Joe Niekro Foundation - Knuckling Up for Aneurysm Research - About Us

Founder: Natalie Niekro (daughter of Joe) – From the time I was born, baseball has been in my blood. I have had the privilege of watching my father surpass records, obstacles and become one of the most recognized names in baseball. I have been blessed in having two loving parents who have supported, loved and guided me through life’s journeys. Growing up as a child of a professional baseball player has been an indescribable experience and now the torch has been passed to me to leave a legacy just as my father has. Dad’s aneurysm was sudden, unexpected and undiagnosed. Within 18 hours of Dad’s rupture, he was pronounced dead. Upon losing my father, I made a commitment to dedicate my time, energy and focus on the advancement of neurological treatments for aneurysm patients. It is my mission to discover a detection method, available to the public, so that thousands of lives can be saved from this silent killer. By providing funds for research and treatment to hospitals, treatment centers and organizations, I am confident that The Joe Niekro Foundation will help families across the world.


Founder: Natalie Niekro (daughter of Joe) – From the time I was born, baseball has been in my blood. I have had the privilege of watching my father surpass records, obstacles and become one of the most recognized names in baseball. I have been blessed in having two loving parents who have supported, loved and guided me through life’s journeys. Growing up as a child of a professional baseball player has been an indescribable experience and now the torch has been passed to me to leave a legacy just as my father has. Dad’s aneurysm was sudden, unexpected and undiagnosed. Within 18 hours of Dad’s rupture, he was pronounced dead. Upon losing my father, I made a commitment to dedicate my time, energy and focus on the advancement of neurological treatments for aneurysm patients. It is my mission to discover a detection method, available to the public, so that thousands of lives can be saved from this silent killer. By providing funds for research and treatment to hospitals, treatment centers and organizations, I am confident that The Joe Niekro Foundation will help families across the world.




Natalie Niekro - President Natalie Niekro, the daughter of Joe, is the owner of NLN Media Buying Services, a media research, strategy, planning and placement advertising agency. Natalie has been in the advertising business for 16 years, handling millions of dollars in advertising budgets and solely responsible for the success of her clients. Natalie double majored in advertising and psychology and graduated from Florida Southern College in 1994. In addition to serving as President and Founder of The Joe Niekro Foundation, she is former 12 year reigning president of the AZ chapter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, actively involved in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program through her church and recently nominated as one of America’s Top 10 Professionals in Who’s Who. Natalie is fully dedicated to the success and outreach of The Joe Niekro Foundation and plans to raise millions of dollars to be given to the research and treatment of aneurysms and aneurysm patients. Natalie married her soulmate, Luke Woosley, in December 2006 and resides in Scottsdale, AZ. David B. Bergman - Treasurer Dave, an investment counselor for Sigma Investments, joined Sigma in 1990 after gaining considerable experience as a licensed securities broker with Merrill Lynch, E.F. Hutton and Roney & Co., as well as participating on the Professional Baseball Players Pension Committee for several years. Prior to joining Sigma on a full time basis, Dave played professional baseball for 20 years and is perhaps best known for his contribution to the Detroit Tigers during the latter part of his career. Dave earned his business degree from Illinois State University and is a member of the CFA Society of Detroit, CFA Institute, and the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame Advisory Board. Barbara Nivala - Secretary Barbara Nivala is the Director of Membership & Special Events for the Polk County Builders Association headquartered in Lakeland, FL. With over 25 years experience, Barbara has extensive knowledge of not-for-profit associations and foundations. She has held the position of Executive Director for the National Speakers Association, headquartered in Tempe, AZ for 14 years and the Printing Industries of Arizona, headquartered in Phoenix, AZ for 2 years. She has served on the boards of the Arizona Society of Association Executives in Phoenix; Girls, Inc. and Citrus Center Kiwanis Club in Lakeland. In addition, she volunteers her time to the SPCA and numerous charitable and fundraising events in Lakeland. George T. Baylor George is the President and CEO of the Baylor Company, a real estate consulting firm. He advises government agencies, financial institutions, professional firms, and investment groups in business development, corporate growth strategy, project turnaround, and asset management. George has been nominated for several builder awards; one of his homes was featured on the “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” television show. George is a Texas Real Estate and Mortgage Broker; Member of the Museum of Fine Arts and Houston Association of Realtors; Life Member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Houston Farm and Ranch Club, and America Quarter Horse and American Angus Associations; and serves on the Board of Directors of Oak Park Mortgage, Inc. and C C Corporation. He is a graduate of the University of Redlands in Business Administration and Economics. Enos Cabell Enos Cabell is a 15 year veteran of the Major Leagues. He started 149 games at third base for the Houston Astros and played on two other division-winning clubs, the 1974 Baltimore Orioles and the 1985 Los Angeles Dodgers. Enos was named team MVP in 1978 for the Houston Astros after setting a then-club mark with 195 hits, which ranked third in the National League. He also led the league with 162 games played and 660 at-bats that season. Enos is in his fourth season as a special assistant to the general manager of the Houston Astros and has been serving as a consultant since joining the Astros front office in 2004. He was a member of the Texas Southern University’s Board of Regents from 1995-2001 and served as interim athletic director for the school in 2000. Enos is a graduate of L.A. Harbor Junior College in San Pedro, Calif., where he was an all-conference selection in baseball. He makes his home in Missouri City, Texas, and has three sons, Marcus, Stephen and Cordell. Enos lost his wife to a cerebral aneurysm. Luke Woosley Luke Woosley, is the co-founder of Paytactix, an international merchant services provider. He has remarkable business acumen gained from years of managing millions of dollars in financial portfolios. Luke earned a finance degree from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He joined the investment juggernaut, New York Life, as a financial planner and was quickly recognized as one of the company’s premier agents. Luke was ranked in the top 10% of New York Life International's financial planners throughout his career. During that time, Luke developed profitable financial plans and streamlined investments for some of the nation’s largest businesses. Luke is married to Natalie Niekro and resides in Scottsdale, AZ. Dolores “Dee” Stargell Dolores Stargell was married to Hall of Famer, Willie Stargell for 18 years. As a veteran baseball wife, Dee was there for the Pittsburgh Pirates World Series championships in 1971 and 1979 and witnessed her husband win the 1979 NLCS MVP, World Series MVP and National League co-MVP. In May, 1976, Dee suffered a brain aneurysm and stroke. After spending 6 weeks in a coma, she slowly recovered and today is a living and breathing miracle. A mother of two grown children and currently residing in Georgia, Dee hopes her story will help inspire others to get involved with The Joe Niekro Foundation. Daniel C. Glazer Dan Glazer, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School is an attorney with the New York law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP. His practice focuses on advising domestic and multi-national corporations on intellectual property and technology matters, particularly in the telecommunications, financial services, sports, media and entertainment industries. Nationally recognized in the field of sports law, Dan also appears frequently in the national media as a commentator on legal issues in professional and college sports (including NBC, CNN, ESPN, FOX, MSNBC and NRP). He also is cited regularly in articles as an authority on intellectual property law and sports law, including in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Sports Business Journal, USA Today, Law360, Bloomberg, National Law Journal and CNN/Sports Illustrated. Lawrence A. Simon, CPA Lawrence A. Simon is the Director of Doeren Mayhew, a Certified Public Accounting firm in Troy, Michigan. Lawrence focuses on financial audits for closely held corporations, mergers and acquisitions, litigation support and business consulting. For almost 10 years, Mr. Simon has been a member of the firm’s management committee. He has extensive experience with manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and service organizations. He has performed litigation services for numerous clients, including plaintiff and defendant representation, calculation of damages, testimony in depositions, and trial testimony in state and federal courts. Lawrence received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Western Michigan University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts and the Board of Trustees of University Liggett School. Lisa Kline Lisa Kline is a Public Relation Specialist living in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was raised from birth to love baseball by her late father. Her admiration for the game led her to have the great honor to be stat girl for the baseball team at Beverly Hills High School. A graduate of The University of Arizona, Lisa loves living in the charitable atmosphere of desert life. In 2003, Lisa survived a ruptured brain aneurysm and was released from the hospital after 21 days. She now lives aneurysm-free and treasures every moment of her second chance at life. This opportunity to on the Board of Directors for The Joe Niekro Foundation is an absolute dream and the chance for Lisa to represent the living testimony to the importance of early detection and awareness.