Alcoholics Anonymous Welcomes Three New Nonalcoholic Trustees to the General Service Board

NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) has announced three new Class A (nonalcoholic) trustees have joined the board: Tom Ivester, M.D., of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Kelly Parsley of Helena, Montana; and Veronica Ramirez of Weslaco, Texas. The trustees will serve six-year terms.

Class A trustees are friends of Alcoholics Anonymous selected for their professional expertise and the unique perspectives they bring to the General Service Board's work of supporting A.A. and carrying its message of recovery. Class A trustees also serve in certain public-facing roles; as nonalcoholics, they need not maintain anonymity in the media as do A.A. members.

Ivester is chief clinical officer for Novant Health's triad region of North Carolina and a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine. Having grown up around Alcoholics Anonymous through his father's long-term sobriety, Ivester brings more than 30 years of medical and leadership experience. He serves on the Archives, Public Information, Cooperation with the Professional Community and Treatment and Accessibilities committees, where he hopes to help increase understanding of A.A. within the medical community.

Kelly Parsley is a professor of health sciences whose academic career has focused on alcohol use and abuse. Her connection to A.A. deepened after attending open meetings, where she witnessed the Fellowship's impact firsthand. She serves on the Corrections Committee, as well as subcommittees on the Plain Language Big Book, the forthcoming Fifth Edition of the Big Book, and the International Committee.

Veronica Ramirez is a retired chief probation officer for the Eastern District of Louisiana with more than two decades of experience in federal probation and community corrections. Throughout her career, she regularly referred individuals to A.A. and observed its effectiveness in supporting long-term change. She serves on the Corrections Committee, the Cooperation with the Professional Community/Treatment and Accessibilities Committee, and the International Convention/Regional Forums Committee.

Founded in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous is an effective and enduring program of recovery that has changed countless lives and is committed to making its program of recovery available to anyone who reaches out for help with a drinking problem. To find a local A.A. meeting, contact a local A.A. office or visit aa.org/meeting-guide-app to learn about the Meeting Guide app and how to use it.

Contact: [email protected]
(212)870-3119

SOURCE Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.