Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Jamie Holmes – Founder & President

Jamie founded Jamie’s Dream Team when she was eighteen (17) years old. Jamie has been a member of the Board of Directors of Jamie’s Dream Team since its inception in 2005.  Jamie graduated from McKeesport High School in 2005, and she has studied, among other things, pre-law and business at Community College of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  Jamie’s passion, though, is Jamie’s Dream Team.  Jamie decided when she was fifteen (15) years old and in Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for one (1) of her many surgeries, that she wanted to someday start an organization that would help people with serious medical conditions.  Despite the pain and suffering that Jamie has, and continues to endure, her heart has always been with others who are suffering.  As such, Jamie started Jamie’s Dream Team to fulfill her dream of helping others who are suffering.

Kim Shidel – First Vice President

Kim is the First Vice-President and co-founder of Jamie’s Dream Team. Kim has been a member of the Board of Directors of Jamie’s Dream Team since its inception in 2005. Kim received a medical assistant certification from the Western School of Health and Business Careers in 1993. Kim has primarily cared for Jamie on a full time basis since Jamie’s birth which prevented Kim from maintaining a career outside of the home during Jamie’s childhood. In addition to working tirelessly for Jamie’s Dream Team, in recent years Kim has been self employed as a pizza shop proprietor. Kim also assists in her family repossession company.

Bonnie Cottone – Second Vice President

Bonnie is the Second Vice-President of Jamie’s Dream Team .Bonnie has been a member of the Board of Directors of Jamie’s Dream Team since its inception in 2005. Bonnie has been an investor and real estate agent for thirty (30) years with Century 21 and Classic Homes in White Oak, Pennsylvania, and she also worked as a property manager for Segady Real Estate. Bonnie was a foster parent through KATY Services for thirteen (13) years during which time she successfully fostered and mentored approximately eighty (80) children. Bonnie has also coached girls’ softball teams and she has served as a volunteer for various charitable organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania over the years.

Jessica Waugaman – Treasurer

Jessica was born and raised in Plum Borough.  She graduated from Plum High School in 1994.  She was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia in 1987.  Being sick changed her life.  She looks at life differently now and has an appreciation for each day and what it brings.  She is caring and sympathetic to everyone.  She always roots for the underdog and always tries to be fair.  She treats everyone equally and without judgement.  If you ask anyone who knows her, they will tell you she always have a smile on her face.  She’s proof that there is hope and its worth fighting for.  She was sick most of her childhood, so she decided school just wasn’t the thing for her.  She wanted to enjoy life a little. In 1995 she started her career at S&T Bank.  She has been there for twenty- five years.  She worked very hard and advanced in the company.  She’s now a VP Community Banking Manager of the White Oak office.  She has served in Plum Chamber and Rotary, Oakmont Chamber and Rotary.  She has also been a chair member for the American Cancer Society (Relay for Life).  She lives in Penn Hills with her husband of almost 25 years, Chad, and they have a daughter Victoria (Tori).  She’s an animal lover,  and has three dogs and three cats that are all rescues.

Patrick Connelly, Esquire – Board Member

Attorney at summers, McDonnell, Hudock and Guthrie

Karen Emmerich – Board Member

The Jack Buncher Foundation

Thomas Exler – Board Member

Thomas is presently ta member of Jamie’s Dream Team board.  He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and became a board member of Jamie’s Dream Team in late 2012 after a year of personally volunteer with Jamie to help fulfill many dreams.   However this was not his first time volunteering to help patients in his life.  Thomas was born with a rare birth defect called bladder exstrophy, which led his mother and surgeon to found the first support group for parents of children with ostomy or intestinal or urinary diversions, where he learned the important points of helping others.  As a 10 year old he was invited to make his first speech at a national conference, and since then has been asked to give many presentations all over North America, Europe and Australia.  In addition to speaking he has spent many summers giving up his own vacation time to volunteer to work with teenage patients at many medical camps.  Over the years, he has also either founded or been involved with founding multiple national support networks, and he is the past-president and currently the vice president of the Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community, and well as the founder and chairman of Courage to Shine.

Barbara Gaines, MD – Board Member

Head of Pediatric Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC

Jonathan George – Board Member

Drafted in 2002 out of high school in New Jersey, he played 8 years in the minor leagues for the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies organizations.  He was hired by the Texas Rangers as a scout in 2011.  He has a 6 year old daughter and live in North Huntington, PA

Jonathan Stewart, Esquire – Board Member

Managing Partner of Stewart, Murray & Associates Law Group LLC.

Stephen A Zappala, Jr. – Board Member
 Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has served as District Attorney of Allegheny County since 1998, overseeing approximately 300,000 indictments during his tenure.  Mr. Zappala has used his time as District Attorney to effectuate significant changes in the operation of the office including the creation of dedicated prosecution units focusing on such crimes as child abuse, domestic violence, auto theft, insurance fraud, and most recently, a dedicated unit to help the victims of elder abuse.  As the chief law enforcement officer in Allegheny County, Mr. Zappala is heavily involved in the community serving as a board member for such organizations as Animal Friends, the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime, and the Catholic Youth Association.  Mr. Zappala has also served as a member of the National Review Board of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; the Executive Advisory Board for Special Olympics Pennsylvania; the Advisory Council to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Office of Elder Justice in the Courts; Joint Legislative Commission on Conviction Integrity; Joint Legislative Commission on Capital Punishment; New York University School of Law’s Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration and the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Executive Board.  Mr. Zappala is also recognized as an honorary lifetime member of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, the Western Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and the Allegheny County Chiefs of Police Association.  The son of a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Mr. Zappala obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1979 and his law degree in 1984 from the Duquesne University School of Law.
Dale T. Provins, Sr. – Secretary
Dale is a resident of Elizabeth Township.  His wife Lorraine and he were both from Clairton and have been married for 47 years and have six children.  Dale is a Viet Nam Veteran having served 4 years active duty and two years active reserves in the US Marines. He is a retired law enforcement officer having served as a Sergeant on the Jefferson Hills Police Department. Dale has been actively involved in both the communities of Jefferson Hills and Elizabeth Township. Dale was a founding member and President of Jefferson Hills Ambulance Association; he is a Paramedic and also served as President of the Central Volunteer Fire Department and was a member of the Buena Vista Vol. Fire Department. Dale was active with Boy Scout Troop 99 at Mt Vernon Church for over 15 years.  Dale was a past member of the Elizabeth Township Historical Society and is a 32 Degree member of the Stephen Bayard Lodge # 526 Masonic Hall of Elizabeth, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Valley of Pittsburgh, and member of Legion of Honor and Shiners’ of Syria Temple.  Dale is a graduate of the Duquesne University School of Law (JD) and worked several years in the telecommunications industry overseas for French and Duetch Telecom. Dale also has a BA in Public Administration from Point Park University and an AA In Police Administration from Allegheny Community College.  Dale has been a board member dating back to 2007.
Stephen W Sherwin – Chief Technology Officer

Stephen Sherwin has been serving as the Director of Information Technology at Penn State Greater Allegheny since February, 2016.  Stephen’s position at Penn State Greater Allegheny is centered around helping enable student success and access through innovative usage of new technologies.  Stephen graduated from then Penn State McKeesport in 2004 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Science and Technology and also has his Masters in Professional Studies in Enterprise Architecture through the Penn State World Campus.  He has over 17 years of professional IT experience and over 7 years as an IT consultant serving customers throughout the tri-state area specializing in advanced cloud and datacenter infrastructure design and implementation.  Stephen earned his Eagle Scout award when he was 15.  Stephen has lived in the McKeesport are for 14 years and has 3 children- Jacob, 13, James, 11, and Allie, 8. He also has a girlfriend, Leanna, who has two children. Both Stephen and Leanna are involved in various volunteer organizations outside of Jamie’s Dream Team ranging from youth athletics to American Heritage Girls. Stephen also has been the webmaster for Jamie’s Dream Team since September of 2017.