Chris Karavolas
Membership Committee Member
Chief Executive Officer :: Romeo and Juliette :: www.romeojuliettelaserhairremoval.com
Mr. Karavolas is the Owner and CEO of Romeo & Juliette Laser Hair Removal Inc. in New York and is presently a consultant to various Aesthetic Laser manufacturers, amongst them Cynosure Corp. Candela Corp. and Light Age, Inc. As President of the New York State Association of Laser Hair Removal Specialists, Mr. Karavolas is involved in Legislative matters regarding hair removal and is advocating uniformity in education as well as certification in New York State. He is a member of Society for Clinical and Medical Hair Removal, conducts Seminars and Training worldwide on Laser Hair Removal. Mr. Karavolas earned his BBA in International Business and Economics from Hofstra University in New York 1984, and an MBA in International Finance and Investments from University of Southern California in 1985.
David Turok MD
Medical Committee Member
Medical Director :: American Laser Centers :: www.americanlaser.com
Garrett Gause, MD
Medical Committee Member
Medical Director :: Ideal Image :: www.idealimage.com
Garrett Gause, MD is the Medical Director of our Tampa, Florida locations and also serves full time for Ideal Image Development Corporation as their company wide Director of Medical Affairs. Dr. Gause is a graduate of Gordon College in Massachusetts and received his Medical Degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine. He is board certified in Family Medicine and certified in Age Management Medicine. Dr. Gause has been recognized as a Quality Care Physician. This distinction is given to physicians who follow evidenced-based medical guidelines for best of care, achieving the National Committee for Quality Assurance recognition. Dr. Gause now spends his time and efforts researching, and advancing safe and effective laser hair removal for Ideal Image.
Gregory Absten
Founding Board Member
Executive Director :: Professional Medical Education Assn :: www.lasertraining.org :: www.lasercertification.org
Mr. Gregory Absten, has been actively involved in the Medical Laser field for more than 30 years, with an initial background in critical care and surgery in the Allied Heath areas and Critical Care Medicine. He is an internationally recognized lecturer and author on medical lasers, and has taught hundreds of surgical and nursing courses in every specialty over the years. He is founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Professional Medical Education Association, and chairs the National Council on Laser Excellence - a laser credentialing board of the nonprofit group offering Laser Certifications. A Scientific Fellow with the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS), he served as the Course Director for their "Laser Biophysics and Safety" workshops for more than eight years, and is the Exhibits Chairman at their annual scientific meeting. He has served on the Board of Directors of the ASLMS in the Laser Safety seat, and has sat on the Education & Training, Safety, and Communications Committees. He is on the Board of Directors for the International Aesthetic & Laser Association (IALA) and the World Association of Laser Applications (WALA).
Joe Pitt
President :: Founding Board Member
Chairman and CEO :: Sona MedSpa International :: www.sonamedspa.com
Joseph W. Pitt, Jr., Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer - Mr. Pitt has been involved with S?na since May of 2004. Mr. Pitt’s prior experience includes twelve years in the private equity industry where he worked on a wide variety of investments with growth companies, including as a Partner with Carousel Capital Partners as well as positions with Thomas H. Lee Partners in Boston, and Morgan Stanley in New York and Hong Kong. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and was accepted at Harvard Business School for an M.B.A.
Kevin Piecuch
Vice President :: Founding Board Member
Chief Administrative Officer :: American Laser Centers :: www.americanlaser.com
Mr. Piecuch is the Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of Farmington Hills, Michigan based American Laser Centers (ALC). He helped establish that company in 2002 and has worked with ALC ever since. Prior to joining ALC, Mr. Piecuch was an attorney at the Trowbridge Law Firm in Detroit and a labor negotiator at Ameritech. He graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Law School, McCormick Theological Seminary, and Drake University. Besides professional pursuits, Mr. Piecuch is an active volunteer with Detroit Renaissance and the Grosse Pointe Farms/City Little League. He lives with his wife and children in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.
Lorne Robertson, ESQ
Secretary :: Founding Board Member :: Regulatory Committee Member :: Membership Committee Member
Associate General Counsel :: American Laser Centers :: http://www.americanlaser.com
Nicole Strothman
Treasurer :: Founding Board Member :: Regulatory Committee Member :: Membership Committee Member
General Counsel :: Ideal Image :: www.idealimage.com
Nicole joined Ideal Image Development, Inc. as General Counsel in 2005. She started the legal department and focuses most of her attention on mergers and acquisitions, healthcare compliance, franchising and general corporate transactions. Prior to joining Ideal Image, Nicole served as an associate at the Law Offices of Linster E. Brinkley and was Corporate Counsel to Avalon Global Group the parent company of Payless Care Rental. In addition to providing leadership and operational support to Ideal Image, Nicole is a member of several affiliations, namely, the Hillsborough County Bar Association; Franchise and Health Care Sections of the American Bar Association; Business Law Section of the Florida Bar; Franchise and Corporate Committees of the Florida Bar; and Association of Corporate Counsel. Nicole contributes pro bono services to the Bay Area Legal Services. Nicole received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in Business from Florida State University. She received her J.D. and M.B.A. from Stetson University.
Ryan Block
Founding Board Member
CEO :: www.lasercosmetica.com
Steven Finder, MD
Founding Board Member :: Medical Committee Member
General Partner :: Smooth Solutions :: www.smoothsolutions.net