Board of Directors

Brenda Gray
PharmD, CNSC, BCNSP, CVAA(c), VA-BC™, PRS, BCSCP, FASPEN
President

Brenda Gray is Owner and Senior Consultant and Educator for Clinical Pharmacy Partners, Board member and Treasurer of Canadian Vascular Access Association, past Board of Director – Pharmacy for National Board Nutrition Support Certification, President of Florida Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and parenteral nutrition consumer that has practiced pharmacy since 1996 in many settings. She serves as a pharmacy and nursing accreditation surveyor, educator and consultant. Her extensive professional career in infusion pharmacy practices has been complimented by multiple publications and presentations nationally and internationally including a recent international publication on subcutaneous infusions. She has board certification in nutrition support (BCNSP, CNSC) ,vascular access (CVAAc, VA-BC™) and sterile compounding (BCSCP). Eight years ago she also gained additional expertise as she became a parenteral nutrition consumer with long term central venous access and advocate for improving patient outcomes in vascular access and infusion therapies. She is a frequent speaker for understanding patient perspectives, patient education, and emergency preparedness. She also teaches in the areas of infusion practice and sterile compounding. Her extensive professional memberships include leadership positions in state, national and international organizations.  She also served as a leader on the guideline development group for Infusion and Vascular Access Guidelines for Canada. She and her service dog have travelled the world teaching about vascular access and infusion therapy.

Wendy Clark
MSN, RN, VA-BC™
Presidential Advisor

Wendy Clark, MSN, RN, VA-BC™ has over 13 years in nursing and 12 years of experience in vascular access. Wendy currently works as a Vascular Access Specialist for HCA-Houston Northwest, where she works with a rapid response team providing vascular access and educating her team and hospital staff on evidence based practice and current standards related to vessel health preservation. She is also an educator for CVCHealthcare. Wendy serves as president of the Houston Vascular Access Network (HouVAN), that she worked to start in 2018. Through HouVAN, she helps to promote excellence in the vascular access profession by working with industry partners to provide educational opportunities to vascular access clinicians at HouVAN events. Wendy is an active member of the Association for Vascular Access and the Infusion Nurses Society.

Wendy graduated in 2016 with an MSN in Nursing Administration from UT-Arlington. In addition to her service to HouVAN and AVA, Wendy is an active board member of Magnificat Houses Inc., a non-profit organization in the city of Houston that serves the needs of the homeless population. As a Magnificat board member she has served in various community projects.

Lillian Harvey Banchik
MD, FACS, FASPEN, CVAAc, DABS, VA-BC™
President-Elect

Dr. Lillian Harvey Banchik, MD, FACS, FASPEN, CVAAc, DABS, VA-BC™ has been involved in all aspects of nutrition care (including vascular access) for over 30 years.  Her experience includes both the acute and the ambulatory/home settings. She is the immediate past president of the National Board of Nutrition Support Certification and has served on the board in various capacity for over 20 years.  During this time she has been intimately involved in the development, evaluation and administration of certification exams that are multi-disciplinary and re-validated by practice audits. She is board certified in surgery, nutrition support and vascular access. Her career has included multiple publications and presentations for national and international audiences.

Eli Babich
DNP, MSN, MBA, RN, CCRN, CMSRN, CRNI, VA-BC™
Treasurer

Eli Babich is an accomplished healthcare leader with over 30 years in nursing and with over 10 years of senior level executive leadership experience. Using evidence based practices, Eli provides progressive and critical care experience to the hospital organization he supports. He has been significantly involved in vascular access throughout his career.

In 2009, he achieved a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and then a Master in Business Administration (MBA) in 2010 from Waynesburg University. He graduated with his Doctorate in Nursing Practice in December 2024. Eli also holds the following nursing certifications: Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN), Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN), Certified Registered Nurse Infusionist (CRNI), and Vascular Access-Board Certified (VA-BC™). He is currently the Vice President of Clinical Operations for Vibra Healthcare, a large healthcare organization in the United States. Through this, he also champions Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICC) programs and teaches sites throughout the organization about placing PICC and midline catheters. His continual goal of vascular access excellence is an ongoing initiative. He also continues to serve in the United States Army Reserve as Lieutenant Colonel in Nurse Corps.

Tracey Schartz
M.ED., RRT, VA-BC™
Director

In 2023, Tracey Schartz saw her fifth year of teaching as faculty for the Respiratory Care Program at Gateway Community College. She took over as Program Director for the spring 2020 semester. Tracey graduated with her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University in December 2017. Prior to teaching, Tracey worked in the field of respiratory care for more than 15 years at one of the leading trauma centers in the state of Arizona as a Central Lines Specialist. Shortly after teaching a vascular course at Gateway, Tracey decided to take the credentialing exam to become Vascular Access-Board Certified. In learning that a course in preparation for this exam was sought after by community shareholders, she created the first course to do so of its kind being taught at Gateway in fall 2020.

Brandi Barden
BSN, RN, VA-BC™
Director

Brandi Barden, BSN, RN, VA-BC™, obtained her BSN in 2010 and has specialized in vascular access since 2014. After seeing the positive impact that the specialty has on patients and healthcare workers, Brandi developed a full time vascular access department, which includes peripheral and central insertion and maintenance as well as a broad range of education and support for all disciplines. In addition to managing this department, Brandi also serves as the Vascular Access Leadership Chair for the healthcare system of Maine Health.

Irita King
MSN, CRNI, VA-BC™
Director

With 32 years of nursing experience, Irita King has dedicated most of her career to Vascular Access, a field she is truly passionate about. Currently, she has the privilege of working at a Level-1 Trauma Center, where she leads the Specialty Teams, including the Vascular Access Team. Throughout her career, she has taken on various leadership roles, all while maintaining her dedication and expertise in vascular access. She is genuinely excited to contribute to the VACC Board and looks forward to the collaboration.

MonicaPilar Lawrence
BSN, RN, VA-BC™
Director

MonicaPilar Lawrence, RN, BSN, VA-BC™, is proud of who she is. She has taken nursing to grow in many avenues. She enjoys the one-on-one time with the patient, and teaching patients’ families and other medical staff. During the last seven years she assisted medical students and residents with line placement. Building trust with Respiratory Therapy was also a win for her.

Migdalia Serrano-Smith
MSN, RN, VA-BC™
Director

Kristen Horton
MSN, BSHA, RN, CCRN, CEN, CRNI, TCRN, VA-BC™
Director

Lorelle Wuerz
PhD, MSN, RN, VA-BC™, NEA-BC
Director

Dr. Lorelle Wuerz is a nursing executive, leader, and researcher with over 20 years of progressive leadership across academic medical centers. Most recently, she served as Director of Professional Nursing Practice, Quality, and Professional Development at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where she led system-wide initiatives in clinical quality, regulatory readiness, evidence-based practice, and nursing excellence. Currently, Dr. Wuerz serves as a Clinical Success Director for B. Braun Medical Inc., where she partners with health systems to strengthen clinical practice, advance patient outcomes, and support organizational growth. In this role, she provides evidence-based guidance and cultivates long-term relationships that help teams achieve shared, sustainable success.

Dr. Wuerz holds a PhD in Nursing with a focus on leadership and administration, and dual board certifications in nursing executive leadership (NEA-BC) and vascular access (VA-BC). Her scholarship spans nursing professionalism, vascular access, patient safety, and interprofessional collaboration. She has published in JONA, AJIC, British Journal of Nursing, and Nursing Management, and regularly lectures nationally on topics such as nursing leadership, vascular access, and workforce development.

She is a past national board member of the Association for Vascular Access and actively participates in various national professional associations including but not limited to ANA, AONL, and INS. Dr. Wuerz is committed to advancing nursing science, supporting emerging leaders, and integrating research into practice to drive high-quality, patient-centered care.

Grant Holley
PhD
Public Member

Grant L. Holley earned his degrees in Zoology and Chemistry from Marshall University in 1995 and has dedicated his career to advancing the communication and understanding of scientific concepts. After 14 years as an Associate Professor at North Carolina State University, he transitioned into leadership roles across industry and nonprofit organizations focused on the translational applications of science, including medicine, agriculture, and pharmacy. While continuing to teach science courses in the evenings, Grant also serves as the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association.