Board of Trustees
Founder & President: Rob Crane, MD
Rob is a retired Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Ohio State University. He has worked as a tobacco control advocate for over 25 years and is the founder and president of the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation and Tobacco 21. He was also co-chair for SmokeFree Columbus, the coalition that helped pass smoke-free legislation in a dozen Central Ohio communities and led to statewide legislation. He is also the recipient of the 2011 Public Health Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians and the 2014 C. Everett Koop Award from the American Lung Association. He lives in the Dublin, Ohio with his wife and two sons, while his adult daughter, her husband and his grandchild live nearby.
Vice President: Dr. Marie E. Collart-Hock
Dr. Marie Collart-Hock, retired on October 1, 2013 as President and CEO of The Breathing Association after 32 ½ years of service. Marie has a B.S. in Nursing, M.S. in Nursing Education and Ph.D. in Educational/Communications Technology from The Ohio State University. During her Presidency, the career highlights for Marie were SmokeFree Columbus, Tobacco Cessation and Cessation Counselor Training programs, the establishment of the Lung Health Clinic and the establishment of the Home Energy Assistance Program. In 2006-07 she was Co-leader of SmokeFree Columbus, along with Bishop Timothy Clark and Dr. Rob Crane. This effort accomplished smoke free public places in Columbus and surrounding counties, opening the way for a smoke free Ohio. Marie was the founder of the agency’s free Lung Health Clinic and Mobile Medical Unit, serving low income medically vulnerable clients with needed health care. Marie lives in Arizona with her wife, Diana.
Treasurer & Secretary: Timothy T. Miller, C.P.A, J.D.
Tim received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Illinois in 1980 and a law degree from Loyola University, Chicago, in 1987. He is currently employed by Crane Group Co., as a corporate attorney located in Columbus, OH. Prior to joining Crane, Tim, worked as an accountant for the Chicago office of Touche Ross & Company (now Deloitte), a senior accountant for the Chicago law firm of Jenner and Block and an attorney for the Chicago law firm of Rosenthal and Schanfield. Tim currently sits on the Board of Trustees for the Community Shelter Board and the Omicron Alumni Association at the University of Illinois. He is a past member of the Board of Trustees of the United Way of Central Ohio, Faith Mission, Columbus School for Girls, and the Contemporary American Theatre Company of Columbus, Ohio (CATCO). In addition, he also served on the Community Arts Grants Committee for the Columbus Foundation, the Homelessness Prevention Pilot Community Advisory Committee, the Steering Committee for the Rebuilding Lives Updated Strategy Task Force and the Columbus Public Schools Student Mobility Research Project conducted in 2005. Tim and his wife, Jamie Crane, have two grown children, a son, Taylor, and a daughter, Hailey. Tim and Jamie reside in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
Micah Berman
Micah is the Stephen F. Loebs Professor in Health Services Management and Policy at The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health and a Professor of Law at Ohio State’s Michael E. Moritz College of Law. His research explores the intersection between public health research and legal doctrine, with a focus on tobacco policy. Prior to joining Ohio State, Berman established and directed the Tobacco Public Policy Center (Columbus, Ohio) and the Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy (Boston, Massachusetts). He has also served as a senior advisor to the FDA Center for Tobacco Products as a visiting scholar with World Health Organization’s Center for International Cooperation on Tobacco Control. Before turning his focus to public health, Berman was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and political director for a U.S. Senate campaign. He received a JD with distinction from Stanford Law School and a BA with the highest honors in Public Policy from Brandeis University.
Jack Waxman
Jack Waxman is a law student at Columbia Law School and a former high school teacher in a Title I public school in East Harlem. His work has centered on expanding access to opportunity for young people. As a Teach For America corps member, he taught math and history while supporting students navigating systemic inequities both inside and outside the classroom. Before teaching, Jack founded Students Against Nicotine, a youth-led advocacy organization focused on combating teenage addiction to e-cigarettes through policy change and public awareness. He has worked in political and legislative spaces, managing campaigns and reviewing legislation for the New York State Legislature. A Max Berger Public Interest/Public Service Fellow, Jack is committed to using the law to challenge structural inequality and expand access to justice.
Rukaya Alrubaye
Rukaya Alrubaye, originally from Iraq, is a medical student at the UMKC School of Medicine in a competitive six-year B.A./M.D. program. She is also a dedicated advocate who served as the 2023 NRECA youth spokesperson. In this role, she addressed nearly 10,000 cooperative leaders in Nashville, TN. Rukaya has received multiple awards for her advocacy, including the 2022 National Youth Advocate of the Year from Tobacco Free Kids and the 2021 Outstanding Youth Award from the Arkansas Prevention Network. She has worked with the FDA and state officials and is currently an intern with Stanford’s REACH Lab, focusing on tobacco and cannabis education. Her achievements include speaking at national conferences, emceeing major events, and being invited to the White House to attend a launch event for USDA Rural Utilities programs.
Kevin O'Flaherty
Kevin is the Associate Vice-President – State and Local Advocacy for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Prior to that he was the Director of Advocacy – Northeast Region, a position he held since 2006. In that role he has played an integral part in countless successful campaigns to increase tobacco taxes, establish smokefree air policies, increase the age of sale to twenty-one and to eliminate the sale of flavored tobacco products. He also leads CTFK’s effort to eliminate the use of smokeless tobacco in Major League Baseball. Prior to joining the Campaign, he worked in a similar capacity for the American Cancer Society in both Texas and Rhode Island. He received his BA Summa Cum Laude (Philosophy) in 2000 from the University of Houston. When the weather is warm and the winds are fair, you will likely find him sailing on Long Island Sound and beyond.