Board of Directors

Gary A. Anderson practiced public finance law for 35 years, most recently with Gilmore & Bell, P.C. in Kansas City. He then became the first Director of Economic Development for The University of Kansas Health System, focusing on the campus at 39th & Rainbow Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas. He has previously served in elected office, including 1st District Commissioner for the Johnson County, Kansas Commission. Gary currently has served and continues to serve on several non-profit boards. Gary and his wife Carlene have 2 grown children. Gary has been to Haiti and assisted at the Surgicenter and understands the importance and great need for surgery services for the Haitian people.gary
Barbara Brown began her involvement with HBSH in 2019 when she was invited on a mission trip to the surgicenter in Haiti. After volunteering in Haiti, seeing the conditions there and becoming endeared to the happy and positive outlook of the Haitian people, she returned to Kansas City determined to help. Her skill set is in operations and she serves as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors. Her experience on not-for-profit boards includes Girl Scouts of NE Kansas & NW Missouri, Village Church Trustee Elder, Front Porch Alliance, WIN (Women’s Intrasport Network), Planet Play, Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Her work experience in not-for-profits includes being the Executive Director of the Lewis & Clark Research Institute and serving on Girl Scouts of NE Kansas & NW Missouri Executive staff. She is excited to be a part of the HBSH Board and the expansion of medical services the Surgicenter has been able to provide to the people there.barbara
Stephen Collins has 35 years experience as an engineering technician at the Kansas City, MO Water Department. During his tenure with the City I held a wide range of positions including lab technician, water & sewer systems investigations , construction inspection and personnel management. Following retirement from the City he worked for 2 years at Black & Veatch as a Resident Project Representative. He enjoys using his experience and knowledge to work on volunteer projects in developing countries. In 2012 he joined Engineers Without Borders and since 2002 he has been on 15 mission trips to 4 different countries to work on various engineering and medical projects. Having fully retired in 2021 he looks forward to concentrating his efforts on assisting with engineering projects for the Higgins Brothers Foundation in Haiti.stephen
Jan Creidenberg is business and marketing leader with over 30 years of domestic and international experience in medical technology, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. He is currently co-founder, president and CEO of Invisian Medical, a specialty surgical medical device company. Jan is also an operating partner and board member for two medical device platforms with Shore Capital Partners.
Jan is a graduate of Gettysburg College, majoring in biology. In addition to serving on the board of the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope, Jan currently serves on the board of WaterEquity. In the past, he has served on the boards of Water.org, Heart to Heart International, and Hope Family Care Clinic. Jan and his wife, Susan, have three children and live in the Kansas City area.
jan
Peter Ebbers has worked in the engineering consulting business for 30 years in the Kansas City area. He was born, raised, and educated in greater Kansas City. As an avid pickleball player, Pete has developed relationships with several members of the Haitian community in Kansas City. After hearing the story of the Higgins Brothers Surgicenter for Hope, Pete became inspired to help the project by raising awareness of the work the Surgicenter is accomplishing in the community. gary
Gregg Gimlin retired in 2013 from a career in corporate financial management and consulting. His volunteer work began before he retired, by founding a non-profit organization to support caregivers for the elderly, and also by volunteering with SCORE, which is supported by the SBA, mentoring entrepreneurs and small business owners. After retirement, he also participated in founding an organization supporting the Latino community and Latino entrepreneurs, and has been a Board member of Front Porch Alliance, which is focused on inner city families and youth.gregg
Ken Hageman was raised in Junction City, Kansas and attended Kansas State University where he majored in engineering. He started his career in the industrial piping field, but gradually developed into an industrial construction engineer. He began working for the Rand Company in 1986, and eventually purchased the company in 2000. Ken diversified the company to include construction of healthcare and government facilities. Ken's lovely wife, Debbie, was also a strong supporter of the Surgicenter, and together they donated the autoclaves used for sterilization of surgical instruments and the campus generator. The emergency room expansion will be aptly named for Debbie Hageman, whose untimely death was in 2020. Ken has made several trips to Haiti, and is a vital part of our mechanical "fixit" team at the Surgicenter.ken
Edward "Eddie" Higgins III is Ted's son and works as a staff data scientist at Google since 2006. He built and maintains the tech stack behind the Surgicenter's outreach. He made his first trip with Ted to Hispaniola in 1996 as part of a medical mission team from Village Church. The trip provided field medical care to Haitian sugarcane workers living in bateys in the Dominican Republic, and a surgical team that supported more serious cases in the city of La Romana. The trip left a lasting impression of the life-changing impact that basic health care can have for the people of Haiti. Eddie has served on the board of First Presbyterian Church and he and his wife Westy live in Ardmore, PA with their daughers Molly and Sophie.eddie
Robert Paul "R. P." Higgins serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors. He is Ted’s younger brother and has made several trips to Fonds Parisien over the years, watching this enterprise develop. With the medical facility being named after his father and uncle, RP is unswerving in his dedication to making the Surgicenter a success, and something the family can take great pride in while benefitting citizens of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. RP is President/CEO of Electric Picture, a company he started in 2003 which provides display systems for a myriad of applications, including ships bridge training simulators for the US Navy.rp
Burney Miller, M.D. is an anesthesiologist. He and his wife Nancy have been doing medical missions since 2000. They have served in India, Romania, Mali,and Nicaragua. In 2010, they began working with Dr. Higgins in Haiti. Caring for the Haitian people has always been rewarding, but it has now become an honor to support and encourage our Haitian brothers and sisters as they provide care for their people.burney
James "Jim" Stowers III has served on the Board since 2019. Jim’s daughter Layne has made two trips to Fonds Parisien over the years. She has helped out the amazing surgical teams in various capacities and her time inspired Jim to get more involved in helping the Surgicenter be as successful as possible. He is most impressed with the persistence and resilience of the Haitian people given all the adversity they face each and every day. Jim is the owner of Oxford Companies, a Real Estate development business, currently developing The Glade, a research and science community in Kansas City. Prior to 2008, Jim served for 27 years with American Century Investment Management, Inc., lastly as its Chairman in 2008. Jim and his wife Michele have two children, Layne and James. Jim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Arizona State University.jim