Our Board
Anne St. Martin - Executive Director/Board Chair
Anne St Martin graduated from Dominican University in Chicago, IL, with a degree in Political Science in 2002. Anne has over ten years of experience working in Operations and Finance Management in the Restaurant and Hospitality industry in Chicago, IL. In 2012 she met her husband Denis and moved to his home state of Minnesota. Here, Anne decided to refocus her career within the political arena and went back to school at Metro State in St Paul, MN, to obtain her Master’s in Public Administration. During this time, Anne worked for various nonprofit organizations such as the City of Savage, the MN Chamber of Commerce, the MN Film and TV Board, and the Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities as an operations account manager. Anne also gave birth to two lovely boys, Joe and Leo. Her working career and her graduate program were cut short by the Infantile Pompe Disease diagnosis of her son Leo in September 2016. Anne is currently a stay-at-home mom, a medical advocate, Leo’s personal assistant, and now the Executive Director for Pompe Warrior Foundation. Anne’s younger brother SGT Joseph Vanek was killed in action in Iraq in 2007. Anne also lost her father, Frank Vanek, to cancer in 2010. She takes the lesson on how her brother and father lived and strives to live a life both these extraordinary men would be proud of. Anne has seen firsthand how a well-formulated ketogenic diet has changed her son Leo’s life and his diagnosis outcomes for the better. She is passionate about helping others with Pompe Disease and other Lysosomal Storage Diseases understand and utilizes a specialized diet to better their lives. Anne knows that through her work with the Pompe Warrior Foundation, they can educate others and bring new research to the forefront.
Denis St. Martin - Executive Director / Board Vice Chair
Denis St. Martin is a husband and father to two beautiful little boys, Joe and Leo. Denis went to 2 years of trade school at St.Paul Technical College where he received a certificate in construction electricity. After that, he did four years of apprenticeship. Denis is a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers St.Paul Local 110. He has been an electrical foreman for the past ten years. Since the diagnosis of his youngest son Leo with a rare genetic disease, he has taken any spare time that is allowed for a Dad of two and tried to help others affected by rare diseases. He feels blessed and honored by the support he and his family have received for his family and the creation of the Pompe Warrior Foundation. He looks forward to addressing the challenges to come.
Melissa Schatz – Treasurer
Melissa Schatz graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a degree in Biology in 2005. She also obtained a certificate in Clinical Research from the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering in 2011. Melissa has just under ten years of experience working on clinical research studies in the medical device industry. Upon welcoming her first child in December 2016, she decided to take a break from her career to focus on raising her daughter. She is passionate about improving people’s lives through medical research.
Blair Madsen – Board Member
A lifelong Minnesotan and current resident of Minneapolis, Blair Madsen graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2005 with a degree in Financial Management. He has spent the past 18 years of his professional career working in the banking industry. Blair is currently with Dacotah Bank, where he is Managing Director for Corporate Banking. Having lived with a family member who fought a genetic disease for more than 30 years, Blair joins Pompe Warrior Foundation with an enthusiasm for leveraging research and building meaningful partnerships to create awareness and improve the quality of life for those like Leo, who are impacted by a genetic disease.
Samantha Berg-Waller – Board Member
Samantha is the Development Officer at St. Francis Regional Medical Center. She has been with them for two years, and in that time, she has helped to grow her campaign by over 40%. Samantha is based in the Twin Cities area, and before working with St. Francis, she worked for the AHA and was in Development with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities. She resides in Prior Lake, MN, but is originally from Eastern Wisconsin. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. In her free time, Samantha enjoys staying active by running and biking, and when she wants to relax, nothing is better than a good book. Samantha is honored and excited to be on the board of this amazing organization.
Dr. Drew Scribner – Board Member
Dr. Drew Scribner is an emergency medicine physician currently practicing in Austin, Texas. He focuses on treating a wide range of emergent conditions in both adults and pediatrics. He earned his medical degree at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, Missouri, and completed his residency at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, New York City. He is board eligible in Emergency Medicine.