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Leadership

Our Chair


Dr. Alexander Zolli

Retired Cardiothoracic and Vascular surgeon

Dr. Alexander Zolli’s involvement with the ACS Lifesavers Ball has spanned 35 years. He and his wife, Maria, chaired our event from 1991 to 2016 and remain active in strategy, planning, assisting behind the scenes and presenting the Living Angel Award. In 1971, Alex received his undergraduate degree in Biology at St. Peter’s University in New Jersey. He obtained his MD degree from the University of Bologna, Italy where he served as the president of the American student body. Following residencies in General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery, he was appointed Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. In 1986, he began the private practice of Cardiothoracic and Vascular surgery in Lorain, Ohio. He introduced the first of four different surgical innovations in his specialty in 1992 to our community. He is a member of 12 medical societies and has served in multiple roles at numerous levels in hospital hierarchy. Mercy hospital honored him with the Spirit of Leadership Award in 2011. Together, Maria and Alex share a number of accolades. Among them are: ACS Volunteer of the Year, ACS Lifetime Achievement award, Leadership Lorain County Excellence in Leadership award and the Community Service Award LCADA Way. Maria and Alex have been married over 50 years, are the proud parents of two daughters and even prouder grandparents of five. For both of them, the ACS Lifesavers Ball has been and still is a labor of love.