Our Leadership & Team

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is the backbone of HBOT4Heroes, providing strategic guidance and leadership that drives our mission forward. With a wealth of experience in various fields, these individuals bring vision, dedication, and a deep commitment to serving our veterans. Their leadership ensures that we stay true to our values and achieve our goals, making a lasting impact on the lives of those who have served our country. Meet the dedicated members who are steering our organization toward a brighter future.

Chairman

With over four decades of leadership in design, manufacturing, construction, and software development, Mr. di Girolamo stands out as a visionary and innovator. As founder and CEO of The Steel Network, Inc., Applied Science International, LLC, and Extivita, LLC, his pioneering work spans from revolutionizing steel construction with patented safety innovations to advancing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for brain injuries and other conditions.

Under his leadership, these entities have seen groundbreaking advancements, notably in structural engineering software and HBOT, enhancing both industry standards and patient care. Mr. di Girolamo’s approach to leadership is deeply rooted in teamwork, humility, and a commitment to service, underscored by his advocacy for veterans’ well-being and his honors, including the Secretary of Defense’s Freedom Award.

Background:

• Military Service: U.S. Navy Active Duty (1975-1978), Seabee Reserves (1978-1981)
• Education: B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from New York State University at Buffalo

His career and leadership are driven by a philosophy of using innovation and teamwork to serve others, making him a respected and transformative figure in every field he touches.

Xavier A. Figueroa, Ph.D. is a graduate from the University of California at Davis, having completed and received his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology in 1994.  He received his doctorate in Neurobiology and Behavior from the University of Washington in Seattle, in the School of Public Health at the Department of Toxicology and Environmental Health in 2003.  Dr. Figueroa completed two post-doctoral fellowships in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, his last fellowship working in the laboratory of Professor Gerald Pollack researching the biophysics of interfacial water.  Since 2010, Xavier has worked in the private sector, researching the clinical effects of hyperbaric oxygen for the treatment of neurological injuries and in the treatment of PTSD/TBI for active duty and veteran members of the armed services. Currently, Xavier is affiliated with the biotechnology company Emulate Therapeutics Inc., a company that has developed and pioneered the used of magnetic field therapies to emulate the effects of drugs.

After graduating from the University of Chicago, Fogarty received his medical degree from UNMC and completed radiology residency at Creighton. As Chair of Radiology at the University of North Dakota he advanced multiple innovations in clinical imaging and medical education. Fogarty’s neuroimaging collaboration with Professor of Emergency Medicine Paul Harch, MD at LSU has validated hyperbaric medicine protocols for the reversal of subacute and chronic neurological injury, including dementia. In 2020, Dr. Fogarty received a Federal CARES ACT Grant to implement countermeasures against COVID19 based on the work of Central Alumnus Albert Crum, MD published in the journal Antiviral Research. Search “Hyperbaric Eden” for an Eagle’s view of Fogarty’s best medical photojournalism.

Secretary

Christy Thalheimer, M.Ed., serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for HBOT4Heroes and is a 2025 Goodmon Fellow through Leadership Triangle, a program recognizing transformative regional leaders. With a Master of Education degree and extensive experience in nonprofit leadership and administration—particularly supporting families through child care resources and serving military families with children who have exceptional needs or disabilities—she brings a strong commitment to community advocacy and access to vital services.

Deeply committed to the healing power of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), Christy has experienced its benefits firsthand for herself, her husband, and close friends, and believes it could transform lives for veterans and the military families she serves. Growing up with an Air Force veteran father, she understands the lasting impact of military service, and as a Christian, she is passionate about extending this therapy’s hope to others. A native Eastern North Carolinian living in the Raleigh area, Christy cherishes time with her husband, daughter, and golden retriever, Laci. She loves the beach and mountains, knows the best spots for authentic Eastern NC BBQ, and won’t hesitate to sprinkle ‘y’all’ into every conversation.

Dr. Paul Harch is an emergency medicine and hyperbaric medicine clinician, researcher, and graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Section of Emergency Medicine at LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans and the former director of the University Medical Center Hyperbaric Medicine Department and LSU Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship.

Practicing Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine since 1986, Dr. Harch has focused on neurological applications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy since 1989. His work began with the discovery of a lower-pressure treatment for chronic brain decompression illness and expanded to the treatment of a wide range of pediatric and adult neurological conditions, including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic and toxic brain injury, cerebral palsy, autism, and other developmental disorders.

In 2008, Dr. Harch became the first to apply HBOT to U.S. war veterans with chronic traumatic brain injury and PTSD. His work led to an animal model replicating human outcomes, a successful randomized clinical trial in chronic mild TBI, and multiple high-level systematic reviews. In 2022, he published a landmark review demonstrating the highest level of evidence for HBOT in mild TBI, followed by a 2024 systematic review showing similar evidence for HBOT in PTSD.

Dr. Harch is the author of The Oxygen Revolution, first published in 2006 and now in its third edition, which presents hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an epigenetic treatment with transformative potential in medicine and neurology.

Dr. Denham graduated from the University of Louisville Medical School, class of 1993. She completed her general surgery training at the University of South Florida from 1993 to 2000, including two years of basic science research focused on inflammatory mediators of pancreatitis.

In 2009, Dr. Denham completed specialized training in wound care and hyperbaric medicine. She went on to open a private practice hyperbaric clinic in Chicago, Illinois in 2015, followed by a second clinic in Fargo, North Dakota in 2018, expanding access to treatments for traumatic brain injuries.

Dr. Denham is a board-certified general surgeon with years of trauma surgery experience. She notes that witnessing the results of hyperbaric oxygen treatments has been unlike anything she was able to provide surgically for these patients.

Dr. Maclaughlin has worked in hyperbaric oxygen therapy since 2003. From 2014 to 2023, he served as Safety Director at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Biotron Hyperbaric and Hypobaric Altitude Laboratory, where he oversaw facility recertification and supported research operations.

His research focuses on how oxygen tension, pressure, and gas mixtures influence stem-cell mobilization, inflammatory cytokine modulation, and physiologic biomarkers relevant to brain injury and neurodegenerative disease. He has published peer-reviewed studies in both human and animal models, with findings that explore dose relationships and help inform clinical trial interpretation, as well as policy considerations related to coverage and reimbursement.

Our Brand Ambassadors are the voices of HBOT4Heroes, spreading awareness and championing our cause in communities far and wide. These individuals share our passion for supporting veterans and use their platforms to amplify our mission. By engaging with their communities, they help us reach more veterans who can benefit from our services. Our Brand Ambassadors are helping us make a difference, one story at a time.