Meet the 2025
NAPF BOD
The Nurse Anesthesiology Pride Foundation's Board of Directors is a dedicated group of leaders; committed to advancing the profession of nurse anesthesiology through advocacy, education, and support within diverse communities
John Gianitsis, MSNA, CRNA
President
John Gianitsis (he/him), MSNA, CRNA is the inaugural President of the NAPF board. In 2019 John took over the predecessor GALA group and in 2021, with the help of other GALA members, moved to incorporate and rebrand as the Nurse Anesthesiology Pride Foundation.
John was born and raised in New Hampshire. He earned a BA in Psychology from Saint Anselm College in 2001. He continued his education earning his ASN from Middlesex Community College in 2005. Working as a critical care nurse at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, he went on to earn his BSN from the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 2007. In 2016 John Graduated from the University of New England with his MSNA. Post grad John relocated to the San Francisco Bay area and has worked as a CRNA for Kaiser Permanente since.
John is active with the California Association of Nurse Anesthetists Government Relations Committee. He also served on the AANA Diversity and Inclusion Committe for FY 2002-2024. In his free time, he enjoys visiting family and friends around the world, exploring nature, and being an uncle.
Bruce Herr, Jr., MS, BSN, CRNA
Vice President
Bruce Herr, Jr., (he/him), MS, BSN, CRNA is an inaugural board member of the NAPF and has been a member of its predecessor, GALA, since 2005. Born & raised in Michigan, Bruce earned a B.S.N. at Northern Michigan University in 1999 followed by a M.S. in Anesthesia at Wayne State University in 2004. He relocated to the East Coast, settling in Washington, DC, to pursue his career as a CRNA that same year. Following full-time work at MedStar Health for 17 years, he presently practices privately and is the Founder & CEO of Allen Bruce Anesthesia, PLLC.His lifelong passion for music led him in 2006 to join D.C.’s Different Drummers (DCDD), the LGBT Music Ensembles for the Nation’s Capital, a 501(c)3 non-profit, charitable organization. He served as its Treasurer from 2008-2011, Vice-President from 2014-2015, President/CEO from 2015-2017, and Past-President from 2017-2019.Bruce met his husband, Adam, in 2009 within DCDD and they married in 2014. They reside within the District of Columbia and enjoy travel, the theater, exploring the arts & culture of DC, and visiting wineries in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Isreal Garland, MSN, CRNA
Treasurer
Israel J Garland (he/him) is the treasurer of the NAPF board starting in 2020. Born and raised in Michigan he started his nursing career and education at the University of Michigan. He received his BSN from University of Michigan. Later, had a calling to move to San Francisco where he continued to get his masters degree in Nurse Anesthesia from Samuel Merritt University. After graduating started his CRNA career at the University of Chicago, but eventually moved back to San Francisco to work for Kaiser Permanente.
In his free time, he enjoys traveling, volunteering, and spending time with friends and family. He actively does activities with Human Right Campaign and volunteer work with Kenya Relief providing anesthesia care on a yearly basis.
Felecia Smith, MS, CRNA
Secretary
Felecia (she/her) is a CRNA at St Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Felecia has been an RN since 1995 (Eastern Michigan University) and a CRNA since 2013 (University of Detroit Mercy). Felecia has two adult children, Kat (they/them) and McKinley (he/him).
Felecia is active in an orthopedic surgical mission that travels to the Dominican Republic twice a year. She has lived all over the US: California, Wisconsin, Arizona , Virginia, Utah, South Dakota, Wyoming and Michigan.
Carlota Izaguirre, DNP, CRNA
Director
Carlota Izaguirre (she/her), DNP, CRNA, is the first Latinè DNP-NA graduate from the University of Pennsylvania’s inaugural doctoral cohort. They are proud to serve on the Inaugural Board of Directors for The Nurse Anesthesiology Pride Foundation. Her nursing profession is an offering towards collective healing work providing safe, trauma-informed care for historically marginalized communities. Carlota believes that through mentorship, workplace visibility, and educational sponsorship of future LGBTQ+ CRNA’s we build the equitable futures we dream of. Carlota earned a Legal Studies Bachelor of Science from John Jay College, NYC (2000); Accelerated Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing from State University of New York at Buffalo (2007); graduated Sigma Theta Tau with a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia (DNP-NA) from the University of Pennsylvania (2019). Carlota is a Queens NYC native of Central American diaspora- a food loving nature nerd and house music aficionado. Outside of the OR you can find them savoring yummy treats on adventures with their partner, muppet pup Amurí, family & beloveds.
Andy Tracy PhD, MSN, APRN-CRNA
Director
Andy Tracy PhD, MSN, APRN-CRNA
Andy Tracy (he/him) identifies bisexual/pansexual. He works as a CRNA for Integral Anesthesia at Ascension St John Jane Phillips Hospital in Oklahoma and is adjunct faculty at Newman University. He practices acupuncture part-time and with the rest of his free time he spends with his dogs and friends. Andy owns a farm in Wisconsin and enjoys plants, herbs, hunting, and most things outdoors.
Andy was born and raised in rural Wisconsin. After his enlistment in the US Army, he graduated from University of Minnesota with his BSN. He earned his MSN from Rush University in Chicago and his PhD from the University of WI- Milwaukee. Andy is currently serving on the Oklahoma Association of Nurse Anesthetists Board of Directors.
Colin Tomblin, DNP, CRNA
Director
Colin Tomblin (he/him) DNP, CRNA serves as a Director on the Nurse Anesthesiology Pride Foundation (NAPF) Board. Colin also serves on the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. He was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama and has been in the nursing profession for over 12 years.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from The University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2012 and worked in ICU for about 3.5 years before returning to CRNA school. Most of his critical care nursing experience was working in Neuro ICU at a Level 1 Trauma Center. He earned a Master of Science with a focus in Nurse Anesthesia degree from Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia (Nashville, TN) in 2018. He earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree at The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing in 2024.
Colin currently provides anesthesia at a community hospital where he cares for patients across the lifespan in several different settings to include the operating room, endoscopy, labor & delivery, radiology, and ICU. In his spare time, he enjoys working out on Peloton and spending time with his husband (Jason) and puppy (Parker).
Ruben Macias, MS, MPH, BSN, CRNA
Director
Ruben Macias (he/him) is originally from Los Angeles, California, and he is extremely excited to be an inaugural member of NAPF! Ruben earned a BSN from California State University Fullerton in 2011, an MPH in epidemiology from Columbia University in 2014, an MS in anesthesiology from the USC Keck School of Medicine in 2018, and is currently completing his DNP at Duke University.
Ruben lives in Los Angeles and practices at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his dogs, hiking, and taking the occasional gymnastics class.
Junior Senat, DNP, CRNA, APRN
Director
Junior Senat (he/him) is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Northeastern University and a practicing CRNA at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, as well as several outpatient surgical centers. He is a former president of the Massachusetts Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (MANA) and currently serves on its Government Relations Committee, while also chairing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. A U.S. Army veteran with two deployments, Junior is deeply committed to helping others, participating in annual humanitarian surgical missions to countries such as Guatemala, Haiti (native), Belize, and El Salvador to provide anesthesia care. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, hiking, volunteering, and mentoring future CRNAs. He currently resides in Cape Cod, MA.
Andrew Fernandez, BSN, RN, CCRN
Student Representative
Andrew Fernandez is a nurse anesthesia resident at Columbia University where he also serves as president of his class. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from New York University and worked as a Surgical ICU nurse at New York Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center before transitioning to anesthesia training. Andrew’s career is deeply rooted in his passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a focus on breaking barriers in healthcare. He is particularly committed to serving underserved communities, an interest that began during his time as a health educator at a federally qualified health center prior to becoming a nurse.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Andrew is passionate about community outreach, having spearheaded several initiatives to give back, and remains dedicated to advancing representation in nurse anesthesia spaces. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring new cuisines, traveling, and staying active through exercise. His commitment to both his patients and his community is at the heart of his career, as he seeks to make a lasting impact on healthcare.