J. Richard Goldstein, MD, M. ARCH
Country Cures® medical education and non-profit advisor
Dr. Goldstein attended Case-Western Reserve University, OSU College of Medicine, trained in Medicine at the University of Florida, and served in the USAF as a flight surgeon. He practiced ambulatory, emergency and aerospace medicine for six years. He also received a Master’s degree from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, and became an adjunct professor at Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture and Planning.
Dr. Goldstein has become one of the most influential health care policy makers in the state of New Jersey, serving as NJ Commissioner of Health (1983-1986). Later, he served as president and chief executive officer for the not-for-profit New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals (NJCTH), a consortium of seven major academic medical centers and teaching hospitals. He is a co-author of the textbook, “Hospital Special Care Facilities,” and has presented numerous papers at state, national, and international conferences. He has testified frequently at NJ legislative hearings and has been responsible for successfully overseeing the passage of many legislative initiatives, including the expansion of Family Care.
Roberta Shapiro, D. O.
Medical Expert, Country Cures®
Dr. Shapiro received her undergraduate degree from George Washington University, and her Osteopathic Medical degree from Southeastern College of Medicine. She completed her internship at Brookdale Hospital, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In addition to running a New York private practice in physical medicine and rehabilitation, she is an assistant clinical professor at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Shapiro lectures internationally and appears on TV and TED Talks as an expert in regenerative medicine, stem cell therapies, and the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions.
Christina Robich, L. Ac, Dpl. Acu, MS, RN
Country Cures® integrative medical and spiritual advisor, researcher
Christina Robich is a graduate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine program at Mercy College. Her studies included four years of Western sciences with the New York Medical College, as well as formal Oriental training administered by some of the best and most diverse professors in the country. She interned at Sound Shore Medical Center in New Rochelle, New York, and worked on her research thesis in the orthopedic department and surgical area. This research has been proposed for publication by many of the physicians that she was privileged to work with. Her formal training is in Traditional Chinese Medicine, but she has integrated many other Asian disciplines into her practice. In August 2000, Christina received a Master’s degree and also earned the title, Diplomat in Acupuncture.
Christina is licensed in the State of New York as an Acupuncturist and as a Registered Nurse, and is also a trained Herbologist. She has a vast knowledge of health care and the health sciences.
As a Registered Nurse for over 20 years, Christina has practiced in some of New York’s most valued institutions. She was the Head Nurse of cardio-vascular surgery at Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, and worked at the Westchester Medical Center ICU, New York.
Lynn Rendine, CPA
Country Cures® financial advisor
Lynn Rendine has a CPA license from the State of New York, and a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from Iona College, New York. With almost 30 years experience as an accountant, she has worked with non-profit entities as an accountant and tax preparer for the required filings for both the federal and state governments. She has had vast fund raising experience, from co-chairing and running numerous events for elementary and high schools, to co-organizing and founding a fundraiser that reaped the highest sales in the history of the company. She was also treasurer for Boy Scouts of America, Pack #173.
Sandy McGuire, B.S.
Entertainment Director, Country Cures®
Starting out in insurance, Sandy became an administrator for a computer company. After that, she became an insurance broker and got her Series 7 securities license. After, she became a safety professional in commercial construction. Then she became part owner in a construction company that she started, building stadiums, parking structures, colleges, and other large commercial projects. All the while, she took on numerous fundraising jobs for non-profit organizations that touched her. As a musician, she co-founded a non-profit concert association, which led to her current role as executive producer for up-and-coming talent.
Vanessa Tyler, BS
Country Cures® diversity sensitivity and non-profit advisor
Vanessa Tyler is an Emmy award winning, and six-time Emmy nominated reporter/anchor with more than two decades of broadcast journalism experience. She’s worked in many cities around the country in front of and behind the camera. Raised in Harlem, she earned a BS from Syracuse University’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and started her career in one of the toughest news markets in the country in Washington, D.C. In Dayton, Ohio, she was “the most watched” solo weekend anchor for their CBS affiliate. There, she won a CBS award for excellence for her “Kids in Chaos” work, a year long examination of youth violence. Her community involvement in Ohio included hosting the annual UNICEF and Children’s Miracle Network Telethons. When she returned to New York, she became a reporter on WPIX-TV’s 10 o’clock news for 10 years. Currently, she is an anchor for the FiOS 1 news team.
Tyler is the winner of a New York Associated Press Award, and she also won a National Association of Black Journalists award. She received two first place awards from The Garden State Association of Black Journalists, one of which was for her reporting on community impact. She was an Adjunct Professor at Essex County College, and for many years she was the voice for Heightened Independence and Progress, a New Jersey community organization serving the physically and visually impaired. Her board memberships include YCS, serving children and their families in need, and she is a recent past board member for the ARC of Essex County, an organization helping those with developmental handicaps. She is also writing and producing an animated children’s book.
Richard Agins, ESQ., CPA, MBA
Country Cures® legal advisor
Richard Agins received a JD, cum laude, from Pace University School of Law, an MBA in Accounting and Finance from Baruch College, The City University of New York, and an AB in Romance Languages from Lafayette College. He speaks seven languages, and considers himself most fluent in English and Spanish.
He has advised businesses on financial, legal and operational matters for over thirty years. He was Chief Financial Officer for public and privately held companies, and went on to found a management consulting firm, advising companies in the distribution and construction industries. Subsequently, he became president of a closely held fashion accessories design and manufacturing company. He later created a boutique law firm, focusing on business, finance and immigration law, including forming and advising many not-for-profit corporations. He has been a director and treasurer of five 501(c)(3) corporations serving mentally challenged, adult literacy, neighborhood development, and Latino constituencies.
Michael Wallach, ESQ.
Country Cures® legal, media, and licensing advisor
Michael Wallach received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baruch College, The City University of New York, and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School, Boston. Admitted to the New York Bar, he began his career working in business affairs at RCA Records in New York. Moving into television and film, he became a business affairs executive at Columbia Pictures Television in Los Angeles.
He is now a personal manager, guiding the careers of actors and other industry professionals. He created, designed, and now teaches a popular six-week course, “This Business of Acting™” for UCLA Extension. He has been active in increasing the visibility and regard for personal managers as an important part of the Hollywood process. He served two terms as vice president of the Conference of Personal Managers. He frequently lectures at colleges and acting schools.
