Staff & Board
Our Staff
Stephanie Samolovitch, Executive Director
Stephanie is a member of the Southwest PA Cancer & Environment Network, a UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Community Advisory Board Member, and an active advocacy representative for the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network. She is a Patient Advisory Council member for the Elephants and Tea Magazine and Patient Expert Council member for Servier Pharmaceuticals. Stephanie admires community partnerships and any opportunity to embark on new outdoor adventures. In her spare time you can find her running, biking, or preparing healthy meals.
Kelley Johnson, Administrative Assistant
Kelley Y. Johnson has had a heart for helping people since she was a child. As young as eight years old, she could be found lending a helping hand to the kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students at her small elementary school. After graduating high school in 2001, in 2004, Kelley joined a local community choir where she met Diana Lowe. In 2005, she began assisting Diana with small events and projects in and around the city of Pittsburgh. These events and projects led to Diana founding Humbly At Your Service, LLC (HAYS) in 2006. As HAYS grew, so did Kelley’s responsibilities. Kelley started in HAYS as an Events Assistant, working mostly at special events. Her eye for detail and organization was recognized by Diana, and she began training Kelley to strengthen that ability and use it to help her rapidly growing clientele. Her title changed to Administrative Assistant in late 2016, followed by Assistant to the President in 2018. Since fall 2022, Kelley has held the position of Project Lead in HAYS, serving the president as an Executive Assistant, as well as having her own clients who specifically rely on her to carry out various administrative tasks.
Kelley earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education Services from the formerly called California University of Pennsylvania (now PennWest-California) in 2016. She currently resides in her native town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her precocious and energetic 4-year-old son, Joshua. In her spare time, Kelley enjoys reading, and listening to gospel/contemporary Christian, and old-school r & b music. She also makes time to expose her son to all things STEAM-related. She lives by the scripture found in Psalm 16:5 (GNT), “You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands.”
Steven Welch, Administrative Assistant
Davlin Smith, Events Coordinator
Davlin has been in the event industry for the past 20 years as a planner, manager and administrator with nonprofits including BC3 College and Audubon Society of Western PA. She holds a degree in voice performance from Georgia State University and post graduate studies in Opera from Oklahoma City University. Davlin is originally from Athens, GA (Go Dawgs!) and relocated to PA in 2001. She spends her free time performing with various community theater groups.
Director of Development and Donor Engagement
Our Board
Bryan Doner, MD, DO
Vice President
D&P Medical Group, LLC
Compassionate Certification Centers
Mark Burnett, MSL
Secretary
M.Burnett & Company
Bryan Doner, MD
President,
D&P Medical Group, LLC
Compassionate Certification Centers
Bio
Mike Sukitch
Owner of Mike's Beer Bar & North Shore Tavern
Mike Sukitch retired in 2018 with a 32 year career that included global Sales, Marketing and General Management Executive roles with Procter & Gamble and Mondelēz International. Mike spent 23 years living and working abroad and his career roles were equally split between key Emerging Markets assignments in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa and the other half in Europe and the US. Mike also had extensive Executive leadership experience on several multi-functional Country, Regional and Global Commercial Board’s during that time.
After Mike’s retirement from Consumer Products in 2018, he knew golf wasn’t his thing and took the insanity route for his next life experience, purchasing a bar (Mike’s Beer Bar) and then, a year later, a restaurant (North Shore Tavern) on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Mike is now the fourth generation in his family to be in the beer business in one form or another, so in some ways this role was meant to be. Since his purchase, however, he had to successfully navigate Covid’s impact, leveraging his crisis management skills from his Emerging Markets days and is thankfully still here to talk about it today.
Mike was born in Germany but grew up on Pittsburgh’s North Side (Spring Hill), attending North Catholic High School and then Duquesne University. Although PNC Park is 20 steps across the street, Mike’s sports passion is hockey. In his spare time and as a hobby, Mike enjoys genealogy research, having traced the Slovenian side of his family back to the mid-1700’s.
Jaye Wilson, CIA
Spirax Group - Electric Thermal Solutions
Jaye is the Manager, Compliance at Spirax Group - Electric Thermal Solutions. In this new position, he will be overseeing compliance initiatives and ensuring adherence to regulatory standards within the company.
Previously, Jaye was a leader in the Risk Advisory Services Practice at Schneider Downs & Co., a top 60 accounting, advisory, and consulting firm. He brought more than 15 years of experience in risk advisory services, internal audit, and strategy and operations consulting.
Prior to joining Schneider Downs, Jaye was with professional consulting services firms Deloitte and RGP, providing strategy and operations project management in areas of accounting, finance, internal audit, information management and supply chain for public and private clients. Additionally, Jaye spent time at a federal government intelligence community agency and a major Fortune 500 financial services company.
Jaye is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt (ICYB), and has completed the American Bankers Association (ABA) National School of Compliance Certificate.
In addition to being a board member and President for Young Adult Survivors United (YASU), Jaye is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), Pittsburgh Chapter and Risk Management Association, Pittsburgh Chapter.
John Fahey, RICP
Vice President
Fahey Financial Strategies LLC
John Fahey, RICP®, board member since 2019, is a Financial Professional with New York Life/NYLIFE Securities LLC. John has a passion for helping others, which has led him to his involvement with YASU.
John is an avid golfer, bowler, and loves meeting new people. He also enjoys a sudoku puzzle and he is learning how to play Maj Jongg. John is excited about the growth and increased local support and awareness of YASU. Say hi if you see him on the golf course!
Mounzer Agha, MD
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Mounzer Agha, MD
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Yolanda Murphy, BSBM
Treasurer
University of Pittsburgh
Yolanda J. Murphy was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from Trinity Christian High School and went on to obtain her BS in Business Management from Carlow University. For several years, Yolanda worked for a healthcare company and until 2016 was living a “normal” simple life. At the age of 36, things drastically changed. Yolanda was diagnosed with Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) of the left breast. She underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and thirty radiation treatments. As a young African American woman, she thought this could never happen to her and more frightening was the inability to find the necessary resources to help her navigate her now new normal.
While she is thankful for the organizations that did help her fight for life, she is passionate about advocating and providing resources for young women suffering with breast cancer. She understands how important it is for women to know being “too young to get cancer” is a myth. Yolanda is also adamant in seeing an end to the racial disparities African American breast cancer patients face and to ensure every young adult diagnosed with cancer knows they are not alone. In 2018, she created a blog and podcast (This Exceptional Journey - thisexceptionaljourney.com) to share her story and to help others tell theirs.
Yolanda serves as an Advocacy Ambassador with the Susan G. Komen Center for Public Policy, a Patient Advisory Committee (PAC) member for the Steven G. Cancer Foundation & Elephants and Tea Magazine, a Community Council Member with A Glimmer of Hope Foundation, a Pennsylvania State Leader as well as serving on the Council of Advisors Board in Patient Education with Young Survivor Coalition (YSC), a Young Adult Cancer Survivor (YACS) advisory board member with Cactus Cancer Society, a board member as well as a support group facilitator of Young Adult Survivors United (YASU), a graduate of the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s Project LEAD science and research advocacy course, and a graduate of the Young Advocate program with Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC).
She has shared her story with a variety of audiences, organizations and through different mediums which include being interviewed by Pittsburgh, PA local news outlets KDKA and WTAE, featured in the Soul Pitt Magazine, the New Pittsburgh Courier and Elephants and Tea Magazine, She has participated in the National Breast Cancer Coalition and Susan G. Komen Policy Advocacy Lobby Days at Capitol Hill, was the keynote speaker at the Young Survival Coalition Symposium, and The Anthropologie Fall Fashion Show benefitting LBBC.
Yolanda is now 5 years cancer-free and encourages all she meets by declaring: “I am a miracle! Despite what it looks like - if I can make it, you can make it! Find what gives you hope.” Equally important, she wants women to know they have the inner strength and mental tenacity to conquer anything they are going through, including difficult physical challenges.
Follow Yolanda J Murphy, @thisexceptionaljourney, on Facebook, Instagram and @tejpodcast on Twitter. For speaking engagements, sessions or just to be in touch, she can be reached at hello@thisexceptionaljourney.com.
Mark Burnett, MSL
M.Burnett & Company
David Palmer
Treasurer
David K. Palmer retired in 2021 from 34 years in the cockpit with USAirways and American Airlines. He received both his Bachelor and Master of Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
He worked as a volunteer and Logistics Manager for the Western Pennsylvania chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for many years, and served on the Board there for five years in the early 2000’s. He has served on the Board of YASU since 2021. David and his wife Alison reside in Marshall Twp, a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA.
Matt Miller, MD
Allegheny Health Network
Dr. Matthew J. Miller is a Diagnostic Radiologist specialized in Breast Imaging, with additional interests in the promotion of health care and radiology education, literacy and outreach.
Dr. Miller grew up in Wheeling, WV. He attended Washington & Jefferson College where he majored in Biology. Following his undergraduate education, Dr. Miller attended West Virginia University School of Medicine where he obtained his Medical Degree in 2013. Dr. Miller stayed at WVU for his Radiology Residency where he was elected Chief of recruitment and outreach and also served on the Quality of Care Committee, Resident Health and Wellness Committee, and Education Fund Committee.
During his time as a Radiology Resident, Dr. Miller’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29. He subsequently completed a Fellowship in Breast Imaging at WVU.
Dr. Miller joined Allegheny Health Network (AHN) in 2019, where he is a practicing Breast Imaging Radiologist and also serves as Associate Residency Program Director and Chair of the Clinical Competency Committee.
Dr. Miller has numerous publications, and is actively involved with many local, regional, and national organizations. He currently serves as the secretary for the Pittsburgh Breast Imaging Society (PBIS) and sits on committees with the American College of Radiology (ACR), and Society of Breast Imaging (SBI). He recently developed a webinar series with the Society of Breast Imaging titled the #SBISummerSeries which covers a wide variety of topics dealing with breast health.
Dr. Miller currently resides in Pittsburgh with his wife and two sons.
Sarah Edwards, MHA
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Sarah is an oncology nurse. After losing her mother to cancer in 2014, she decided to change careers and go back to school for nursing. She believes it was one of the best decisions she has ever made. She has found her passion in helping others.
Currently, she holds a Masters in Health Administration and is working towards a second Masters in Nursing. She loves to laugh and make people smile.
Neha Kothari
Dick's Sporting Goods
Neha Kothari, a current YASU member, is excited to join the board of directors representing a voice of the young adult cancer survivor community. Over the years, Neha has volunteered her time in the U.S. and overseas with many organizations, initially focused on education. In the most recent years, she has devoted her time to advocate and support in the cancer space. In 2016, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and in 2023 she had a recurrence, followed by a metastatic diagnosis. Neha understands the challenges that young adults face when diagnosed with cancer and also the importance of resources to help during and after the initial diagnosis. In addition to being a YASU board member, she also serves as a DEI community board member for the breasties. Neha is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She is currently a buyer at Dick’s Sporting Goods with years of experience in the corporate retail space. She wants to remind those in the community that YA cancer is hard but also to keep going! When you are ready, share your story - you never know who it will help. You are not alone.