Touro Governing Board

Meet the Touro Governing Board

Mara Baumgarten Force, Chair ​

Mara Baumgarten Force is the Associate Director of the Master of Finance Program at Tulane University. She received her BA in Political Science from Yale University and MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Before joining the faculty at Tulane in 2017, Mara was a managing director and the Head of Private Client Trust at JPMorgan, where she was an eighteen-year veteran of the firm. Mara serves on the boards of the Jewish Federation, The Jewish Community Center, and Jewish Family Services, and is a Young Leadership Fellow at the National Committee on U.S./China Relations.

Kathryn Lichtenberg, Vice Chair

Kathryn Lichtenberg (“Kathy”) is a retired regulatory lawyer who, in her role as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, led Entergy’s regulatory practice before state and federal regulators until her retirement in 2017. ​Kathy moved to New Orleans upon graduating cum laude from Princeton University in 1975. She received an MSW from the Tulane School of Social Work in 1977 and graduated from Loyola University School of Law in 1983. Kathy was a partner at Monroe and Lemann and represented healthcare as well as utility clients (as well as other litigants) in various matters; in the mid-1980’s Kathy also represented Hospital Corporation of America in regulatory and legal proceedings. She joined Entergy’s Legal Department in 1995 where her practice focused on utility regulatory matters. For many years, she also advised Entergy management teams and executives with respect to a wide variety of issues as they arose in a dynamic work environment.

​

Julian H. Good Jr., Secretary/Treasurer

Julian’s Touro legacy is long and distinguished. In the 1960s, his grandfather, Louis K. Good, helped build a large portion of the current hospital’s footprint as VP of R. P. Farnsworth Construction. Julian’s father, Julian H. Good, represented Touro Infirmary in health care and other legal matters as its attorney for many years. Julian’s uncle, Louis K. Good Jr. and his cousin, Louis (Lou) K. Good, III, both served as board chairs. Julian’s two daughters, Allison and Emily, and his late wife, Wendy, were all born at Touro Infirmary. And Emily was cast in the very first commercials for “Where Babies Come From” some thirty years ago.

Julian is currently a partner and lead advisor with Trove Private Wealth after selling/merging his practice with the Massachusetts based company in late 2025. He was the Founder and Principal of Good Financial Group prior to joining Trove. With a financial advisory and insurance planning background that began in 1982, Julian is one of the foremost life insurance professionals in the U.S. After volunteering extensively in the New Orleans community early in his professional career, Julian became actively involved in his professional associations locally, nationally, and internationally. In 2011, Julian was President of the Million Dollar Round Table, an association of almost 100,000 financial professionals worldwide. As president and a five-year member of its executive committee, he addressed industry associations and meetings, life insurance companies, and related professional groups in 17 countries and published many articles in numerous financial journals worldwide.

Julian lives in New Orleans with his wife Gina Castellano. His two daughters, Allison and Emily are both married and live in Rockville, Maryland and Austin, Texas, respectively. He has served on the Touro Governing Board since 2022.

Kim Boyle, Immediate Past Chair

Kim M. Boyle is a partner in the Employment Law Group at Phelps Dunbar LLP. Ms. Boyle has practiced in all areas of commercial litigation, as well as employment litigation, tort litigation, and general litigation. She is a former Judge Pro Tempore of Division "I" of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, as well as a former Assistant Professor of Law at Loyola University School of Law. Kim is a New Orleans native. She graduated from Princeton University before attending University of Virginia School of Law and returning to New Orleans in 1987.

Greg Feirn, President and Chief Executive Officer of LCMC Health

Mr. Feirn currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of LCMC Health, the parent company which manages Children's Hospital, Touro Infirmary, and the Interim L.S.U. Hospital. He has over 20 years of healthcare experience, including 15 years with Children's Hospital and five years with a "Big 4" accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche, LLP. His professional experience includes financial accounting, non-profit tax accounting, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement strategy, investment portfolio management and operations, and healthcare-related academic research. He completed the MBA program at Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business with an emphasis in finance, graduating with honors, and has his CPA accreditation. In his role as CEO for LCMC, he is responsible for management coordination of the LCMC Board of Trustees and for oversight and analysis of the System’s operations and investment portfolio.

Board Members

Stephen Hales, MD, LCMC Health Board Chair

Dr. Stephen Hales is a retired pediatrician in New Orleans, Louisiana, caring for generations of children for more than four decades. A native of Utah, Dr. Hales came from a family of surgeons, but pediatrics appealed to him. He served in the U.S. Public Health Service, followed by a fellowship in pediatric allergy and immunology at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He came to New Orleans in 1975 to head up pediatrics at the New Orleans Public Health Service Hospital. Stephen serves on the boards of the Parenting Center at Children’s Hospital, the Research Institute for Children, the Pro Bono Publico Foundation, and the Good Shepherd School. He is a member of the Rex organization and was selected as the 2017 King of Carnival.

Elisa Arrillaga, MD, Medical Staff President

Elisa M. Arrillaga, MD specializes in Adult and Pediatric Emergency Care as an Emergency Medicine Physician at Touro. She currently serves as the Touro Medical Staff President and previously served as the Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Touro. She earned her medical degree from San Juan Bautista School of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of Puerto Rico. Dr. Arrillaga is Board Certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.

Brook Bissinger Davis

Brook Bissinger Davis, Vice President of Operations at Align, is a leader in technology and active community contributor. With extensive experience in software as a service, market research and international business, she drove innovation at Lucid (now Cint), establishing their London office in 2015. A dedicated board member of the ADL South Central Region since 2019, she served on the Executive Committee from 2023. Since 2017, Brook has mentored startups in Idea Village's VillageX accelerator program. In 2021, she founded a not for profit, Work In Tech, to connect the New Orleans tech community. Brook is a proud toddler mother and wife and holds an MBA from Tulane University and a B.A. in Psychology from Rhodes College.

Jodi Jacobs Aamodt

Jodi Jacobs Aamodt is a retired attorney and longtime civic and community leader with more than 30 years of legal experience in the New Orleans area. She practiced at Jacobs Manuel Kain & Aamodt for decades, following a clerkship at Civil District Court with the Honorable Robin M. Giarrusso. A graduate of Tulane Law School and Vanderbilt University, Jodi has dedicated much of her career to public service and nonprofit leadership. She has served on the boards of numerous organizations focused on healthcare, education, food security, leadership development and community advancement including Second Harvest Food Bank, Temple Sinai, Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) Charter School Board, Youth Empowerment Project, Jewish Family Service, Live Oak Camp, New Schools New Orleans, Young Leadership Council and Longue Vue House and Gardens. She is a graduate of both the Rekindle Fellowship and New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI) and an active volunteer with the Pro Bono Project. Jodi has deep ties to the Touro community as both of her children, Marley (24) and Benjamin (22) were born at Touro Infirmary.

Jasmine Brown DeRousselle

Jasmine is an attorney and economic developer in the New Orleans area with an innovative, yet strategic acumen for public policy, governmental affairs, and the law. Relationship-oriented and solutions-driven, Jasmine's key strengths include her ability to identify opportunities to advance policy solutions to regional challenges, as well as provide counsel to complex legal issues in accordance with the regulatory landscape of the respective industry. She thrives in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments and brings to any team a unique blend of experience in multiple areas of law, government relations, external affairs, public policy, and high-level economic development.

Robin Giarrusso

Robin Giarrusso retired as a trial court judge after serving for 35 years on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court. Prior to her election she served as a deputy city attorney for New Orleans specializing in construction and contract litigation. She has served as president of Temple Sinai and is currently the vice president of community services for the local section of NCJW. A native of Denver, Colorado, she earned her BA at Newcomb College and her JD at Tulane University.

Caroline Good

Caroline Good is a faculty member for the Department of Languages and Cultures at Loyola University. Originally from Houston, Caroline received a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin, a M.A. and a Ph.D. from Tulane University, where she taught for over a decade. Caroline is an active member of her community, having recently chaired the South Central region of ADL and previously was a commissioner for the Human Rights Commission of the City of New Orleans.

Stuart Kottle​

Stuart Kottle is interested in joining the Touro Infirmary Board to contribute to a dynamic group of professionals committed to assisting the hospital administration’s mission to oversee high-quality, compassionate healthcare in New Orleans. Stuart is an attorney at Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert, L.L.C., where his practice focuses on commercial, government, and appellate litigation. Stuart is also an adjunct lecturer in law at Tulane Law School, where he teaches Advanced Appellate Advocacy. Before joining Sher Garner, Stuart was a judicial clerk for Louisiana Supreme Court, an attorney at two national law firms in Phoenix, Arizona, and a Fulbright scholar in China. Stuart received his J.D. from the University of Arizona College of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Arizona Law Review, and B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Brandeis University.

Larry Lovell

Larry Lovell is a strategic communications consultant and established PR leader in New Orleans and the Gulf South region. His expertise spans numerous industries including tourism and hospitality, healthcare, finance, education, consumer packaged goods, culinary, cultural institutions and sports. He is Treasurer of the Press Club of New Orleans Board of Directors. Larry is a New Orleans native and graduated from LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication.

Austin Marks

Austin Marks is managing attorney at Morris Bart LLC. He joined the firm in 2013 and leads several departments among its 300 employees. A local of New Orleans, he graduated from Syracuse University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy. He started his career at New Orleans City Park, where he fondly remembers fundraising and managing thousands of volunteers throughout its 1300-acre campus with the keys to a 4-wheeler. He worked in economic development for several years serving as Chief of Staff at Greater New Orleans, Inc., wherein he oversaw business and policy development initiatives to market New Orleans as a place to invest capital and raise a family.
Austin, and his wife, Carrie, have three children, Sam (9), Maya (6), and Ari (3). After work, you’ll find him at the Fly, coaching his children’s sports teams.

He has served on several local boards and agencies throughout his career, American Red Cross – Southeast, Jewish Endowment Foundation, Jewish Federation, Isidore Newman Alumni Board, Touro Synagogue, Carrollton Boosters, Breakthrough Collaborative, NORLI, JNOLA, and 504ward.

As to joining the Touro Infirmary Board, Austin says: “I can think of no better alignment than working with a community oriented non-profit in the heart of the city that serves all New Orleanians. Touro is an integral piece of the New Orleans fabric. As LCMC increases their influence and presence locally, I am excited to have a valuable seat behind the wheel of one of its major organizations.”

Thomas Mims, II, MD

I was born and raised in New Orleans. I never want to say I'm from New Orleans because I never plan to leave the great city. I feel privileged to provide healthcare to those residents who are brave enough to return to help rebuild this historic city.

I specialize in Nephrology. I became a healthcare provider because my grandfather, Dr. Thomas Mims, was my role model and inspired me to practice medicine. I completed medical school at the LSU School of Medicine in 1989, completed my residency at Emory University School of Medicine in 1992, and my fellowship in Nephrology in 1994 at LSU. In addition to previously serving as medical staff president of several local long-term acute care hospitals, I am presently the medical director of a DaVita affiliated dialysis unit in eastern New Orleans. I have been on the Touro medical staff since 2005. My patients can count on me to provide extraordinary care because I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

I am honored to have been nominated for the Touro Governing Board because it affords me the opportunity to continue Touro's mission to provide quality healthcare to all populations in this historic city.

Julie Silbert

Julie Parelman Silbert is an attorney who practices as special counsel in the New Orleans office of Kean Miller L.L.P. She practices in the environmental law and energy litigation groups. Julie earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from Newcomb College of Tulane University. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Tulane University Law School. Post-college, Julie was a recipient of a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for international study and travel. She served on the Tulane Law School Moot Court Board and is a member of the Order of Barristers. She served as a Law Clerk to the Hon. Walter F. Marcus, Jr., Louisiana Supreme Court, from 1984 to 1985. Julie’s past board service includes Tulane University Hillel, the New Orleans Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Service, and the Anti-Defamation League. She also served as a representative for Tulane Hillel to the Jewish Endowment Foundation. Julie was a member of the Lemann-Stern Young Leadership Group of the Jewish Federation of New Orleans and has served on various Social Justice Committees for Touro Synagogue. Julie and her husband Scott have two children. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling and exercise, reading, skiing and travel. Over the years, Julie and her family have experienced top-notch medical care from Touro Infirmary and its affiliated doctors.

John Sillars

John Sillars has over 25+ years’ experience in building brands, delivering growth, and driving innovation. His experience includes work in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, spanning from a global packaged goods corporation to a family-owned company with favorite brands to the local affiliate of a national human services agency. His brand management and new product development experiences are in both consumer food and beverage covering both retail and foodservice. Mr. Sillars has a Bachelors of Arts in Economics from Davidson College and Masters in Business Administration from New York University Stern School of Business.

Steven Yellin, M.D.

Dr. Steven Yellin has served the New Orleans community as a radiologist for over 35 years. Dr. Yellin cared for patients both in private practice and multiple hospital settings before joining the Touro Medical Staff in 2010. A graduate of LSU Medical School, Dr. Yellin completed his residency in diagnostic radiology at the Ochsner Medical Center Hospital, were he also served as Chief Resident. He is board certified by the American Board of Radiology and a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Dr. Yellin has strong ties to the Touro community, as he was born at Touro Infirmary and served on the Touro Synagogue Board of Directors.