President

Jerry Boster

In late 2013, about 6 months after retiring from a 29-year Navy career, Jerry was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.  He first became involved in the Hawaii Parkinson Association through its annual Walk in 2015, and joined the board of directors the following year.    Jerry’s motivation for being this is deeply involved in the Parkinson community is partly for his own battle with Parkinson’s, but he is also motivated to help other Parkinson’s patients and caregivers who aren’t able to do it for themselves, and to educate the public so they better understand what Parkinson’s is and what it is to live with Parkinson’s.

 

Vice President

Kay Kitazumi

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Secretary

Lindsey Sutton, PhD

C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, 500 RYT, ERYT-200

 

Lindsey is an educator and yoga practitioner.  She holds a PhD in Geography emphasizing human development and resiliency, is a Yoga Therapist at the Kaimuki-Waialae YMCA, a children's yoga book author and music album co-producer, and author/developer of YogaFit® Fit and Focused Kids. Combining her dedication to community service with her passion for yoga, she teaches yoga classes for all populations, and works with individuals in one-on-one yoga therapy sessions. She specializes in trauma sensitive yoga.  Lindsey is excited to be part of the HPA Board to offer her knowledge of and training background in wellness, healing and yoga for Parkinson patients. 

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Treasurer

Russell Boyer

Russ Boyer was born and raised in a small village in northern Ohio but the Army gave him the taste for international travel. As a result, he worked and lived in Asia (Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and China) for over 26 years. In addition, he has also lived in five different states within the United States.

 

Russ has been the president/CEO of five different companies in five different countries; He has worked mainly in pharmaceuticals, but also set up and managed a clinical research. organization. He has been happily married for 54 years. As a Rotarian he enjoys volunteer work. 

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Hawaii Island Hilo Representative

Fran Calvert

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Hawaii Island Waimea Representative

Tom St. John

Tom St John grew up in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington.  In 1974 he moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where he was CFO of an import export company.  After his wife, Donna, was diagnosed with PD n 2001, he became active in supporting her in finding a cure.  He retired and they moved to Kona in 2011. Donna and Tom were active in Dancing for Parkinson’s and Yoga for Parkinson’s. After attending a Parkinson’s support group in Waimea, they decided that there was a need for a support group in Kona and started the Kona Parkinson’s support group in October 2018.  Tom and Donna keep active by exercising and Deep sea fishing.

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Kauai Representative

Jim White

Jim was diagnosed with PD 6 years ago. A previous pilot for NetJets, Jim moved to Kauai 3 years ago.  Jim has been a leader in the PD community in Kauai, leading the local support group and raising awareness about the disease. 

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Maui Representative

Vacant

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General Members

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Dana Barbata

Dana was born and raised on Oahu.  She went to college and law school on the mainland, and is happy to be home now living about 5 minutes from her parents.   Dana is proud to join the HPA Board because her dad has Parkinson’s and she would like to offer her skills as an attorney, her creative thinking, and her positive attitude to support this community. 

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Pat Bemis 

She has been a Registered Nurse for 45 years both in Hawaii and on the Mainland. She cares for her mother long distance both financially and emotionally for 16 years.  Pat also cares for her husband who has had Parkinson’s Disease for 30 years. She is very passionate about helping others prepare for the reality of caregiving. Pat enjoys decorating, sewing, thrift shopping, playing with scissors and glue, reading non-fiction, going to movies/plays and having sleepovers with her granddaughters. Favorite artist: Geogia O’Keefe and Vincent Van Gogh.  Favorite band: Pink Floyd (without Roger Waters) & Bruno Mars Favorite outfit: JCrew sweater and jeans 

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Justin Fukunaga PT, DPT, OCS

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Board Certified Orthopedic Specialist

 

Justin is a physical therapist who was born and raised in Honolulu. He achieved his Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Eastern Washington University in 2015 after completion of his B.S. in Kinesiology and rehabilitation science from the University of Hawaii. Justin also completed an Orthopedic Residency program through the University of St. Augustine where he specialized in assessment and treatment of orthopedic conditions. 

 

In 2016, Justin and his colleague Jim Moses, developed the only PT-led Parkinson’s boxing program in Hawaii called Knockout Movement Disorders (KOMD).

 

Currently, Justin instructs group boxing and fitness classes for those with PD through KOMD weekly.  He also has his own mobile outpatient physical therapy practice, treating individuals for one on one care.

 

As an HPA board member he hopes to improve resources and guidance for individuals living with PD with the increased awareness for a holistic approach combining medicine and lifestyle choices to improve their quality of life. 

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Lisa Kubota 

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