ME International Board of Directors
JAMES DAVIS, President
James was born and raised in the Midwest just outside of St Louis. Until recently, he lived in Western Colorado, but now calls Washington State his home. James was a Social Studies teacher until his ME cut his career short. When he could no longer teach, he decided to write novels to have something creative and productive to do while struggling with his ME. He has completed two novels and is working on the third in his trilogy. James currently enjoys spending time with photography and getting outdoors when possible. It took James well over a decade to be diagnosed with ME, and his experience discovering his illness created a desire to give back to the ME community.
MARY KELLEY, Treasurer
Mary Kelley lives in the very Southwest corner of Denver. She was born in Western Nebraska but moved to Colorado when she was 15 years old. She called the Palisade/Grand Junction area home for 34 years after moving there with her parents. Her career started with the IRS handing out tax forms as a seasonal employee in Grand Junction, moving into a clerical position and audit aide before becoming an auditor for 14 years, and ending her 27½ year career as an Office Audit Group Manager. After becoming an auditor, she was named to the National Teaching Cadre and traveled all over the United States teaching classes for the IRS. Mary moved to the Denver area in 2007 and retired in November of 2014.
Mary is an Enrolled Agent and started her own income tax practice in 2016. Her “fun” but sometimes trying job is ushering for the Colorado Rockies, last year working 55 games. The rest of her time is spent being a Grandma to eight Grandchildren, playing Texas Hold’em, traveling and being “mom” to her Havanese dog, Mr. Buttons.
Mary is honored to be part of the ME International team and looks forward to getting to know all of you and working with you.
JAMES LUTEY, Past President, Secretary
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jim.lutey
Jim has been married to his wife, Pam, for 56 years. He is mostly retired, but does a lot of volunteer work including Rotary, book work for his son’s landscaping business, ME International, as well as being a caregiver for his wife, Pam, who has ME.
When Jim’s wife, Pam, became ill, she not only consulted many doctors, but in her research, found out about ME Action Colorado. That organization helped Pam and she and Jim became members of their Steering Committee. It was, and still is, the only organization in Colorado that provides some help to ME patients and that works hard on ME education and advocacy. Realizing that there wasn’t really an international ME organization, Jim’s wife, Pam, founded ME International.
Jim grew up in Nebraska and graduated from the University of Wyoming where he met Pam. He had a 32½ year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They moved 8 times, living and working in Montana, Oregon, S. Dakota, Washington, Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado. After retiring in Denver, he and Pam moved out of the city to the town of Johnstown, CO. Both were co-executive directors of the local Chamber of Commerce and Jim was involved in the Historical Society and on Johnstown Planning & Zoning Commission. They have a marketing company and owned Johnstown Milliken News for several years.
Jim is a generalist; always has been. He thinks it evolved from his childhood and early years. He liked to do a lot of things (fish, hunt, golf, taxidermy, fly tying, camping, etc.) and never really concentrated on any one thing to do it really well. “I was good at lots of things, but never an expert at any one thing.” So, in regard to ME International, he expects to be good at organizing, leading, and common sense, but not getting deeply involved in the details. He is pleased that ME International’s diverse board can cover the details.
PAM LUTEY, Board Member
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pam.lutey
Twitter – https://twitter.com/MEInterorg
Pam Lutey was born and raised in Lakewood, Colorado. She attended and got a teaching degree from The University of Wyoming and met her husband Jim at UW. She has moved 8 times from Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Washington State, South Dakota, Oregon, Missouri and Minnesota and enjoyed every minute of it. She enjoyed being a teacher, a retailer and Co-Executive Director of the Johnstown Milliken Chamber of Commerce. She is currently in Rotary but is unable to attend meetings. She loves starting projects, like ME International. She is one of the lucky ones, getting ME when she was older. She has two sons, Bert and Paul and two grandchildren, Anton and Claire. She has lived the last 20 years in Johnstown, CO. She knows this organization is going to take time and it is wonderful to have such great volunteers. “We will just take each day as it comes and educate along the way.” She hopes that we might have a Foundation Fund to help those that need it the most.
When Pam became sick she tried to find out as much information as she could about ME. At the time, the only ME group in Colorado was Colorado ME Action. She tries to help as much as possible from home but is unable to attend events. She formed a small group on Facebook so they could get to know each other and help whenever possible. She made many friends in this group and they try to support each other and keep up to date about what is going on in Colorado. Pam didn’t join ME International, she founded it. It just seemed like ME should have an international organization like many other non profits.
TARIQ MAHMOOD, Vice President
Tariq Mahmood is a 27-year-old resident of Staffordshire, United Kingdom, with a passion for business and a heart for charity work. Before his diagnosis with ME, Tariq was an avid cyclist and runner who loved participating in charity rides and races to support various causes. However, since becoming disabled, he has found joy in spending time in nature and going on rides on his mobility scooter whenever possible.
Despite the challenges he faces, Tariq remains determined to make a positive impact in the world and continues to find ways to contribute to causes he cares about.
TAMARA DIEZ, Board Member
With origins in Carril (Galicia, Spain), Tamara grew up in different cities around Spain. She studied the Japanese language and was awarded with the scholarship “Ship for the World Youth” by the Japanese government. She studied Tourism Administration in Spain and Greece. In 2004 she was awarded with the Leonardo Scholarship and worked at the ATHENS 2004 Olympic & Paralympic Games, at the Olympic & Paralympic Village.
She has been sick with ME for many years but worsened the last 10 years. She has taken in activism to raise awareness and fight against misinformation. She was part of the “ONG PEM”, the first Spanish Association for MECFS only. She is a spokesperson for “Obertament”, a Catalan NGO that fights against the mental illness stigma. She is also an active member of the Ship for the World Youth Alumni Association, bringing disability to discussion, and she also mentors young people on how to internationalize their careers and education.
Tamara is currently severe with MECFS, and she is also housebound and mostly bedridden, when out of the house she is a wheelchair user. She studies Social & Cultural Anthropology at the Universidad Nacional Española a Distancia (UNED) in Spain.
PATRICIA STACK, Board Member
Patricia Stack is a social work graduate and experienced support worker with over ten years’ experience supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities. She brings a strong foundation in person-centred practice, advocacy, and inclusive care, alongside additional qualifications in Hospitality Management and Human Resource Management.
Patricia is an active member of the ME/CFS community, having participated in ME International chat groups for the past year and stepped into a facilitation role for peer support sessions. She also previously facilitated an LGBTQ+ peer support group with Emerge Australia, reflecting her commitment to inclusive, community-led support. Living with ME/CFS herself, Patricia leads with empathy, adaptability, and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the community. Her leadership style prioritises psychological safety, clear communication, and accessibility, fostering meaningful connection and engagement even within fluctuating capacity.
As a neurodivergent advocate, she brings creative, thoughtful problem-solving and a strong sense of social justice to her work. Patricia is passionate about improving awareness, reducing stigma, and increasing access to clear, evidence-based information, with a long-term goal of contributing to stronger advocacy and better outcomes for people living with ME/CFS.