Curtis Arledge
Peter Bell**
Sallie Bernard
Jim Broder
Nanci Fredkin
Geri Dawson**
Liz Feld**
Philip H. Geier, Jr*
Gary W. Goldstein, M.D.
Dee Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger
Adrian M. Jones
Tim Jones
Mel Karmazin*
Brian Kelly*
Artie Kempner
Mark LaNeve
Billy Mann
Bernie Marcus*
Shawn Matthews
Gary Mayerson
Kevin Murray*
Alison Niederauer
Herbert Pardes, M.D.
Andrew Robertson
Holly Robinson Peete
Chuck Saftler
Stuart Savitz
Dan Schulman
Laura Slatkin
John B. Wilson
David M. Wittels
Bob Wright*
Suzanne Wright*
*Executive Committee members
**Staff Officers
Curtis Arledge
Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BNY Mellon Asset Management
Curtis Arledge is Vice Chairman of BNY Mellon and Chief Executive Officer of BNY Mellon Asset Management. Additionally, Curtis is responsible for BNY Mellon Wealth Management, and is a member of BNY Mellon's Executive Committee, which is the senior-most governing body of the corporation. Prior to joining BNY Mellon in November 2010, Curtis was the chief investment officer for fundamental fixed income portfolios at BlackRock, Inc. He joined BlackRock from Wachovia Corporation, where he was the global head of the fixed income division within the bank's corporate and investment banking group. He spent 12 years of his career at Wachovia, and had oversight for various business lines in the U.S., Europe and Asia, including leveraged finance, investment grade, global rates, structured products, corporate loan and commercial real estate portfolios, and financial institutions investment banking. He and his wife, Diane, have a son on the autism spectrum.
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Sallie Bernard
Parent; Co-founder and Executive Director, SafeMinds
Co-founder and Board Chair, Extreme Sports Camp
Sallie Bernard joined the board of Autism Speaks in February 2007, following the merger with Cure Autism Now (CAN). Bernard previously served as board chair for CAN and executive director of the New Jersey chapter, helping to secure millions of dollars for autism research and treatment. She was also a member of the Founders Forum for The Autism Center of UMDNJ in New Jersey. She and her husband, Tom, have been major supporters of CAN's Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE), Clinical Trials Network, Autism Treatment Network and Environmental Innovators Award programs.
Bernard is co-founder and executive director of SafeMinds, an organization which focuses on the role of mercury in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. She has testified before Congress, presented to the Institute of Medicine, published a number of research papers and letters in science journals, and participates in several government committees addressing the effect of mercury on neurodevelopment. She is also co-founder and president of Extreme Sports Camp, a nonprofit summer camp for older children and teenagers with autism. The camp offers outdoor sports and recreation including hiking, rock climbing, swimming, rafting and water skiing.
Bernard is the founder and former president of ARC Research, a market research and consulting firm, which she sold in 2004 and is now part of Leger Marketing. She graduated with honors from Radcliffe College, Harvard University, in 1979. She is married with two children, one of whom has autism. She resides in Aspen, Colorado.
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Jim Broder
Director of Global Capital and IR, Starwood Capital
Jim Broder is Director of Globla Capital and IR at Starwood Capital. He was previously Managing Director at Pierpont Securities. Priort to that, he was the Managing Director in Fixed Income Sales at Deutsche Bank. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in July 2008, Broder was with Bear Stearns for 15 years as a Senior Managing Director in the Fixed Income Sales Division. Broder and his wife, Shannon, are parents of two sons, and have been very active in the Autism Speaks community, particularly in Nantucket, Mass. Broder has co-chaired the Nantucket Walk Now for Autism Speaks for three years since its inception.
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Nanci Fredkin
Nanci Fredkin is a former board member of Cure Autism Now, where she gave nearly $70,000 from 1999-2007. Nanci created Facing of Autism as a fundraiser in 1998. She redesigned and re-launched this highly successful fundraising event in March 2012 which took place in San Francisco, bringing in nearly $500,000 for Autism Speaks. Her personal connections and dedication in developing and executing the event was invaluable and she also gave $20,000 in donations to the event. Nanci is also a member of the Board of Directors of Telecare Corporation. The organization encompasses a family legacy that she is very proud to continue. Nanci worked in banking and was an account executive for the Estee Lauder Corporation. She has used her business experiences and brought her insight and judgment to various non-profit organizations as well as to Telecare. Nanci has a passion for and has made a commitment to children and healthcare issues. She sits on the Foundation Board of the University of California San Francisco and Theater Works Silicon Valley Board.
Nanci resides in the Bay Area of California with her husband Gary and three children.
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Philip H. Geier, Jr.
Chairman, The Geier Group LLC
Philip H. Geier, Jr., an advertising professional, became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., in 1980. He retired from this position at the end of December 2000.
In February 2001, Mr. Geier formed The Geier Group to provide consulting/advisory services in the marketing, communications and venture capital areas.
Additionally, Mr. Geier is a Senior Advisor for Lazard Frères & Co. LLC and serves on the Board of Directors for the following companies: AEA Investors, Inc., Fiduciary Trust International, and Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. Mr. Geier's philanthropic relationships as Director or Trustee include: Autism Speaks, Columbia Business School, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Save the Children Federation, Inc., The Whitney Museum of American Art, and International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Mr. Geier holds a B.A. in Economics from Colgate University (1957) and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance from Columbia University (1958).
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Gary Goldstein, MD
President and Chief Executive Officer, Kennedy Krieger Institute
Professor, Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine and School of Hygiene and Public Health
Dr. Gary Goldstein is the chair of the Autism Speaks scientific advisory committee, and president and chief executive officer of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, one of the nation's leading treatment centers for autism and other developmental disorders. He is also a professor of neurology and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine and a professor of environmental health sciences at Johns Hopkins University's School of Hygiene and Public Health.
One of the leading researchers of neurological functions and defects, Gary has helped gain international recognition for the Kennedy Krieger Institute through his studies of children with a wide range of disabilities, from rare genetic disorders to common learning problems. More than 13,000 children with disabilities visit the Kennedy Krieger Institute every year.
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Adrian M. Jones
Co-Head of the Americas, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Adrian M. Jones is a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in New York in the company's Principal Investment Area. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1994 as an associate of the Investment Banking Division. He has also served in the company's Communications and Media Department, on mobility assignments in Equity Capital Markets and in the Executive Office of Goldman Sachs International in London. Jones grew up in Ireland and served as a Lieutenant in the Irish Army. In 1987-88, he served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Southern Lebanon. Jones is a 1986 graduate of University College in Galway, and earned his MBA from Harvard in 1994. He is the father of a child with autism.
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Tim Jones
CEO, ZenithOptimedia North America
Leading The ROI Agency in North America, CEO Tim Jones is committed to ensuring that each agency client receives a better return per media dollar invested than any of their competitors. Managing ZO's industry-leading North American media brands, Tim also serves as a member of the ZO worldwide executive committee.
Under Tim's leadership since 2005, ZO has experienced unprecedented growth. Ranked by the Research Company Evaluating the Media Agency Industry (RECMA) as the second largest, fastest-growing agency, ZO has welcomed a world-class roster of new clients including Nestlé, Twentieth Century Fox, Payless Shoes, Ubisoft, Harrah's, Jenny Craig and Reckitt-Benckiser. ZO's new business success and the retention and expansion of existing client partnerships have also garnered RECMA's highest three and six-year agency performance scores.
Helming the charge into digital and diversified offerings Tim has been a leader of evolution. With the acquisition of Moxie Interactive and the strategic alignment of Performics, ZO's interactive billings total more than $550 million and represent one of the industry's largest digital units. The development and growth of econometrics, direct response, Newcast all-platform content and multicultural now offer agency clients a full complement of powerful diversified communication solutions.
Tim's career started in 1978 and has included service at Ogilvy and Mather, Bates and ZO International. Among other awards, in 2007 Tim was named an AdAge Media Maven.
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Mel Karmazin
CEO, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
Mel Karmazin is Chief Executive Officer of SIRIUS Satellite Radio, where he oversees all aspects of the company's operations from its New York City corporate headquarters. SIRIUS delivers to 7.7 million subscribers more than 130 channels of radio, including 100% commercial-free music channels. It also broadcasts nationwide the best and most compelling talk, entertainment, news, information, and sports programming.
Previously, he was President and COO of Viacom, President and CEO of CBS Corp., and President and CEO of Infinity Broadcasting. Prior to Infinity, Karmazin spent 10 years with Metromedia.
Karmazin is vice chairman of the board of trustees of The Paley Center for Media and serves on the board of Autism Speaks. He was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and has received the National Association of Broadcasters National Radio Award and the IRTS Gold Medal Award.
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Brian Kelly
Principal, Eastern Real Estate, LLC
Brian Kelly is a principal and founder of Eastern Development, LLC, where he has invested in more than 100 retail and office projects totaling over 8 million square feet with a value in excess of $1 billion. Prior to Eastern Development, Kelly was the principal of Atlantic Retail Properties. Under Kelly's leadership, Atlantic Retail Properties was New England's largest and most active retail brokerage firm. Kelly lives in Montecito, CA, with his wife, Patricia, and their six children, one of whom has autism.
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Artie Kempner
Fox Sports
Artie Kempner is the lead director for both the NFL and NASCAR on Fox. He joined Fox Sports in the fall of 1994 for its inaugural season covering the NFL. In 2001 Kempner and his production crew took over the number one team at Fox working with Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth and Joe Buck.
Kempner is also the coordinating director of NASCAR on Fox, and directs the Sprint Cup telecasts. Fox took over NASCAR in 2001, and garnered an Outstanding Series Emmy in that first season. The coverage was honored twice more with the Outstanding Series Emmy in 2005 and 2007.
A nine-time sports Emmy winner, Kempner is very active in fundraising efforts for Autism Delaware and the Autism Speaks organization. He is the founding president of the Autism Society of Delaware (now Autism Delaware) and a former board member of the Autism Society of America. His passion to help advocate for the autism community was motivated when his middle son Ethan was diagnosed with the disorder in 1998.
Kempner was recently chosen as one of the three finalists for Home Depot's NASCAR Humanitarian of the Year award. His proudest achievements are his efforts to establish the Fox Sports supports program, and his involvement in bringing Autism Speaks and Dover International Speedway together to create the Autism Speaks 400.
Kempner played football at the University of Florida and graduated in 1981 with a degree in Journalism and Communications. He lives in Wilmington, Del. with his wife Marcy (a six-time sports Emmy winner in her own right and a dynamic autism advocate), and their three sons, Matt, Ethan and Jack.
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Mark LaNeve
COO, Global Team Ford
Mark LaNeve is the chief operating officer for Global Team Ford and a member of the Allstate senior management team. As chief marketing officer, LaNeve is responsible for all marketing activities across the corporation including brand stewardship, marketing and brand strategy, advertising, corporate identity, customer loyalty and field marketing.
LaNeve has served in a variety of senior-level marketing, sales and general management positions in the automotive industry for more than 25 years. Prior to joining Allstate in 2009, LaNeve was vice president of sales, service and marketing at the General Motors Corporation (GM) and responsible for sales, brand development and marketing for eight U.S. vehicle brands. Previously at GM, LaNeve served as vice president of marketing and advertising, and as general manager of the Cadillac division.
Brandweek magazine named LaNeve "Marketer of the Year" in 2003. He spent more than three years at Volvo Cars of North America, first as chief marketing officer and later as president and CEO.
LaNeve holds a bachelor's of arts degree in business communication from the University of Virginia.
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Billy Mann
Music Producer, Songwriter
CEO of Green Bloom, Inc/BMG, a Joint Venture between Mann and KKR/BMG Chrysalis Rights Management
Billy Mann is CEO of Green Bloom, Inc/BMG, a Joint Venture between Mann and KKR/BMG Chrysalis Rights Management.
William "Billy" Hort Mann, an inner-city Philadelphia native began his career as a traveling singer- songwriter, studio-musician and ultimately signed to an A&M Records imprint (DV8) in 1994 that led to two modest solo releases. However, Mann successfully converted his artist opportunity into access to write and produce hit songs for others and, ultimately, some of the biggest recording artists in the world. His credibility of having been both a struggling and critically acclaimed artist himself helped cement the faith of artists, talent representatives and media executives around the world who continue to turn to Mann time and again for help with content, artist development and commercial vision.
The diversity of global talent with whom Mann has worked speaks for itself: Pink, David Guetta, Robyn, John Legend, Take That, Sting, Ricky Martin, Tiziano Ferro, Backstreet Boys, Anastacia, Celine Dion, Kelly Rowland, Delta Goodrem, Seeed, Hall & Oates, Art Garfunkel, Boyzone, Phyllis Hyman, Helene Fischer, Peter Fox, Pablo Alboran, Bebe, Flex, Carole King, Jessica Andrews, Martina McBride, Josh Groban, Ilse De Lange, (the late) Grover Washington Jr., Deana Carter, Tarkan, Teddy Geiger, Paul Van Dyk, Monrose, Jessica Simpson, Joss Stone and many others.
As a composer, Billy (a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and engineer) has the rare ability to create and crossover from pop to rock, and from dance to R&B to country. His commercial instincts, positive reinforcement leadership style, ability to deliver, and boundless creativity make him one of the most in demand creative forces around the globe.
In 2001, Mann founded Stealth Entertainment in New York City's garment district. The one-man office and studio grew into a team of young executives who went on to develop multi-platinum, award-winning and chart-topping artists, songwriters, producers and mixing engineers. In addition, Stealth built successful alliances/partnerships with organizations like Seventeen Magazine, Sony Pictures Television, Target, Levi's and other brands on behalf of the company and its roster. (As part of Mann's later move to EMI, Stealth was acquired in 2007.)
In November of 2007, Mann joined EMI Music as Creative Advisor and a member of the Operating Board. Quickly thereafter, Mann was appointed Chief Creative Officer until 2008 when Mann, who also speaks Spanish, took on the roles of President of New Music A&R International and President of Global Artist Management, overseeing content in over 30 countries around the world. During his years with the company, Mann helmed the development of some of EMI's most successful international artists and partnerships including David Guetta, Bebe, Juan Luis Guerra, Tiziano Ferro, Robyn, Pablo Alboran, Paty Cantu, Belinda, Wind Up and Movic, among others. Additionally, he helped develop artist management initiatives in countries around the world (most notably, Spain, Germany, Italy and the United States) in order to expand the way EMI develops talent. Mann also led more than 50 EMI artists from around the world to action with the Red Cross following the earthquakes in Haiti and--later--Chile in an EMI initiative he named "Answer The Call."
As a creative media executive, Mann believes that commercial success, creativity, innovation and transparency with talent can and should co-exist but that each relationship should be tailor- made. At EMI, his leadership style was described as an extreme motivator whose "singular light of optimism and confidence" helped redefine the business during critical times. Departing from a more profitable EMI, Mann went on to create new ventures that embrace quality content, technology, and contrarian approaches in order to further drive positive change across the media industry.
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Bernie Marcus
Co-Founder, The Home Depot, Inc.
Chairman, The Marcus Foundation
Bernie Marcus is co-founder of The Home Depot, Inc., the world's largest home improvement retailer. He served as chairman of the board until his retirement in 2002. He remains director emeritus.
Marcus serves as chairman of the board of The Marcus Foundation, which he founded in 1988. Its areas of focus include Jewish causes, children, medical research, free enterprise, and the community.
In 1991, he and his wife, Billi, established The Marcus Institute, which provides programs for children and adolescents with disorders of the brain, and especially autism, and their families. In 1998, the Marcus Institute joined forces with the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.
Marcus donated $25 million to Autism Speaks to spearhead its efforts to raise money for research on the causes and cure for autism. He is an active member of the board of directors.
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Shawn Matthews
Chief Executive Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
Shawn Matthews is Chief Executive Officer of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., appointed in March 2009, reporting directly to Chairman Howard Lutnick. He has played a significant role in the substantial growth of the division over the past two years and in early 2009 assumed overall executive responsibility for the firm's Debt Capital Markets, Equity Capital Markets, and Investment Banking businesses. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is a full service fixed income broker dealer and one of 16 primary dealers of the U.S. Treasury, with a significant presence in mortgage, high grade corporate, agency, treasury, repo and asset backed securities trading and the firm is a global leader in institutional equity sales and trading.
Mr. Matthews has spent the last 20 years in a senior management role having run both desks and departments at several firms. He has also been the Managing Member of a broker dealer, West Side Capital as well as the Managing Partner of hedge fund, Alchemist Capital Management. Mr. Matthews holds a B.S. in Finance from Fairfield University and was awarded an M.B.A. from Hofstra University. He is also a member of SIFMA's Board of Directors.
Mr. Matthews and his wife Monica have four children (Erin, age 6, Maura, age 8, Ryan, age 10 and with autism, and Shawn, age 12).
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Gary S. Mayerson
Founding Attorney, Mayerson & Associates
Gary Mayerson is the founding attorney of Mayerson & Associates, a firm that concentrates almost exclusively on representing and advocating for children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Gary is the author of How to Compromise with Your School District without Compromising Your Child: A Field Guide for Getting Effective Services for Children with Special Needs. Before founding Mayerson & Associates, he was an attorney and partner at Graubard, Mollen & Miller. Originally from Miami, Gary graduated cum laude from Syracuse University and later received his law degree from Georgetown University. Gary is married with three children, and he has a family member diagnosed with autism.
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Kevin Murray
Managing Partner and Head of Global Sales, G2 Investment Group/Forbes Private Capital Group
Kevin Murray is the Managing Director and Head of Business Development for G2 Investment Group/Forbes Private Capital Group. Kevin is based in New York and is responsible for originating and marketing G2-sponsored funds and third-party investment opportunities through its global institutional and ultra-high net worth network.
Prior to joining Forbes Private Capital Group in 2011, Kevin was a Director at Federal Street Partners. Kevin was a Founding Partner, COO and Marketing Director at Rock Ridge Advisors, LLC, a fixed income oriented macro hedge fund launched in 2005. Prior to forming Rock Ridge, Kevin was a partner and managing director for Muirfield Capital Management, a $700 million hedge fund that launched in 2001. Kevin also formed and operated Pilgrim Financial, a private investment vehicle, during that time. In 1997, he co-founded Convergence Asset Management, a global fixed income fund. From 1988 to1997, Kevin was a managing director and partner at Cantor Fitzgerald, where he was responsible for managing the mortgage-backed trading operation.
In 1997, Kevin, his wife, Susan, and other interested parents formed the Autism Coalition for Research and Education which eventually became Autism Speaks in June 2005. They have three boys including Owen, who suffers from ASD. Kevin is currently an Autism Speaks Executive Board Member and holds a B.S. in Finance from Siena College.
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Alison Niederauer
Attorney
A native of Montclair, New Jersey, Alison Niederauer is the daughter of the late Marguerite Smith Cooper and New Jersey Judge Peter B. Cooper. She attended Vassar College from 1982 to 1986 and graduated with a degree in Psychology. She went on to attend Fordham Law School and graduated with her J.D. in 1991, and was admitted to both the New York and New Jersey Bar Associations. Alison clerked for Federal Magistrate Judge John Caden in the EDNY from 1991 to 1992 before she and her husband Duncan moved to Tokyo. While there she worked as an adviser in the legal department of Nichimen, one of Japan's largest trading companies and studied the Japanese language. When the family returned to the US in 1995, they settled in Bernardsville, New Jersey and Alison became a full-time mother to Amanda, now 21, Liam, 10; and Eva, age 8. When Liam was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at age four, there were few resources providing assistance. Alison educated herself by becoming immersed in the current literature and seeking out the expertise of a wide range of specialists, including neurologists, nutritionists, occupational, speech and physical therapists, ophthalmologists and behaviorists. Many of these specialists have been treating Liam over the past several years in hopes of gaining positive results through early intervention and consistent treatment. Liam now attends The Newmark School in Plainfield, New Jersey and is in the fourth grade. He is a bright, happy, wonderful little boy -- with a long road ahead.
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Herbert Pardes, M.D.
Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Dr. Herbert Pardes left the position as President and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, and became Executive Vice Chairman of the Board of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Nationally recognized for his broad expertise in education, research, clinical care and health policy, he is an ardent advocate of academic medical centers, humanistic care and the power of technology and innovation to transform 21st-century medicine.
Under his leadership, NewYork-Presbyterian became one of the most highly regarded and comprehensive health care institutions in the world. The Hospital is top-ranked in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report.
An outspoken proponent for academic medicine, children’s health education, mental health issues, access to care and information technology in medicine, Dr. Pardes is a regular guest on national television news programs and contributes opinion pieces appearing in the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. He is active at the state and federal level, supporting legislation to help hospitals provide quality health care while balancing today’s economic realities with making the best possible medical care available to all who need it.
Prior to joining the Hospital in 1999, Dr. Pardes served as Vice President for Health Sciences at Columbia University and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. A noted psychiatrist, he served as Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and U.S. Assistant Surgeon General during the Carter and Reagan administrations, and was also President of the American Psychiatric Association. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York in Brooklyn and completed his residency in psychiatry at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, with additional psychoanalytic training at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute.
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Andrew Robertson
President and CEO, BBDO Worldwide
Andrew Robertson has been President and Chief Executive Officer of BBDO Worldwide since June 2004. BBDO Worldwide is the current Network of the Year for The Gunn Report, The Won Report, and at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, and has been honored as Global Agency of the Year in Advertising Age, AdWeek and Campaign since 2004.
Andrew first came to BBDO in the UK in 1995, joining Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO where he ultimately served as Chief Executive. In 2001, he moved to BBDO North America to serve as President and CEO.
He began his advertising career at Ogilvy & Mather as a Media Planner. He switched to Account Management and was appointed to the Board of Ogilvy & Mather in 1986.
In 1989, he joined J. Walter Thompson as a member of the Management Group and began to head the largest of their five business groups. In November 1990, Andrew was appointed Chief Executive of WCRS.
Andrew has his degree in Economics from London University. He currently serves on the Boards of The Advertising Council, the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Autism Speaks, The Special Olympics and the Center on Media and Child Health.
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Holly Robinson Peete
Actress, Author, Activist and Philanthropist
Actress, author, activist and philanthropist, Holly Robinson Peete has been touched by the entertainment industry all of her life. Her career as an actress dates back more than two decades and has led her to becoming a voice for her father, her son and her community.
An accomplished author, Robinson Peete won the 2006 Quill Literacy Award with her first book Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game: A Women's Guide to Loving Pro Football (2005, Rodale). She will release a children's picture book on autism called “My Brother Charlie” with co-author and daughter Ryan Elizabeth Peete, in 2010 (Scholastic).
Robinson Peete had her first experience in front of the camera at the age of four when she appeared on television opposite her father, Matthew Robinson who played the original Gordon, on “Sesame Street.” While she knew even at that young age her calling was to be an actress, Robinson Peete opted to lead a typical childhood. However, upon finishing college Robinson Peete's heart led her back to entertainment. In 1986, she landed a starring role on the FOX television drama “21 Jump Street” opposite unknown cast members including Johnny Depp. She has gone on to star in three additional successful television series: “Hangin' With Mr. Cooper,” “For Your Love,” and “One on One.” She performed the theme songs for both “21 Jump Street” and “Hangin' With Mr. Cooper,” she also did her own signing as Diana Ross in the miniseries “The Jacksons: An American Dream.”
It is through her successful career and longevity in the entertainment industry which continues to keep Robinson Peete in the limelight that she has been able to give voice as an activist and advocate through the HollyRod Foundation. Formed in 1996 with the mission to help improve the quality of life of people plagued with devastating life circumstances, the foundation was given life through her father's sad but inspiring battle with Parkinson's Disease. In 2000, inspired by her son, hollyrod4kids was formed to focus on children's causes and improving the lives of children affected by circumstances beyond their control. Through hollyrod4kids and her family's personal experiences, Robinson Peete has become an advocate for consistent and reliable education, treatment and support for families affected by autism. Her activism is respected around the world and she has appeared on such programs as “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Larry King Live,” “CNN,” “Access Hollywood” and many other news, political, informational and entertainment shows.
She currently sits on the Board of Overseers of the Keck School of Medicine and the Board of Directors of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.
Robinson Peete and husband of 14 years former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete are the proud parents of four children. They currently reside in Los Angeles.
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Chuck Saftler
Executive Vice President, FX Network
Chuck Saftler is the Executive Vice President of FX Networks as well as the General Manager of Fox Movie Channel. Saftler was part of the team that successfully launched shows such as The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, and Sons of Anarchy. Prior to joining FX, Saftler worked in various program research positions at KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, as well as Columbia Pictures Television, where he participated in the successful syndicated launches of Seinfeld and Married…With Children. Saftler, his wife Colleen and their two children, one of whom has autism, live in Los Angeles. He has been a member of the Autism Speaks community since 2002, having served as a board member of Cure Autism Now, which merged with Autism Speaks in 2007. Saftler is also on the board of ACT Today!
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Stuart Savitz
Founder, Law Offices of Stuart M. Savitz, LLC Operating Board, CP Acquisition LLC
Stuart Savitz graduated from Michigan State University (James Madison College) with a BA in 1982, and received his JD from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis in 1985. In 2001, Savitz founded the Law Offices of Stuart M. Savitz LLC, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance transactions and general corporate services. In 2004, Savitz was the lead investor in CP Acquisition LLC, which acquired the Coco Pazzo and Coco Pazzo Café restaurants in Chicago.
Stuart, and his wife Amy, live in Glencoe, Illinois, with their two sons, Tyler, who has autism, and Spencer. In 2007, Spencer founded Team Tyler to participate in the Chicago Walk Now for Autism Speaks. In 5 years, Team Tyler has raised over $600,000. In 2011, Spencer and the Savitz Family founded the North Shore Walk, which has raised almost $400,000 in its first two years.
The Savitz’ began funding autism research through Cure Autism Now in 2005, and have continued their funding through Autism Speaks. Mr. Savitz has also served on the Autism Speaks Family Services Committee since 2010.
Mr. Savitz served on the Foundation Board for Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago from 2004 – 2009.
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Dan Schulman
Group President, Enterprise Growth, American Express
Dan Schulman joined American Express as Group President, Enterprise Growth, in 2010. He is responsible for the company's global strategy to expand alternative mobile and online payment services, form new partnerships and build revenue streams beyond the traditional card and travel businesses.
Schulman joined American Express from Sprint Nextel Corporation, where he served as resident of Sprint's Prepaid group since 2009. Before joining Sprint, Schulman was the founding CEO of Virgin Mobile USA, a mobile virtual operator, acquired by Sprint in 2009. Prior to that he was CEO of priceline.com and spent the early part of his career with AT&T, where he ultimately led the company's consumer long distance business.
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Laura Slatkin
Founder and President, Candela Group; President, Nest Fragrances
Laura Slatkin is the President of Candela Group, a manufacturer and international marketer of home fragrance products. Founded in 2005, Candela Group designs and produces custom collections for high-end private label clients in luxury, beauty, fashion, media and non-profit industries. Laura Slatkin began her career in the home fragrance industry in 1992 when she and her husband, Harry Slatkin, founded Slatkin & Co., the leading home fragrance company renowned for its luxurious scents, candles, potpourri and other essentials for rooms and environments.
In 2002, after their son was diagnosed with autism, Laura and Harry Slatkin founded the New York Center for Autism (NYCA), a tripartite organization dedicated to autism education, community outreach and biomedical research. NYCA created the NYCA Charter School, the first public charter school dedicated to serving children with autism which opened in 2005.
In addition to Autism Speaks and NYCA, Laura also serves on the boards of the NYCA Charter School and the Henry Street Settlement House.
Laura began her professional career in 1980 as a senior vice president with Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb after graduating from New York University. She lives in New York City with her husband and their twins, David and Alexandra.
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John B. Wilson
President and General Partner, Hyannis Port Capital, Inc.
John B. Wilson joined the board of Autism Speaks in February 2007, following the merger with Cure Autism Now (CAN). Wilson is a member of the HPC LLC Management Committee and owner and president of Hyannis Port Capital, Inc. He has held several other executive positions, including Chief Operating Officer and executive vice president of Gap, Inc.; Chief Financial Officer and executive vice president of Staples, Inc.; senior vice president of Northwest Airlines; and vice president/partner at Bain & Company. He serves on the board of several Franklin Templeton Mutual Funds as well as a number of private company boards.
During his tenure as COO, the Gap experienced its most successful growth period. From 1996 to March 2000, Gap Inc.'s sales tripled to $10 billion, net profits quadrupled and its stock market value increased 800%. Staples also experienced explosive growth during Wilson's tenure as CFO. Total sales between 1992 and 1996 grew 600% to $4 billion, net income rose by 700% and the company's stock price expanded by more than 600%.
Wilson earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1983 and his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, magna cum laude, from Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute in 1981. Wilson and his wife Leslie have been married for 17 years and have three children.
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David M. Wittels
Senior Managing Director, Diamond Castle
David Wittels is a Senior Managing Director and co-founder of private equity firm Diamond Castle. His primary areas of focus are the media, healthcare and industrial sectors.
Prior to founding Diamond Castle in 2004, Mr. Wittels was a Managing Director at DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, which he joined in 1986.
David is a Director of Bonten Media Group, Checksmart Financial Company and NES Rentals Holdings, Inc. He is a former Chairman of the Board of Arcade Holding Corp. and a former Director of Wilson Greatbatch Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:GB), Katz Media Group Inc., Mueller Group Inc., Advanstar Holdings Corp., Jostens Inc., Ziff Davis Holdings, Inc. and several other companies. He holds a B.S., summa cum laude, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
David lives on Long Island with his wife Cindy, daughter Gabrielle, and son Tyler who is on the spectrum. The Wittels family has the #1 walk fundraising team, not just on Long Island but in the entire country. They have raised over $1,000,000 for Autism Speaks since 2005 through their Walk Team, “Tyler W.”
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Bob Wright
Co-founder, Autism Speaks
Senior Advisor, Lee Equity Partners
Bob Wright is Senior Advisor at Lee Equity Partners and served as vice chairman, General Electric, and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal for more than twenty years. Wright also serves on the board of directors of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, RAND Corporation and Mission Product, LLC.
Bob has a strong history of philanthropy and community service, for which he has received numerous awards and accolades, most recently the 2005 Humanitarian Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He is a member of the board of directors of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, is on the board of governors of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and is a member of the Society of New York Hospital Inc. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and received his LL.B. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He and his wife, Suzanne, live in Connecticut. They have three children and four grandchildren.
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Suzanne Wright
Co-founder, Autism Speaks
In addition to co-founding Autism Speaks, Suzanne has an extensive history of being actively involved in community and philanthropic endeavors, mostly directed toward helping children. She has teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York, the YMCA, and other local organizations to provide children with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as attending the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
Suzanne serves on the board of directors for several organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York; the Laura Pels Foundation; the Inner-City Foundation for Charity and Education; and the Philadelphia-based Champions of Caring Project; among others.
Suzanne is a graduate and member of the board of trustees of Sarah Lawrence College. She and Bob live in Connecticut. They have three children and four grandchildren.
