Barrow Neurological Foundation is proud to announce the appointment of three new leadership positions to its Board of Trustees. Markos Tambakeras will serve as the new Board Chair, Laurie Carson as Vice Chair, and Andy McCain as Board Secretary. The Board’s expertise and dedication ensure that the Foundation maximizes the impact of every donation to support Barrow Neurological Institute’s mission of saving lives through groundbreaking research, patient care, and medical education.
Outgoing Chair Mitchel Sayare, PhD, has provided tremendous leadership to the Foundation during his tenure, resulting in $78 million raised and $51.5 million transferred to the Institute.
Incoming Chair Markos Tambakeras led the Board of Xylem, Inc. as an independent Chair from 2011, when Xylem was spun off from its parent, ITT Corp., until May 2020. He continues to serve on the Xylem Board as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Kennametal, Inc from 1999 until his retirement in 2006, and as Chairman of Kennametal’s Board from 2002–2006. He has also served on the Boards of ITT Corp., Parker-Hannifin Corp., and Newport Corp. Prior to joining Kennametal, Mr. Tambakeras enjoyed a long career with Honeywell, Inc., and for his last two assignments served as President, Industrial Controls Business from 1995–1999 and President, Asia Pacific from 1992–1994.
Mr. Tambakeras has served as Chair of the Board of Make-A-Wish International from 2016-2023. He previously served on the Board of Trustees of Loyola Marymount University and the Arizona State University Foundation. He also served on the U.S. President’s Council on Manufacturing from 2003–2005 and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI from 2003–2004.
Incoming Vice Chair Laurie Carson has spent more than twenty-five years in the not-for-profit sector. Much of that time was dedicated to serving on the Board of The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). During her tenure, she chaired three Annual Appeals, raising funds for research in the Departments of Thoracic Oncology, Neurology, and Dermatology. She served on the Executive Committee for six years and as President from 2001–2003. From 2001–2008, she was selected as one of three lay individuals to serve on MSK’s Institutional Review Board.
Mrs. Carson became a tireless advocate for lung cancer research after losing both her brother (a non-smoker) and her uncle (a former smoker) to the disease in 2000. She launched Steps for Breath, the first run–walk for lung cancer research in the country. In its first five years, the initiative raised $1.7 million for thoracic oncology studies at MSK. Building on the success of Steps for Breath, Mrs. Carson founded the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) to expand her efforts nationally. She served as Chairman of LCRF from 2005 to 2015.
After her husband, Bill, retired from the financial industry, they moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. Mrs. Carson joined the Board of the Barrow Neurological Foundation, where she chairs the Grants Committee. In 2025, she introduced a new initiative to Barrow—The Barrow Open—whose proceeds helped establish the Sports Biomechanics Spine Lab. Before beginning her work in the not-for-profit sector, Mrs. Carson worked as a medical technologist in the clinical chemistry and hematology laboratories at NY Hospital and the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Incoming Secretary Andy McCain is the President and Chief Operating Officer for Hensley Beverage Company. Founded in 1955, Hensley (one of the largest privately held companies in Arizona) serves Arizona, delivering a diverse and first-rate portfolio of Anheuser-Busch products, imports, craft brews, spirits, specialty beverages, energy drinks, water, teas, and wine. Mr. McCain’s responsibilities comprise oversight of all aspects of the company, including operations, finance, treasury, accounting, strategic planning, information technology, and sales and marketing. Mr. McCain received his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics in 1984 and an MBA in 1986, both from Vanderbilt University.
Mr. McCain is a Board Member of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and the Arizona 2016 College Football Championship Local Organizing Committee, the Chairman of the Hensley Employee Foundation, and a Patrons Committee member of United Methodist Outreach Ministries’ New Day Centers. He is a past Chairman of the Board of the Fiesta Bowl, a past Chairman of the Anheuser-Busch National Wholesaler Advisory Panel, and a past Chairman of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce
Donald Callaghan is a founding partner of Global Strategic Investment Solutions, an Outsourced Chief Investment Officer firm serving family offices, endowments, and foundations. He was also a founding partner of Hirtle, Callaghan & Co. from 1988 to 2012. HCC was the nation’s first Outsourced Chief Investment Officer organization, designed to eliminate the numerous conflicts of interest inherent in a Wall Street environment. When Mr. Callaghan sold his interests back to his partners, the firm had grown to over $20 billion in assets under his leadership. Additionally, he served as Vice President of Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1973 to 1988, selling the intellectual property of Goldman Sachs, including economics, strategy, market timing, and securities selection, to large institutional asset managers.
Mr. Callaghan has held several significant Board appointments over the years. He served as the Chair of the Governance and Compensation Committees for Keystone Property Trust, building it into one of the nation’s largest supply chain, logistics, and warehouse companies before selling it to Prologis, Inc. Mr. Callaghan was also Chair of the Board Nominating Committee for The Franklin Institute, leading its $75 million capital campaign and, in a joint venture with the School Board of Philadelphia, founding the city’s first STEM high school, the Science Leadership Academy. Additionally, he served on the Board of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.
“I want to thank Dr. Mitchel Sayare for his exceptional leadership and expertise. It has been instrumental to the Foundation and has set a high bar for our future. As the new Board Chair, I look forward to the diverse experience that Laurie Carson, Andy McCain, and our new Trustee, Donald Callaghan, bring to the Foundation. Their proven track records in strategic governance, advocacy, community engagement, and finance and investments will enhance our capabilities to expand revenue, build our endowments, and strengthen donor engagement,” said Markos Tambakeras, Chair of the Barrow Neurological Foundation Board of Trustees.
Initial appointments for the Barrow Neurological Foundation Board of Trustees are for one year, with reappointment up for three consecutive three-year terms.
