The Alcor Team
(480) 905-1906
Tanya Jones, ext. 112
Executive Director
Tanya brings her background in business administration to the technical side of the organization. During her 11-year career at Alcor, she has facilitated the development and integration of improved cryopreservation technologies and procedures, including training manuals, Alcor’s first air-transportable perfusion system and mobile surgical lab. Today, she manages Alcor’s emergency response capability and participates in its research initiatives, taking advantage of her extensive experience performing cryopreservation cases. Tanya holds special responsibility for the fiscal well-being of the organization and travels around the world giving presentations and interviews about cryonics. She draws upon her experience working at the Foresight Institute, a nanotechnology think-tank, where she acted as Program Architect and Director of Communication.
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- Jennifer Chapman, ext. 113
- Chief Operating Officer
Employed at Alcor since September 2000, Jennifer previously held the position of Director of Membership Services and stepped into the position of Marketing Director in January 2005. Her primary responsibilities as Marketing Director were to educate the public about Alcor's program by hosting conferences and media events, coordinating publication of Alcor's magazine, and developing promotional materials and campaigns. She is also manager of the Membership Department and is responsible for developing the organization's fundraising activities. Prior to her employment at Alcor, Jennifer worked as a Quality Control Technician and Warehouse Administrator for two years at Lenzing Fibers Corporation in Tennessee. She has an Associate of Science Engineering Degree from Walters State College and a Business Management Degree from the University of Phoenix.
Stephen Van Sickle, ext. 115
Chief Technical Officer
Steve became a member of Alcor in 1992. During this time he assisted in engineering Alcor’s crackphone and Air Transportable (ATP) systems. In 1999, he was elected as a Member of the Board of Directors, and in February 2005, he joined Alcor’s staff as the Technical Development Leader. His job responsibilities in that capacity include development and deployment of new suspension methods and technology at Alcor. Steve was appointed Executive Director on August 28, 2005 and President of Alcor on September 9, 2006.
Steve has somewhat of an eclectic background. His education includes studies of engineering at the University of New Orleans and several years of graduate work in molecular neurobiology, during which he studied large conductance potassium channels. He also earned a B.S. from the University of the State of New York.
Steve is a native of San Diego, California, but he primarily resided in New Orleans, Louisiana. He started out his career serving in the U.S. Army as a cavalry scout and spent many years working for Shell Oil, Inc. aboard the Shell America research vessel doing seismic oil explorations. He also worked for a small auction company in Georgia, a freenet in Wisconsin, and as a research and teaching associate at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Diane Cremeens, ext. 132
Membership Department Coordinator
Diane works in the Membership Services department, and her primary responsibility is assisting applicants in becoming Alcor members. In addition to explaining Alcor's services to prospective clients, she also serves as the liaison between existing Alcor members and the organization by keeping the membership files updated and monitoring membership status issues such as funding.
Before coming to Alcor, Diane owned her own sewing business, "The Sewing Room". She belonged to the North Valley Business Network, a group of small businesses in her local area. She networked to gain business leads and exchange business experience with other local business owners.
From 1989 to 1998 Diane worked for Community Care Network (CCN), a medical insurance company. Diane started out in the Provider Contracting department, working with physicians, hospitals and other medical facilities. She eventually moved up to Office Manager. She worked with six department heads and made sure everyone had what they needed to complete their jobs, from office supplies to computer equipment.
Randal Fry, ext. 104
Equipment Fabricator
Randal joined the Alcor staff in June 2006. Born in Bakersfield, California, in 1965, he has acquired a great number of skills ranging from construction to radio personality to management and accounting. He is also very capable at working with his hands which is the role he has assumed here at Alcor. Research & Development requires equipment that is not always available off the shelf. As our primary fabricator, Randal takes the imagination of our researchers and transforms it into a working piece of equipment.
Before coming to Alcor, Randal was a Vault Coin Room Supervisor at the Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. His duties there included supervising a staff of 15 to 18 employees and maintaining a $1.3 million bank window. Before his employment at the Riverside Casino, he worked as a bookkeeper / office manager for a major automotive shop in Bakersfield while also working as a radio DJ and broadcast board operator.
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- Hugh Hixon, Jr., ext. 103
- Research Fellow
Hugh commenced employment at Alcor in 1982 as the Facilities Engineer. He is in charge of technology application and development, systems maintenance, and institutional memory research applications. Hugh has participated in a record number of cryopreservations.
Hugh is the inventor of the "crackphone", a device which determines cracking temperature and degree of cracking, first with glycerol perfusion, and now with new cryoprotectant and vitrification systems. He is the initial fabricator of the Bigfoot Patient Pod System and modified the MVE Bigfoot dewar design for simpler manufacture. Hugh designed and was instrumental in constructing the Patient Care LN2 Bulk Fill System, in addition to conceiving, designing, and constructing the LN2 Vacuum Transfer System and the LN2 Vapor Cloud Extractor. He is the designer and builder of the Mobile Advanced Rescue Cart (MARC), and was involved in the construction of its predecessor, the Cryovita Labs Mobile Advanced Life Support System (MALSS).
Hugh served as a Captain in the United States Air Force from 1965 until 1972 as an Aerospace Munitions Officer. He was stationed at Nellis AFB, Taegu AFB in Korea, and Canon AFB. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Redlands and an M.S. in Biochemistry from California State University at Long Beach. Hugh is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Space Access, and Alcor.
Sheila Kimbrell, ext. 114
Bookkeeper
Sheila Kimbrell works part-time as Alcor’s bookkeeper. Ms. Kimbrell has been operating a private accounting practice since 2001 and was employed prior to that for 15 years by Heiser & Associates, a small local accounting firm. She left this position, her sole employer prior to private practice, when the firm dissolved on the death of its owner. She has formal education in accounting from Phoenix College and was previously certified as a QuickBooks Professional Advisor. She is a past president and current board member of the Arizona Society of Practicing Accountants, member of the National Society of Accountants, past president of the North Valley Business Network, and treasurer of Boy Scout Troop 431.
Regina M. Pancake, Ext.100
Readiness Coordinator
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Regina started her first full time position in San Francisco as a Nuclear Pharmacy Technician where she became head Lab Technician. Moving back to Los Angeles, she became partners in her first Props and Effects Company, specializing in science fiction television and films, and spent the next fourteen years working on the lion's share of all sci fi media throughout the 90's. In 1998 she started Applied Effects LLC, specializing in management of crews for films, television, and product development. Regina has been a member of Alcor since 1991 and was the coordinator of the Southern California Transport Team for more than six years and has participated in more than 10 cryonics cases. Regina joined the Alcor staff in 2007, and has now obtained formal emergency medical training and is an EMT-Basic. Applying her knowledge of materials fabrication to the needs of Alcor for the purpose of improving its clinical equipment and procedures, Regina heads Alcor's readiness capability.
R. Michael Perry, Ph.D., ext. 109
Patient Caretaker
Dr. Perry was hired by Alcor in 1989 following two years of volunteer work at the Foundation. Dr. Perry monitors Alcor’s dewars, provides facility surveillance during off-work hours, and performs writing tasks and computer programming. He has authored or contributed to the automated cooldown and perfusion modeling programs and has maintained the patient log books for many years. He is a regular contributor to Alcor newsletters. He has been a member of Alcor since 1984.
Prior to working at Alcor, Dr. Perry worked as a computer programmer—from 1968 until 1987. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1969 with a B.S. in Mathematics. He received an M.S. in Computer Science from Colorado University in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the same institution in 1984.
Dr. Perry is a Director and an ordained minister of the Society for Venturism and performs wedding ceremonies and memorial services for this IRS-recognized, scientific and religious organization. He is also a cofounder and past president of the Society for Universal Immortalism, a group dedicated to the hope that all persons who ever lived will eventually be resurrected through scientific means.
Dr. Perry has authored two books: Toward Self-Optimization
of Machine Intelligence (Ph.D. Thesis), Los Osos, CA: Dove Systems,
1984; and Forever
for All: Moral Philosophy, Cryonics, and the Scientific Prospects for
Immortality, Parkland, FL: Universal Publishers, 2000. Prior to his Alcor experience Dr. Perry authored or coauthored several journal papers and technical reports on computerized tomography, for applications ranging from medicine to solar physics.
Jerry Searcy, ext. 131
Volunteer
Jerry is our indispensible full-time volunteer, performing tasks assigned by anyone. He assists in general cleaning, shopping for and storing supplies, computer work, offering transportation to visitors, and helping organize meetings.
Jerry served in the Air Force from 1960 to 1964, where he serviced equipment used to maintain fighter jets. After this he attended school learning computer programming. He worked for Nevada Power Company from 1966 to 1969, and after that worked for Clark County Public Works until retiring in 1997 when he relocated to Scottsdale to work as a volunteer for Alcor.
D’Bora Tarrant, ext. 101
Front Office Administrator
D’Bora Tarrant has held an administrative position at Alcor Foundation since March 2005. She comes to Alcor with substantial experience in complex administrative support services. Prior to joining Alcor, D’Bora was an assistant to the President of an international real estate development firm. Prior to that, D’Bora worked as a paralegal for the State Bar of Arizona and held administrative roles in several law firms. She holds an Associate of Arts degree from Pima Community College in Legal Secretarial Studies.
D’Bora’s responsibilities span the gamut of administrative support in membership services, marketing, office management, and technical operations. D’Bora began her work life as a flight attendant and brings to Alcor enthusiasm, customer service and team commitment.
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