Board of Directors

Jim Gerencser

Jim is the Founder and Past President of Nationwide Auto Services, one of the largest OEM, VPC, and OES service companies in the country helping auto manufacturers around the world. While serving as President of Nationwide Auto Services, Inc., Jim founded Early Recognition Is Critical (E.R.I.C.), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) cancer education organization which teaches youth to be active, body aware, and to speak up when something is wrong with their body. He currently serves on the Executive Board for E.R.I.C., and is active in numerous philanthropic activities around the world.

Eric Gerencser

Eric Gerencser is a Survivor of three incidences of childhood cancer and both the inspiration and the namesake for Early Recognition Is Critical. He currently serves on the E.R.I.C. Board of Directors and is the President of Nationwide Auto Services.

Laura Gerencser

Laura obtained her bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She is an Assistant Project Manager at L.S. Brinker, and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Laura has been a volunteer for E.R.I.C. since its inception in 2012. In her free time, she enjoys playing Ultimate, a sport she has been involved with since playing on the UT Austin’s Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team.

Carman Kobza

Carman Kobza is the creator of India’s first viable Breast Health Education & Digital Screening program. Born and raised between the Czech and German immigrant settled farming communities of Praha and Freyburg, Texas, Carman led an international executive career with travels to over 80 countries. He then founded a women’s focused digital diagnostics company in Bangalore in 2015. With an efficient yet personalized “We Come to You” approach, Carman exerts full passion to end an unconscionable world affliction – Needless Breast Cancer. LadyBWell – THE BREAST HEALTH PEOPLE launched to rapidly expand the reach and impact by offering a welcoming, certified & de-stigmatized women’s health experience to developing countries worldwide.

Eric Waite

Eric Waite is the Executive Vice President of The Talent Corporation in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and is a Personnel/Staffing expert. He has volunteered for a number of community-based organizations, including E.R.I.C. Like many of the E.R.I.C. Board and staff members, he feels a calling to volunteer for groups that support cancer prevention and the best-available treatments due to losing a close family member to the disease.

Florentino Ramirez

Florentino is an attorney practicing in international transactions and as outside corporate counsel. His practice also involves all aspects of doing business abroad with a focus in Latin American and Spain. He directs the firm’s immigration practice, where focus areas include employment and investment immigration. Among his business clients, Florentino has represented various non-profit organizations in the US and abroad.

Florentino was elected to the Board of Directors for the State Bar of Texas where he served from 2013 –2016. He was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Texas Bar Foundation from 2016 – 2022, serving as its Chair in 2019-2020. He has also served as Secretary/Treasurer and Member of the Board of Directors of the Dallas Bar Association, as well as the Board of Directors of the Dallas Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Michelle Walters, DO, FAOCR

Dr. Walters is a radiologist at The Breast Center, which is part of the Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas (MANA) group practice. She is a fellow of the American Osteopathic College of Radiology and has over 24 years of experience in breast imaging. Following an internship, diagnostic radiology residency, and MRI and breast imaging fellowship, Dr. Walters worked as a physician and then as a partner at Radiology Associates of North Texas (RANT), providing radiology services throughout the DFW metroplex.
She is active in the American Osteopathic College of Radiology, serving as president as well as in many other leadership positions over the years. She has extensive publications and conference presentations.

Dr. Walters and her husband, Matthew, have two grown children. In her free time, Dr. Walters loves to get outdoors to hike, kayak, and ride horses. She is an avid reader and dog lover. She and her family enjoy playing Ultimate, and she is a founder of Texas Youth Ultimate.