Executive team

LaVarne Addison Burton is President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Kidney Fund (AKF), a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to fight kidney disease and help people live healthier lives. Ms. Burton has led AKF since 2005.

Tara Bunch became Chief Operating Officer of the American Kidney Fund in October 2021. In this role, she manages the supporting services of finance, administration, human resources and IT functions. Ms. Bunch is also the staff liaison with the Board of Trustees' Audit and Finance Committees.

Holly Bode has been working on health issues in Washington — on both the political and policy fronts — for over 30 years, including federal advocacy roles at the Alliance of Community Health Plans and at UnitedHealth Care. She also worked for various members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for over nine years as well as five years at the Department of Health and Human Services for the Assistant Secretary of Legislation.

Julianne Puzzo joined AKF in July 2014 to oversee the organization's fundraising strategy and regional offices. She is a dynamic development executive with 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She has performed roles with increasing responsibilities over the course of her career, developing skills and insights that aid in quick and effective decision making. Ms. Puzzo's skills include fundraising and development, Board recruitment and management, staff management, budget and strategic planning, and all functions necessary to run a multi-million dollar organization.

Since 2005, Tamara Ruggiero has developed and led the American Kidney Fund's marketing and communications team. After growing up with a father on dialysis, she is passionately dedicated to ensuring that AKF's external communications and marketing campaigns are informed by the authentic patient voice and perspective. 

Mike Spigler has served as vice president of Patient Support and Education for the American Kidney Fund (AKF) since July 2015. Mr. Spigler oversees a spectrum of programs and services: prevention activities, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance that enables kidney patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation.

Marshall Strisik has been a health care lawyer and generalist for nearly 20 years. After spending most of his in-house career in managed care and then in a large hospital system, Mr. Strisik now serves as General Counsel for AKF. Over the years, Mr. Strisik has developed a range of areas of expertise, including government investigations, compliance with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General and Medicare, board governance, state insurance regulation, corporate transactions, and health care fraud and abuse. Early in his career, Mr. Strisik practiced in the insurance and litigation practice of White and Williams LLP in Philadelphia.