safirstein is a co-founder of Oxford Health Plans and was Chief Medical Officer and a director there from 1985 to 2004.He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine and received his MD from The Chicago Medical School in 1965. He completed his medical training at The Mount Sinai Hospital of New York, where he was Chief Medical Resident, and his Pulmonary training at the Brompton Hospital, London, England, as a fellow of the National Tuberculosis Foundation. He serves as Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Arthur Ashe Foundation, is Founder of the New Jersey Asthma Foundation and has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications on respiratory medicine
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Edward Walker, Senior Vice President AEGON Direct Marketing Services Sponsored Market Business Development
Ed Walker leads the development of strategic business initiatives, overseeing three ADMS business units - Community Solutions Group, Inc., Monumental Credit Insurance, and Transamerica Affinity Services, Inc. He is also responsible for the financial risk management of these business units as well as retail agency distribution operations. Mr. Walker has an extensive background in the insurance market and has been with AEGON since 1988. During that time, he has held a number of roles with increasing responsibility, including Regional Sales Vice President, Vice President, and most recently Business Unit Leader. Mr. Walker earned an MBA from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD and a BA from Lynchburg College in Virginia. He is on the Board of Directors for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP formerly HIAA), The Harford County Public Library, and is a founding board member of US Travel Insurance Association (USTIA).
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