Board of Directors
E. Marissa Lane - E. Marissa Lane, J.D., B.S.N., R.N., of E. Marissa Lane, PLLC, focuses her work in advocacy for patients in health care settings and in assisting families and individuals with needs in the areas of probate, guardianship and estate planning.
Ms. Lane is the first person in the state of Oklahoma to be appointed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court as patient care ombudsman for six different hospitals. She has also received court appointments by the Oklahoma County District Court and has been appointed as deputy receiver of 19 long-term care facilities where she worked closely with the Oklahoma State Department of Health relating to patient care quality while the nursing homes were in receivership.
Prior to the formation of E. Marissa Lane, PLLC, Ms. Lane worked with a large Oklahoma City firm, where she defended long-term care nursing facilities. She has also worked as a consultant in long-term care assisting with the development of risk management and quality assurance programs relating to decubitus ulcers.
Ms. Lane also enjoys working as a liaison between family members and nursing home management in developing creative and loving solutions in delivering nursing care to long-term care residents.
She is also active with the Oklahoma Nurses Association, serving as co-chair of the Intimate Partner Violence Task Force and was a featured speaker at the 2006 Oklahoma Nurses Association convention relating to legal issues and decubitus ulcers.
Ms. Lane is a frequent lecturer in the health care area and has spoken at national, state and local seminars.
Janice Francis-Smith - Janice Francis-Smith, is co-owner of Coffy's Cafe, a gluten-free vegetaian coffee cafe in Oklahoma City
She use to report on governmental and regulatory issues for The Journal Record, is the newspaper's senior Capitol reporter. Francis-Smith began her career as a staff writer for Capitol Network News, published by Government Information Tracking, before being transferred to Metro News, covering events in Midwest City and Del City.
She then moved on to the Community Newspaper Holdings family, serving not only The American but also The Midwest City Sun, The Sunday Sun, Eastern Oklahoma County News and The McLoud News. She won a 2002 Marshall Gregory Award for education reporting from the Oklahoma Education Association and two Carl Rogan awards from the Associated Press/Oklahoma News Executives.
Rev. Mark Maxey - Mark is the legal assistant for an Oklahoma City attorney. He has worked with the firm since 2007. He has over fifteen years professional experience in the administrative and non-profit sectors. Mark is an artist utilizing his talents through poetry, graphic arts, and photography. He has been published numerous times and has received various awards for his art. He spends his time in Oklahoma City working with others to improve and grow the artists community within Oklahoma. He serves on several art boards and volunteers his time teaching meditation and producing artists' workshops.
Mark also is in Holy Orders with the Eastern Orthodox Church, and helped start St. Raphael, the Archangel, Holy Catholic Church and Monastery, in Oklahoma City. He is also in a novitiate program with the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict. This order has direct ties to St. Benedict as well as with the Rinzai Zen traditions of Mahayana Buddhism.
Rev. J.J. Kerr, J. J. Kerr is....